Abstract:
A singlemode optical fiber [700] having very low loss at 1385 nm, and a practical method for making same are disclosed. A core rod [20] is fabricated using vapor axial deposition to have a deposited cladding/core ratio ( D / d ) that is less than 7.5. The core rod is dehydrated in a chlorine- or fluorine-containing atmosphere at about 1200°C to reduce the amount of OH present to less than 0.8 parts per billion by weight, and then consolidated in a helium atmosphere at about 1500°C to convert the porous soot body into a glass. The consolidated core rod is elongated using an oxygen-hydrogen torch that creates a layer of OH ions on the surface of the rod that are largely removed by plasma etching. Finally, the core rod is installed in a glass tube [40] having a suitably low OH content. Thereafter, the tube is collapsed onto the rod to create a preform [60]. Conventional methods are employed for drawing an optical fiber from the preform and applying one or more protective coatings [75, 76]. The disclosed method is suitable for commercial production of low-OH fiber. Significantly, the fiber's loss at 1385 nm is reduced to a level that is less than its loss at 1310 nm, thereby rendering the entire wavelength region 1200 - 1600 nm suitable for optical transmission. In particular, wave-division-multiplex systems are now available to transmit optical signals over distances greater than 10 km in the wavelength region between 1360 nm and 1430 nm.
Abstract:
Embodiments of the invention include an optical energy transmission system and apparatus having improved mode coupling. According to embodiments of the invention, an optical energy transmission medium such as an optical fiber (10) includes a plurality of particles (26) formed in one or more coating region layers (17,18) surrounding the cladding region (14) and/or one or more buffer region layers (23,24) surrounding the coating region for inducing microbending thereof, thus promoting advantageous mode coupling, which improves bandwidth potential by reducing dispersion. The method for manufacturing the inventive optical energy transmission medium includes forming one or more coating region layers and/or one or more buffer region layers containing particles such as fumed silica in such a way that particles are maintained within the optical energy transmission medium and form controlled perturbations along the optical fiber that enhance mode coupling to the extent that bandwidth of the optical fiber is improved.
Abstract:
A high-capacity optical fiber network [100, 200] includes wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) within the 1.4 micron (µm) wavelength region ( i.e ., 1335-1435 nm). Such a system includes optical fiber [130] whose peak loss in the 1.4 µm region is less than its loss at 1310 nm. The optical fiber has a zero dispersion wavelength (λ 0 ) at about 1310 nm, and linear dispersion between about 1.5 and 8.0 ps/nm-km within the 1.4 µm region. At least three WDM channels operate at 10 Gb/s in the 1.4 µm wavelength region and have a channel separation of 100 GHz. In one illustrative embodiment of the invention, a broadcast television channel, having amplitude modulated vestigial sideband modulation, simultaneously operates in the 1.3 µm region ( i.e ., 1285-1335 nm) and/or the 1.55 µm region ( i.e ., 1500-1600 nm). In another embodiment of the invention, 16 digital data channels are multiplexed together in the 1.55 µm region, each channel operating at about 2.5 Gb/s. Raman amplifiers [103, 113] are used for amplification in the 1.3 µm and the 1.4 µm wavelength regions, whereas an Erbium amplifier [123] is used for amplification in the 1.55 µm wavelength region.
Abstract:
Embodiments of the invention include an optical energy transmission system and apparatus having improved mode coupling. According to embodiments of the invention, an optical energy transmission medium such as an optical fiber (10) includes bubbles (26) formed therein for inducing microbending of the optical energy transmission medium, thus promoting advantageous mode coupling, which improves bandwidth potential by reducing dispersion. The bubbles are formed, for example, in one or more buffer region layers (23,24) and/or at the interface between the coating (16) and buffer regions. The method for manufacturing the inventive optical energy transmission medium includes controllably forming one or more buffer region layers around the coated optical fiber or other transmission medium in such a way that that a desired amount of bubbles is created and maintained within one or more of the buffer region layers and/or at the interface between the coating and buffer regions. The bubbles form controlled perturbations that enhance mode coupling to the extent that bandwidth of the optical fiber is improved. The quantity and size of the bubbles formed in the optical energy transmission medium are controlled by, for example, the amount of moisture present in the applied coating.
Abstract:
A high-capacity optical fiber network [100, 200] includes wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) within the 1.4 micron (µm) wavelength region ( i.e ., 1335-1435 nm). Such a system includes optical fiber [130] whose peak loss in the 1.4 µm region is less than its loss at 1310 nm. The optical fiber has a zero dispersion wavelength (λ 0 ) at about 1310 nm, and linear dispersion between about 1.5 and 8.0 ps/nm-km within the 1.4 µm region. At least three WDM channels operate at 10 Gb/s in the 1.4 µm wavelength region and have a channel separation of 100 GHz. In one illustrative embodiment of the invention, a broadcast television channel, having amplitude modulated vestigial sideband modulation, simultaneously operates in the 1.3 µm region ( i.e ., 1285-1335 nm) and/or the 1.55 µm region ( i.e ., 1500-1600 nm). In another embodiment of the invention, 16 digital data channels are multiplexed together in the 1.55 µm region, each channel operating at about 2.5 Gb/s. Raman amplifiers [103, 113] are used for amplification in the 1.3 µm and the 1.4 µm wavelength regions, whereas an Erbium amplifier [123] is used for amplification in the 1.55 µm wavelength region.
Abstract:
Simultaneous dense WDM operation in both the 1310 nm and 1550 nm transparency windows of silica-based optical fiber, is enabled by a fiber design providing for nulled dispersion within a critically positioned wavelength range. Design provides for values of dispersion in both windows sufficiently low for desired per-channel bit rate, and, at the same time, sufficiently high to maintain effects of non-linear dispersion within tolerable limits for WDM operation. Fiber fabrication and system design are described.