Preparation of halogen-doped silica is described. The preparation includes doping silica with high halogen concentration and sintering halogen-doped silica to a closed-pore state. The sintering includes a high pressure sintering treatment and a low pressure sintering treatment. The high pressure sintering treatment is conducted in the presence of a high partial pressure of a gas-phase halogen doping precursor and densifies a silica soot body to a partially consolidated state. The low pressure sintering treatment is conducted in the presence of a low partial pressure of gas-phase halogen doping precursor and transforms a partially consolidated silica body to a closed-pore state. The product halogen-doped silica glass exhibits little foaming when heated to form fibers in a draw process or core canes in a redraw process.