Abstract: A gas burner for externally heating a glass tube which is positioned to be rotated on a rotational axis characterized by at least two multi-jet gas port blocks having a block axis with an arrangement of jets therearound being arranged with the block axes being on a radii extending from the rotational axis. Preferably only two port blocks are utilized and they are each separately displaceable relative to one another along the rotational axis and can be simultaneously displaced together along the axis during a heating operation. The arrangement of the plurality of jets on each of the front surfaces of the multi-jet gas port blocks is such that the jets are directed to a focal line which is at a distance beyond the rotational axis and a definite distance in front of the front surface.

Abstract: Method for the manufacture of a polymer with triaromatic methane units as basic building blocks, the electric conductivity of which is obtained through the formation of charge transfer complexes. Electron donors and/or electron acceptors are added to the synthetic polymer during or after its preparation, for forming charge transfer complexes.

Abstract: A method for removing a surface layer from a metal fluoride glass containing barium ions, particularly glass rods of the type used for manufacturing fibers for optical communications technology. A rapid, uniform and turbidity-free erosion of a disturbed outside layer of the starting glass is accomplished with an etchant solution in which a fluoride complexing agent or a barium complexing agent is dissolved. In particular, a rapid dissolving of a barium fluoro-zirconate glass is achievable with an etchant solution containing acidic Zr (IV) salts, whereby the risk of contaminating the so etched surface by the etchant solution does not exist.

Abstract: Method for the manufacture of a polymer with triaromatic methane units as basic building blocks, the electric conductivity of which is obtained through the formation of charge transfer complexes. Electron donors and/or electron acceptors are added to the synthetic polymer during or after its preparation, for forming charge transfer complexes.

Abstract: Technique for making glass having a predetermined refractive index profile using fluorine doping and fluorine etching. A substrate glass body is coated with a plurality of successively applied vapor deposited glass layers wherein each succeeding layer is built with a larger quantity of fluorine than the adjacent preceding layer. The amount of the doping in each layer is such as to achieve the desired refractive index profile. Fluorine etching is employed to provide a uniform core before the glass body is heat fused into a rod-like structure suitable for the preparation of light waveguides for use in optical communications technology.

Abstract: Preforms for drawing into glass fibers are relatively quickly produced by extruding filaments or tapes from polysiloxanes and/or heteropolysiloxanes and curing such filaments. A cylindrical wound body is produced from such cured filaments by winding such filaments onto an arbor. The wound body is converted, by heating in an oxidizing atmosphere, into an oxide body comprised of SiO.sub.2 and, under certain conditions, containing doping amounts of select heteroelements present in the heteropolysiloxane. After removal of the arbor, a gas stream containing chlorine gas is flushed at a temperature of about 1000.degree. to 12000.degree. C. through the oxide body to remove any traces of water and the dry oxide body is sintered into glass at a temperature of about 1200.degree. 1500.degree. C. The tubular preform thereby attained is collapsed and a glass fiber is drawn therefrom. This process is particularly suitable for the fabrication of gradient optical fibers.

Abstract: A glass fiber for use as a light waveguide characterized by a one piece member having at least one transverse opening extending through the fiber to subdivide a section of the fiber into two portions connected at each end by the zones of the fiber free of the opening. By cutting in the area of the opening, a branch fiber can be produced. Preferably, the fiber includes a pair of cores which are separated by the openings. The method includes drawing the fiber from a mass of softened glass and while in the softened state, forming the openings therein or by drawing the fiber from a preform having at least one transverse extending opening. Preferably the preform is formed by joining two members having flat surfaces together and the openings in the preform are formed by forming transverse grooves in one of the flat surfaces.

Abstract: A splittable fiber optical waveguide and a method of manufacture characterized by the fiber having at least one optical core embedded in a cladding material and at least one pair of longitudinal indentations on an outer surface of the fiber. The splittable fiber is formed by being drawn from a preform which has longitudinal grooves or indentations on an outer surface.

Abstract: Glass preforms useful for producing optical fibers therefrom are produced by forming at least one layer of glass on an inner surface of a hollow glass tube by introducing a reactive gas mixture suitable for glass synthesis (ie., SiCl.sub.4, GeCl.sub.4, etc., and O.sub.2) and a combustible heating gas mixture (ie., CO, C.sub.2 N.sub.2, CS.sub.2, C.sub.4 N.sub.2, COS, C.sub.3 O.sub.2, etc., and O.sub.2) into a hot region within the hollow tube which is generated by exterior heating of such tube. The reactive gas undergoes a chemical reaction at such hot region whereby a material having the composition of glass is deposited on the hot inner surface of the tube as a layer and melts into a clear glass film while the heating gas combusts at the hot region and aids the rate of glass formation on the inner surface of the tube.

