Optical fiber with differential birefringence mechanism
AssigneeCorning Incorporated
InventorsGeorge Edward Berkey, Valery A Kozlov
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Abstract
According to some embodiments, the optical fiber comprises: (i) a core having a first index of refraction n1; (ii) a cladding surrounding the core and having a second index of refraction n2, such that n1>n2, wherein cladding has at two sets of stress rods extending longitudinally through the length of the optical fiber, wherein the two sets of stress rods have CTE coefficients and/or softening points different from one another and different from that of cladding.
Claims10
An optical fiber comprising:
- (i) a core having a first index of refraction n1;
- (ii) a cladding having cladding material surrounding the core having a second index of refraction n2, such that n1>n2, said cladding surrounding at least two sets of glass stress rods extending longitudinally through the length of said optical fiber, the stress rods in one set of said at least two sets of glass stress rods having different softening points from softening points of the other set of stress rods;
- and
- (iii) wherein said optical fiber supports a single polarization mode or poses polarization maintaining properties within its operating wavelength range, wherein
- the core having a relative refractive index Δ1 (relative to cladding) such that 0.1%≦Δ1≦2%, and comprising GeO2 6 to 40 wt %;
- the cladding material is silica based glass doped with Boron;
- and at least two of the stress rods are pure silica rods the cladding material having a softening point that is different from the softening point of either one of said stress rods.
An optical fiber comprising:
- (i) a core having a first index of refraction n1;
- (ii) a cladding having cladding material surrounding the core having a second index of refraction n2, such that n1>n2, said cladding surrounding at least two sets of glass stress rods extending longitudinally through the length of said optical fiber, the stress rods in one set of said at least two sets of glass stress rods having different softening points from softening points of the other set of stress rods;
- and
- (iii) wherein said optical fiber supports a single polarization mode or poses polarization maintaining properties within its operating wavelength range, wherein
- the core having a relative refractive index Δ1 (relative to cladding) such that 0.1%≦Δ1≦2%, and comprising GeO2 6 to 40 wt %;
- the cladding material is silica based glass doped with Boron;
- and at least two of the stress rods are pure silica rods, the cladding material having a softening point that is different from the softening point of either one of said stress rods wherein the cladding material comprises at least one of the following dopants:
- B2O3:
- 1 to 5 wt %, F:
- 0.1 to 2 wt %, Cl:
- 0.1 to 1 wt %.
A method of making a fiber with two sets of stress rods that have different coefficients of thermal expansion, said method comprising the step of:
- surrounding a core rod with a plurality of rods comprising a plurality of stress applying rods situated within a cladding material comprising silica doped with Boron;
- said core rod having a relative refractive index Δ1 (relative to cladding) such that 0.1%<=Δ1<=2%, and comprising GeO2 6 to 40 wt %;
- said plurality of stress applying rods including two sets of stress rods with different coefficients of thermal expansion, wherein said plurality of rods include a third set of rods with a coefficients of thermal expansion that is different from said coefficients of thermal expansion of said two sets of stress applying rods.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.