Triple-band bend tolerant optical waveguide
Assignee3M Innovative Properties Company
InventorsJunjun Wu, Craig R. Sykora
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An optical waveguide comprises a core, an inner cladding laterally surrounding the core, and an outer cladding laterally surrounding the inner cladding, wherein the core, inner cladding, and outer cladding have a depressed well configuration. The waveguide operates in three or more wavelength bands, wherein a first wavelength band is centered at about 1300 nm, and wherein a second wavelength band is centered at about 1625 nm. The waveguide has bend losses that are less than or equal to 1.0 dB/turn when measured on a 5 mm radius bend at 1625 nm and bend losses that are less than or equal to 1.5 dB/turn when measured on a 5 mm radius bend at 1650 nm.
Claims10
An optical waveguide comprising:
- a) a core having a refractive index nco and a radius rco;
- b) an inner cladding laterally surrounding the core, the inner cladding having a refractive index nic and an outer radius of ric;
- c) an outer cladding laterally surrounding the inner cladding, the outer cladding having a refractive index noc;
- d) wherein the core, inner cladding, and outer cladding have a depressed well configuration, wherein nco>noc>nic, with
- e) the range of the ratio of the inner, depressed-well clad radius, ric, to core radius, rco, varying from about 3.0 to 5.0;
- f) a +Δ of about 0.0030 to 0.0036;
- g) a −Δ of about −0.0018 to −0.0012;
- and
- h) a ΔTot of about 0.0048 to 0.0052, wherein said fiber operates in three or more wavelength bands, wherein a first wavelength band is centered at about 1300 nm, and wherein a second wavelength band is centered at about 1625 nm, wherein the waveguide has a glass core and glass claddings, the waveguide further comprising a polymer coating adhered to the outer cladding, wherein the polymer coating comprises a material having a Shore D hardness value of at least 55, and further comprising a soft polymer material coating the polymer coating, wherein the soft polymer material comprises one or more coatings selected from the group of Desolite 3471-3-14, Desolite 3471-1-152A, and Shin-Etsu OF-206.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.