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AssigneeCorning Incorporated
InventorsDouglas C. Allan, John T. Brown, Lisa C. Chacon, Adam J. G. Ellison, James C. Fajardo, Stuart Gray, Keith L. House, Karl W. Koch, III, Dale R. Powers, James A. West
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An isotopically-altered, silica based optical fiber is provided having lower losses, broader bandwidth, and broader Raman gain spectrum characteristics than conventional silica-based fiber. A heavier, less naturally abundant isotope of silicon or oxygen is substituted for a lighter, more naturally abundant isotope to shift the infrared absorption to a slightly longer wavelength. In one embodiment, oxygen-18 is substituted for the much more naturally abundant oxygen-16 at least in the core region of the fiber. The resulting isotopically-altered fiber has a minimum loss of 0.044 dB/km less than conventional fiber, and a bandwidth that is 17 percent broader for a loss range between 0.044-0.034 dB/km. The fiber may be easily manufactured with conventional fiber manufacturing equipment by way of a plasma chemical vapor deposition technique. When a 50 percent substitution of oxygen-18 for oxygen-16 is made in the core region of the fiber, the Raman gain spectrum is substantially broadened.
An optical waveguide comprising multiple isotopes of oxygen in relative proportions sufficiently changed from a naturally occurring proportion of said isotopes such that optical properties of said waveguide are improved, wherein said waveguide includes a light conducting core region and at least 50 mole percent of said oxygen in said core is oxygen-18, and said core region also includes oxygen 17 in an amount which is at least 5 percent of the amount of oxygen 18 in said core.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.