Abstract:
A method and apparatus for manufacturing optical components. A burner generates soot, and a surface area collector collects the soot. The burner is disposed such that the soot collected within the surface area collector is substantially not reheated by subsequently deposited soot. Magnetic forces direct the soot to desired location(s) within the surface area collector. The surface area collector operates at relatively low temperatures sufficient to retain rather volatile substances, such as fluorine, in the soot.
Abstract:
An optical fiber preform is made by modifying a conventional preform tube having a cladding zone and a core zone, before its thermal collapse normally followed by fiber drawing. The modification is accomplished by depositing, e.g. by MCVD, a thin protective layer of a light-transmissive material, e.g. silica, on the inner surface of the preform tube, over the core zone, before the collapse step. The material of the protective layer has a higher viscosity than the material of the core zone. The protective layer is deposited over the inner (core) zone of the preform tube and its thickness and composition is selected to prevent excessive viscosity drop of the typically alumina-doped core zone during the collapse step. The provision of the protective, viscosity-controlling protective layer is helpful in maintaining good roundness of the collapsed preform tube.
Abstract:
A method and apparatus are disclosed for the manufacture of an optical fiber preform having incorporated therein a comparatively high concentration of rare earth dopant material, and which thus can be drawn and processed into an optical fiber having low numerical aperture, low core attenuation, and high pumping power absorption. The high concentrations of rare earth dopant material are accomplished through either the “hybrid vapor processing” (HVP) method or a “hybrid liquid processing” (HLP) method, each capable of being practiced in combination or independently of one another. The HVP method involves the vaporization of a rare earth halogen by the exposure thereof to a sufficiently elevated temperature, independently, or contemporaneously with the transport of the resultant rare earth halogen laden vapor, into a glass forming oxidation reaction zone on a flowing stream of essentially an unreactive inert gas, such as helium. According to the HLP method, a first amount of rare earth dopant is provided according to the HVP method and/or other vapor source of rare earth dopant which is mixed with glass forming vapors to form a deposited soot layer on the internal surface of a glass tube. The soot-deposited tube is then impregnated with a dopant solution which may be formulated with a second amount of rare earth dopant. The tube is then thermally collapsed resulting in an optical preform with a an enhanced amount of incorporated first and second amounts of rare earth dopant.
Abstract:
The present invention discloses novel methods for fabricating glass articles, particularly optical fiber glass preforms, which may contain alumina, yttrium, lanthanum, erbium, or other rare earth metals as dopants. The glass articles made in accordance with the present invention exhibit radially uniform dopant profiles relative to conventional dopant methods. In addition, the overall concentration of the dopant is increased relative to analogous dopant methods.
Abstract:
The present invention provides an improved process for making rare earth doped preforms and fibers by a combination of MCVD technique and solution doping method, said method comprising developing matched or depressed clad structure inside a silica glass substrate tube followed by deposition of unsintered particulate layer containing GeO2 and P2O5 for formation of the core and solution doping by soaking the porous soot layer into an alcoholic/aqueous solution of RE-salts containing co-dopants like AlCl3/Al(NO3)3 in definite proportion, controlling the porosity of the soot, dipping period, strength of the solution and the proportion of the codopants to achieve the desired RE ion concentration in the core and minimize the core clad boundary defects and followed by drying, oxidation, dehydration and sintering of the RE containing porous deposit and collapsing at a high temperature to produce the preform and overdladding with silica tubes of suitable dimensions and fiber drawing to produce fibers.
Abstract:
An optical fiber (10) made with a central core (12), a first cladding layer (16), and a second cladding layer (18) having a series of perturbations or irregularities formed into the otherwise generally circular outer boundary of the first cladding layer (16). The irregularities in the first cladding layer (16) interrupt the propagation of skew rays and encourage coupling into the core (12).
Abstract:
A method that provides a new way to embed rare earth fluorides into silicate (or germania-doped silica) glasses by means of solution chemistry. Embedding rare earth fluorides into a silicate (or germania-doped silica) glass comprises the following steps. First, form a porous silicate core preform. Second, submerge the preform into an aqueous solution of rare earth ions. Third, remove the preform from the solution and wash the outside surfaces of the preform. Fourth, submerge the preform into an aqueous solution of a fluorinating agent to precipitate rare earth trifluorides from the solution and deposit in the pores or on the wall of the preform. This is followed by drying.
Abstract:
A method for producing an optical waveguide component includes providing a glass producing soot, providing a soot delivery device adapted to provide an electrostatic charge to the soot, and providing a substrate material adapted to receive the glass producing soot thereon. The method also includes delivering the soot to the delivery device, and accelerating the soot as it passes through the delivery device. The method further includes charging the soot as the soot is passed through the delivery device with a sufficient charge to attract the soot to the substrate material, and depositing the soot on the substrate material by spraying the soot onto the substrate material via the delivery device.
Abstract:
A method and apparatus is disclosed for the manufacture of an optical fiber preform having incorporated therein a comparatively high concentration of rare earth dopant material, and which thus can be drawn and processed into an optical fiber having low numerical aperture, low core attenuation, and high pumping power absorption. The high concentrations of rare earth dopant material are accomplished through either the “hybrid vapor processing” (HVP) method or a “hybrid liquid processing” (HLP) method, each capable of being practiced in combination or independently of one another. The HVP method involves the vaporization of a rare earth halogen by the exposure thereof to a sufficiently elevated temperature, independently, or contemporaneously with the transport of the resultant rare earth halogen laden vapor, into a glass forming oxidation reaction zone on a flowing stream of essentially an unreactive inert gas, such as helium. According to the HLP method, a first amount of rare earth dopant is provided according to the HVP method and/or other vapor source of rare earth dopant which is mixed with glass forming vapors to form a deposited soot layer on the internal surface of a glass tube. The soot-deposited tube is then impregnated with a dopant solution which may be formulated with a second amount of rare earth dopant. The tube is then thermally collapsed resulting in an optical preform with a an enhanced amount of incorporated first and second amounts of rare earth dopant.
Abstract:
A method of fabricating an optical fiber doped with a rare earth component using a volatile complex, which flattens the light frequency response under a stimulated emission of radiation principle using a modified chemical vapor deposition method. Silicon tetrachloride (SiCl.sub.4) and oxygen are injected into a quartz reaction tube under a heating process, so that a cladding layer is repeatedly deposited. Then, a volatile organic metal chelate, silicon tetrachloride and oxygen are injected into the quartz reaction tube, and then heated and water-cooled to form a porous layer. At the same time, a rare earth element is deposited on the porous layer, to thereby form a core layer. Thereafter, via a high heating process, a preform is completed. Then, an optical fiber is obtained from the preform via a drawing-out process. Here, hydroxide ions (OH.sup.-) which occur as the organic ligand is volatilized and cause an optical loss of the optical fiber is removed as the porous layer is formed by the water-cooling, and an added rare earth content is easily controlled, so that the rare earth with high concentration is evenly distributed. Also, since the core laver adopts SiO.sub.2 and Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 as a host material instead of GeO.sub.2, the difference in a refractive index between the cladding and core layers becomes greater then 0.025, to thereby provide the optical fiber with excellent optical characteristics.