Optical fiber with micro-structured cladding
AssigneeNufern
InventorsUpendra H. Manyam, Kanishka Tankala
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An optical fiber having a length can include a core and at least one cladding disposed about the core, where the one cladding can comprise at least first volumetric regions having a first refractive index n1 and second volumetric regions having a second refractive index n2, different from n1, and the first and second volumetric regions in any cross-section taken through the fiber can be randomly intermingled with one another, where the random intermingling of the first and second volumetric regions changes with changes in the location of the cross-section along the length of the fiber.
Claims26
An optical fiber having a length, comprising:
- a core;
- and
- at least one cladding disposed about the core, said one cladding comprising at least first volumetric regions having a first refractive index n1 and second volumetric regions having a second refractive index n2, different from n1,
- said first and second volumetric regions in any cross-section taken through said fiber being randomly intermingled with one another, the random intermingling of the first and second volumetric regions changing with changes in the location of the cross-section along the length of the fiber.
An optical fiber having a length, said fiber comprising:
- a core;
- a first cladding disposed about the core;
- a second cladding disposed about the first cladding, said second cladding including first volumetric regions having a first refractive index and second volumetric regions having a second index of refraction that is different than said first index of refraction, said second cladding having an effective index of refraction that is less than one of said indices of refraction, and wherein said at least some of said first volumetric regions are truncated such that they do not extend within said fiber for the entire length.
A method of making an optical fiber having a length and having at least one cladding, the method comprising the steps of:
- making an early stage preform having an elongate core made of a first silica-based material, an outer region disposed about the core, and an intermediate region located radially inwardly of the outer region, improving the early stage preform to a later stage preform by at least disposing first particles in the intermediate region so that the later stage preform includes in the intermediate region first volumetric regions constituted by the first particles intermingled with the second volumetric regions constituted by something other than the particles of the first volumetric regions;
- and
- drawing an optical fiber from a preform that includes at least the later stage preform.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.