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US 5,897,681 AGranted
Method of drawing an optical fiber
AssigneeAlcatel
InventorsHans-Jurgen Lysson, Anne Dieumegard, Arnaud Mairesse
Life of this patent
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Abstract
To draw an optical fiber (10) from one end of a glass preform (9) which is heated to above the glass softening temperature at least in that area, a gas (21) flows around the preform (9) into a furnace space (16) during the drawing process and subsequent feeding of the preform. During the feeding, the areas that are adjacent to the drawing end of the preform (9) pass through gas zones in which the helium content of the furnace gas increases in the drawing direction.
Claims12
A method of drawing an optical fiber from one end of a glass preform, comprising the steps of:
- (a) heating at least the one end of the glass preform to above the glass softening temperature in a furnace space;
- (b) drawing an optical fiber from the at least one end of the glass preform in a drawing direction;
- and
- (c) providing a first gas flow into an upper portion of the furnace space and a second, helium-rich, gas flow into a lower portion of the furnace space to create gas zones therein in which helium content increases in the drawing direction.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.