Abstract: There is provided at low cost an optical fiber suitable for wavelength division multiplex transmissions that has strengthened the tolerance to bending loss at even smaller bending diameters. The present invention is an optical fiber whose base material is silica glass and that has a two layer structure formed by a core that has a substantially uniform refractive index and by a cladding that is located outside the core and that has a substantially uniform refractive index, wherein the optical fiber satisfies the following conditions (1) to (3): (1) an outer diameter of the core is in a range of 4 to 8 ?m, and a relative refractive index difference of the core is in a range of 0.4 to 0.8%; (2) chromatic dispersion at a wavelength of 1550 nm is in a range of 2 to 15 ps/nm/km; and (3) effective area at a wavelength of 1550 nm is 40 ?m2 or more.

Abstract: A dispersion shifted optical fiber comprising a core and cladding provided at an outer periphery of the core, and having a refractive index profile in which the core is provided with a central core portion and a peripheral core portion having a higher refractive index than the central core portion provided at an outer periphery of the central core portion, and the cladding has a lower refractive index than the peripheral core portion, wherein, by appropriately setting the structural parameters, it is possible to provide a dispersion shifted optical fiber that is essentially single mode and is capable of fulfilling the condition of a bending loss of 100 dB/m or less, and that also provides a sufficient increase in the effective core area and a reduction in the dispersion slope.

Abstract: A dispersion-shifted optical fiber is obtained that has a refractive index distribution shape comprising a center core portion of high refractive index, a step core portion of lower refractive index than the center core portion, provided about the outer circumference thereof, and clad of lower refractive index than the step core portion, provided about the outer circumference of the step core, in which, by suitably setting structural parameters, both Aeff expansion and dispersion slope reduction are satisfactorily effected, simultaneously, under conditions that the optical fiber is substantially single-mode, and bending loss is held down to 100 dB/m or lower.

Abstract: There is provided at low cost an optical fiber suitable for wavelength division multiplex transmissions that has strengthened the tolerance to bending loss at even smaller bending diameters. The present invention is an optical fiber whose base material is silica glass and that has a two layer structure formed by a core that has a substantially uniform refractive index and by a cladding that is located outside the core and that has a substantially uniform refractive index, wherein the optical fiber satisfies the following conditions (1) to (3): (1) an outer diameter of the core is in a range of 4 to 8 &mgr;m, and a relative refractive index difference of the core is in a range of 0.4 to 0.8%; (2) chromatic dispersion at a wavelength of 1550 nm is in a range of 2 to 15 ps/nm/km; and (3) effective area at a wavelength of 1550 nm is 40 &mgr;m2 or more.

Abstract: Under condition that a non-circularity ratio is 5% or lower and a thermal expansion coefficient of a glass which forms the core is &agr;1 and a thermal expansion of a glass which forms the cladding is &agr;2, the difference of coefficients is controlled such that a formula −2.5×10−7/° C.≦&agr;1−&agr;2≦1.0×10−7/° C. is satisfied so as to maintain a polarization mode dispersion to be 0.03 ps/km0.5 or lower. The difference of coefficients is further controlled such that a formula −1.5×10−7/° C.≦&agr;1−&agr;2≦0/° C. is satisfied so as to maintain a polarization mode dispersion to be 0.015 ps/km0.5 or lower. By doing this, birefringence is reduced by adjusting the thermal expansion coefficient in a core and a cladding; thus providing an optical fiber, and an optical transmission path using the optical fiber, having preferable PMD for high speed transmission.

Abstract: Under condition that a non-circularity ratio is 5% or lower and a thermal expansion coefficient of a glass which forms the core is &agr;1 and a thermal expansion of a glass which forms the cladding is &agr;2, the difference of coefficients is controlled such that a formula −2.5×10−7/° C.≦&agr;1−&agr;2≦1.0×10−7/° C. is satisfied so as to maintain a polarization mode dispersion to be 0.03 ps/km0.5 or lower. The difference of coefficients is further controlled such that a formula −1.5×10−7/° C.≦&agr;1−&agr;2≦0/° C. is satisfied so as to maintain a polarization mode dispersion to be 0.015 ps/km0.5 or lower. By doing this, birefringence is reduced by adjusting the thermal expansion coefficient in a core and a cladding; thus providing an optical fiber, and an optical transmission path using the optical fiber, having preferable PMD for high speed transmission.

Abstract: In the present invention, by forming a dispersion shifted optical fiber that has a refractive index profile comprising: a central core portion 1; a step core portion 2 provided at an outer periphery of the central core portion 1 and having a refractive index lower than that of the central core portion 1; and cladding 7 provided at an outer periphery of the step core portion 2 and having a refractive index lower than that of the step core portion 2, and which dispersion shifted optical fiber has, in a used wavelength band that is selected from between 1490 and 1625 nm, chromatic dispersion values of 7 to 15 ps/km/nm, an Aeff of 60 to 150 &mgr;m2, a dispersion slope of 0.09 ps/km/nm2 or less, a bending loss of 100 dB/m or less, and a cutoff wavelength that provides essentially single mode transmission, it is possible to reduce the cost of the system and to achieve n improvement in the transmission characteristics.

Abstract: An improved method for manufacturing an optical fiber preform uses the CVD method in which a portion of or the whole of the optical fiber preform is formed by depositing glass on the inner wall of the starting tube. The method comprises a first step of depositing glass on the inner wall of the starting tube and collapsing the starting tube so that a silica rod is formed; a second step of removing the starting tube surrounding the silica rod or removing the starting tube and a part of synthetic glass; and a third step of depositing glass on an outer periphery of the silica rod obtained in the second step. By setting the refractive index of the cladding to be less than that of pure silica using the present method, an optical fiber having an extremely low transmission loss may be obtained.