Vinyl ether-based optical fiber coatings
AssigneeLucent Technologies Inc.
InventorsFrancis Michael Houlihan, Mark Anthony Paczkowski, Debra Ann Simoff, Ulrike Varlemann, Nanze Patrick Wang
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Abstract
The specification describes optical fiber coating materials and methods for making optical fiber gratings wherein the material of the optical fiber coatings comprises vinyl ether functionalized monomers, together with oligomeric or polymeric thickeners and a cationic photoinitiator. These coating materials are highly transparent to UV radiation used to write optical gratings in the optical fibers but still absorb sufficiently at other wavelengths to be cured effectively using UV radiation.
Claims29
A ultraviolet (UV) transparent coating composition that is UV curable comprising:
- a. 10-70 wt % of the coating composition of at least one vinyl ether functional monomer,
- b. 30-50 wt % of the coating composition of an oligomer of polytetrahydrofuran diol that has been chain-extended with a difunctional aliphatic or cycloaliphatic epoxide to have a number average molecular weight greater than about 6000, and
- c. an effective level of a cationic photoinitiator,
- said coating composition having a viscosity in the range 700-20,000 cps at 25° C., and a cured optical absorbance at wavelengths of 240-400 nm of less than 0.016/μm.
A UV transparent coating composition that is UV curable comprising:
- a. 10-90 wt % of the coating composition of at least one vinyl ether functional monomer,
- b. 10-90 wt % of the coating composition of an oligomeric or polymeric thickener, and
- c. an effective level of a cationic photoinitiator that is devoid of aromatic moieties,
- said coating composition having a viscosity in the range 700-20,000 cps at 25° C., and a cured optical absorbance at wavelengths of 240-400 nm of less than 0.016/μm.
A UV transparent coating composition that is UV curable comprising:
- a. 10-90 wt % of the coating composition of at least one vinyl ether functional monomer,
- b. 10-90 wt % of the coating composition of a vinyl ether functional oligomer or polymer thickener that is devoid of nitrogen, aryl and carbonyl moieties, and
- c. an effective level of a cationic photoinitiator,
- said coating composition having a viscosity in the range 700-20,000 cps at 25° C., and a cured optical absorbance at wavelengths of 240-400 nm of less than 0.016/μm.
A UV transparent coating composition that is UV curable comprising:
- a. 10-90 wt % of the coating composition of at least one vinyl ether functional monomer,
- b. 10-90 wt % of the coating composition of an oligomeric or polymeric thickener selected from the group consisting of polymethylmethacrylate;
- poly(n-butyl methacrylate);
- polycyclohexylmethacrylate;
- polytetrahydrofuran diol;
- aliphatic and/or cycloaliphatic polyether (mono-, di-, or multifunctional) acrylate;
- aliphatic and/or cycloaliphatic polyester (mono-, di-, or multifunctional) acrylate;
- poly(methylsilsesquioxane);
- ethylenically-substituted poly(methylsilsesquioxane);
- cellulose derivatives;
- polyvinyl butyral, and
- c. an effective level of a cationic photoinitiator, said coating composition having a viscosity in the range 700-20,000 cps at 25° C., and a cured optical absorbance at wavelengths of 240-400 nm of less than 0.016/μm.
A UV transparent coating composition that is UV curable comprising:
- a. 10-90 wt % of the coating composition of at least one vinyl ether functional monomer that contains silicon atoms,
- b. 10-90 wt % of the coating composition of an oligomeric or polymeric thickener, and
- c. an effective level of a cationic photoinitiator,
- said coating composition having a viscosity in the range 700-20,000 cps at 25° C., and a cured optical absorbance at wavelengths of 240-400 nm of less than 0.016/μm.
A UV transparent coating composition that is UV curable comprising:
- a. 10-90 wt % of the coating composition of at least one vinyl ether functional monomer,
- b. 10-90 wt % of the coating composition of an oligomeric or polymeric thickener that contains silicon atoms, and
- c. an effective level of a cationic photoinitiator,
- said coating composition having a viscosity in the range 700-20,000 cps at 25° C., and a cured optical absorbance at wavelengths of 240-400 nm of less than 0.016/μm.
A method for the manufacture of optical fiber gratings comprising the step of exposing the core of an optical fiber to a pattern of UV radiation, said optical fiber comprising a core, a cladding and a coating wherein said UV radiation is directed through said cladding and said coating, and said coating obtained by photocuring a composition comprising:
- a. 50-70 wt % of the composition of at least one vinyl ether functional monomer,
- b. 30-50 wt % of an oligomer of polytetrahydrofuran diol that has been chain-extended with a difunctional aliphatic or cycloaliphatic epoxide to have a number average molecular weight greater than about 6000, and
- c. an effective level of a cationic photoinitiator, said coating composition having a viscosity in the range 700-20,000 cps at 25° C., and a cured optical absorbance at wavelengths of 240-400 nm of 0.016/μm.
A method for the manufacture of optical fiber gratings comprising the step of exposing the core of an optical fiber to a pattern of UV radiation, said optical fiber comprising a core, a cladding and a coating, wherein said UV radiation is directed through said cladding and said coating, and said coating obtained by photocuring a composition comprising:
- a. 10-90 wt % of the composition of at least one vinyl ether functional monomer,
- b. 10-90 wt % of the composition of an oligomeric or polymeric thickener, and
- c. an effective level of a cationic photoinitiator devoid of aromatic moieties,
- said coating composition having a viscosity in the range 700-20,000 cps at 25° C., and a cured optical absorbance at wavelengths of 240-400 nm of 0.016/μm.