Abstract: A lamp envelope comprised of silica glass having a SiO.sub.2 --B.sub.2 O.sub.3 glass layer on an inner surface thereof is coated on the free surface of such SiO.sub.2 --B.sub.2 O.sub.3 glass layer with a protective layer comprised of a silica glass having a lower B.sub.2 O.sub.3 amount relative to the B.sub.2 O.sub.3 amount in the SiO.sub.2 --B.sub.2 O.sub.3 glass layer.

Abstract: A lamp envelope comprised of silica glass having a SiO.sub.2 -B.sub.2 O.sub.3 glass layer on an inner surface thereof is coated on the free surface of such SiO.sub.2 -B.sub.2 O.sub.3 glass layer with a protective layer comprised of a silica glass having a lower B.sub.2 O.sub.3 amount relative to the B.sub.2 O.sub.3 amount in the SiO.sub.2 -B.sub.2 O.sub.3 glass layer.

Abstract: A process for the production of coated glass bodies in which a glass layer is provided by a cycle including applying a glass forming material on a surface of a rotating body and transforming the glass forming material into the glass layer by locally heating a zone of the body and moving the local heating zone along the surface of the rotating body characterized by changing either the direction of rotation or initial point of commencing the rotation or both during the commencement of each cycle so that the effect of anisotropy of the plurality of glass layers is largely eliminated.

Abstract: A chemical vapor deposition process characterized by depositing a layer of glass on an interior surface of a tube with each cycle for depositing a layer comprising depositing a glass forming substance on the interior surface and subsequently converting the layer as the tube is rotated and between each cycle for each additional layer either changing the direction of rotation of the tube or the initial starting position for starting the transformation and maintaining an increased gas pressure within the tube during the entire forming step. In addition, when the tube is collapsed or formed into a rod so that an optical fiber can be drawn from an end thereof, the gas pressure is also maintained in the uncollapsed portion of the tube.

Abstract: In a process for producing a glass blank or workpiece from which a glass fiber light conductor of a low attenuation is drawn, said workpiece being formed by providing a body on which amorphous glass powder is precipitated from a reaction gas after a chemical reaction and then transformed into a clear glass characterized by the reaction gas being passed over or through a powder composed of amorphous glass of the same type which is being precipitated from the reaction gas onto the body to filter impurities therefrom. Preferably, the amorphous powders of the filter are contained in a precipitator and are produced by also reacting the gas and collecting the powder in the precipitator.

Abstract: A light-wave guide fiber is pulled from a uniform fiber-yielding material and the peripheral surface areas (cladding) of such fiber are enriched with a gas soluble in the fiber material at temperatures below the softening temperature of the fiber and at relatively high pressure (for example, via high pressure/high temperature diffusion). The excess pressure resulting in the cladding is equalized by a subsequent temporary heating of the fiber above the softening temperature which causes a change of density in the fiber core. Thereafter, the gas is diffused out of the cladding at a lower temperature. The resultant fiber exhibits a radially outwardly decreasing refractive index.

Abstract: A method for forming a preform which is subsequently drawn into a multi-channel fiber optical wave guide having a plurality of wave guide cores embedded in a cladding material, characterized by providing a quartz glass tube having an inner surface covered by a layer of cladding material, which in turn is covered by a layer of core material, removing strips of the core material to form parallel, symmetrically disposed strip-like portions of the core material, and heating the tube to cause the collapsing of the tube into the preform with buckling in the areas free of the strip-like portions of core material so that heat of the strip-like portions of core material become completely surrounded by cladding material and then subsequently drawing the preform into the optical fiber.

Abstract: A process for producing a glass fiber light conductor which has increased tensile strength characterized by forming a protective layer at an elevated temperature either on a preform of the fiber and cladding or on the cladding of a drawn fiber with the material of the protective layer having a coefficient of thermal expansion, which is lower than the adjoining glass material of the fiber so that on cooling from the elevated temperature, the layer is subjected to compressive stresses to increase the tensile strength of the fiber.