Abstract:
Methods of forming glass articles sensitive to aggressive heat treatment are disclosed. Glass preforms have sections of glass fusion bonded to the preforms, and the preforms are subsequently drawn into glass articles.
Abstract:
A method of forming an oxide structure and an oxide structure formed by the method. In one embodiment a lower cladding layer on a substrate is provided. At least one core layer is formed on lower cladding layer, the core layer includes boron at a concentration that produces substantially zero internal stress of said core layer. At least one upper cladding layer is formed on the core layer wherein at least one of the upper and lower cladding layers include germanium at a concentration level such that the upper and lower cladding layers exhibit substantially equivalent refractive indices.
Abstract:
High index-contrast fiber waveguides, materials for forming high index-contrast fiber waveguides, and applications of high index-contrast fiber waveguides are disclosed.
Abstract:
Disclosed is a method of making an optical fiber preform having at least one annular region of depressed refractive index. A tube of silica doped with fluorine and/or boron is overclad with silica soot. A core rod is inserted into the overclad tube and the resultant assembly is heated while chlorine flows between the tube and the core rod to clean the adjacent surfaces. When the soot sinters, the tube collapses onto and fuses to the rod. The resultant tubular structure is formed into an optical fiber which exhibits low attenuation as a result of the low seed count at the interface between the inner core and the region that is doped with fluorine and/or boron.
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 glass-ceramic which is substantially and desirably totally transparent, and which contains a predominant crystal phase of forsterite. The glass-ceramic is formed from precursor glasses having the following compositions, in weight percent on an oxide basis: SiO2 30-60; Al2O3 10-25; MgO 13-30; K2O 8-20; TiO2 0-10; and GeO2 0-25. The glass-ceramic may be doped with up to 1 wt. % chromium oxide to impart optical activity thereto.
Abstract:
Athermalized optical waveguide devices and methods of making the athermalized devices are described. Boron is incorporated into the composition of the optical waveguides in order to athermalize the waveguides by reducing spectral shifts caused by changes in temperature. The invention includes the utilization of boron dopants in the core and cladding of optical waveguide devices such as Mach-Zehnder coupler devices and long period fiber gratings.
Abstract:
An optical amplifier which includes an optical fiber having an erbium doped core surrounded by cladding, a pump for pumping the fiber with pump light at a pump wavelength coupled to the fiber, input means for inputting a signal to be amplified to the amplifier and output means for outputting an amplified signal from the amplifier. The fiber has a NA higher than 0.2. The difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion of the core adjacent the core/cladding interface and the coefficient of thermal expansion of the cladding at at least one radius less than 2 .mu.m from said interface is lower than a predetermined value, corresponding to a ratio of erbium loss to background loss, at said pump wavelength, and greater than a minimum ratio of about 20 when erbium loss is 0.15 dB/m and about 120 when erbium loss is 3.5 dB/m.
Abstract:
A method of making an optical fiber having an oblong core comprising the steps of depositing layers of core glass particles and cladding glass particles on an enlarged mandrel, removing the mandrel to form a tubular porous preform, consolidating the porous preform to form a dense glass preform, evacuating the central hole of the dense glass preform while stretching that preform to collapse the central hole thereof and form a flattened rod, applying cladding material to the rod, and drawing the resultant composite to form an optical fiber. To facilitate the flat collapse of the central hole of the dense glass preform and to cause the core to have a large aspect ratio, the inside diameter-to-outside diameter ratio of the dense glass preform should be within the range of 0.3 to 0.9. For preferred core and cladding glasses, this ratio should be between 0.5 and 0.6. Also, the mandrel diameter should be at least 12 mm, and it is preferably between 25 mm and 50 mm.