A method for the manufacture of optical fiber gratings comprising the step of exposing the core of an optical fiber to a pattern of UV radiation, said optical fiber comprising a core, a cladding and a coating, wherein said UV radiation is directed through said cladding and said coating, and said coating obtained by photocuring a composition comprising:
- a. 10-90 wt % of the composition of at least one vinyl ether functional oligomer or polymer that is devoid of nitrogen, aryl and carbonyl moieties,
- b. 10-90 wt % of the composition of an oligomeric or polymeric thickener, and
- c. an effective level of a cationic photoinitiator,
- said coating composition having a viscosity in the range 700-20,000 cps at 25° C., and a cured optical absorbance at wavelengths of 240-400 nm of 0.016/μm.
A method for the manufacture of optical fiber gratings comprising the steps of exposing the the core of an optical fiber to a pattern of UV radiation, said optical fiber comprising a core, a cladding and a coating, wherein said UV radiation is directed through said cladding and said coating, and said coating obtained by photocuring a composition comprising:
- a. 10-90 wt % of the coating composition of at least one vinyl ether functional monomer,
- b. 10-90 wt % of the coating composition of an oligomeric or polymeric thickener selected from the group consisting of polymethylmethacrylate;
- poly(n-butyl methacrylate);
- polycyclohexylmethacrylate;
- polytetrahydrofuran diol;
- aliphatic and/or cycloaliphatic polyether (mono-, di-, or multifunctional) acrylate;
- aliphatic and/or cycloaliphatic polyester (mono-, di-, or multifunctional) acrylate;
- poly(methylsilsesquioxane);
- ethylenically-substituted poly(methylsilsesquioxane);
- cellulose derivatives;
- polyvinyl butyral, and
- c. an effective level of a cationic photoinitiator,
- said coating composition having a viscosity is in the range 700-20,000 cps at 25° C., and a cured optical absorbance at wavelengths of 240-400 nm of less than 0.016/μm.
A method for the manufacture of optical fiber gratings comprising the step of exposing the core of an optical fiber to a pattern of UV radiation, said optical fiber comprising a core, a cladding and a coating, wherein UV radiation is directed through said cladding and said coating, and said coating obtained by photocuring a composition comprising:
- a. 10-90 wt % of the composition of at least one vinyl ether functional monomer that contains silicon atoms,
- b. 10-90 wt % of the composition of an oligomeric or polymeric thickener, and
- c. an effective level of a cationic photoinitiator,
- said coating composition having a viscosity in the range 700-20,000 cps at 25° C., and a cured optical absorbance at wavelengths of 240-400 nm of 0.016/μm.
A method for the manufacture of optical fiber gratings comprising the step of exposing the core of an optical fiber to a pattern of UV radiation, said optical fiber comprising a core, a cladding and a coating, wherein said UV radiation is directed through said cladding and said coating, and said coating obtained by photocuring a composition comprising:
- a. 10-90 wt % of the composition of at least one vinyl ether functional monomer,
- b. 10-90 wt % of the composition of an oligomeric or polymeric thickener that contains silicon atoms, and
- c. an effective level of a cationic photoinitiator,
- said coating composition having a viscosity in the range 700-20,000 cps at 25° C., and a cured optical absorbance at wavelengths of 240-400 nm of 0.016/μm.
A method for the manufacture of optical fiber gratings comprising the step of exposing the core of an optical fiber to a pattern of UV radiation, said optical fiber comprising a core, a cladding and a coating, wherein said UV radiation is directed through said cladding and said coating, and said coating obtained by photocuring a composition comprising:
- a. 10-90 wt % of at least one vinyl ether functional monomer,
- b. 10-90 wt % of an oligomeric or polymeric thickener, and
- c. an effective level of a cationic photoinitiator,
- said coating composition having a viscosity is in the range 700-20,000 cps at 25° C., a cured optical absorbance at wavelengths of 240-400 nm of 0.016/μm, and refractive index less than that of silica.
A method for the manufacture of optical fiber gratings comprising the step of exposing the core of an optical fiber to a pattern of UV radiation, said optical fiber comprising a core, a cladding and a coating, wherein said UV radiation is directed through said cladding and said coating, and said coating obtained by photocuring a composition comprising:
- a. 10-90 wt % of at least one vinyl ether functional monomer,
- b. 10-90 wt % of an oligomeric or polymeric thickener, and
- c. an effective level of a cationic photoinitiator,
- said coating composition having a viscosity is in the range 700-20,000 cps at 25° C., a cured optical absorbance at wavelengths of 240-400 nm of 0.016/μm, and refractive index essentially matched to that of silica.
A method for the manufacture of optical fiber gratings comprising the step of exposing the core of an optical fiber to a pattern of UV radiation, said optical fiber comprising a core, a cladding and a coating, wherein said UV radiation is directed through said cladding and said coating, and said coating obtained by photocuring a composition comprising:
- a. 10-90 wt % of at least one vinyl ether functional monomer contain fluorine,
- b. 10-90 wt % of an oligomeric or polymeric thickener containing fluorine, and
- c. an effective level of a cationic photoinitiator containing fluorine,
- said coating composition having a viscosity is in the range 700-20,000 cps at 25° C., a cured optical absorbance at wavelengths of 240-400 nm of 0.016/μm, and refractive index less than that of silica.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.