Reconstructed glass for fiber optic applications
AssigneeInstitut National D'Optique
InventorSerge Caron
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Abstract
The present invention concerns a preform for an optical fiber, an optical fiber so obtained and methods for making the same. The fiber is characterized in that porous glass doped with at least one dopant is used. Resulting fibers can be used to make high attenuation fibers.
Claims18
A preform for a high attenuation optical fiber comprising a core and a cladding, where said core is obtained from a vitrified rod of porous glass including a plurality of micro-pores obtained by phase separation doped with at least one dopant for absorbing light, wherein the optical fiber has an attenuation of at least 10 dB/cm.
A high attenuation optical fiber comprising a core and a cladding, where said core is obtained from a vitrified rod of porous glass including a plurality of micro-pores obtained by phase separation doped with at least one dopant for absorbing light, wherein the optical fiber has an attenuation of at least 10 dB/cm.
A method for making a preform for a high attenuation optical fiber having an attenuation of at least 10 dB/cm, the method comprising:
- (a) providing a rod of porous glass including a plurality of micro-pores obtained by phase separation;
- (b) doping said porous glass with at least one light-absorbing dopant;
- (c) vitrifying said porous glass;
- and
- (d) collapsing a tube of glass about said vitrified porous glass.
A method for making a preform for a high attenuation fiber having an attenuation of at least 10dB/cm and comprising a core and a cladding, the method comprising:
- (a) providing a tube of borosilicate;
- (b) chemically etching said tube with a solution to render the silica porous, including a plurality of micro-pores obtained by phase separation;
- (c) doping the resulting porous glass with at least one dopant for absorbing light;
- (d) vitrifying said porous glass;
- and
- (e) collapsing a tube of glass about said vitrified porous glass;
- wherein steps (b) and (c) are performed simultaneously.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.