Fluorine Doping Patents (Class 65/397)
  • Patent number: 11186515
    Abstract: Methods for manufacturing fluorine-doped glass preforms for optical fibers are disclosed. An exemplary method includes exposing a soot preform to an atmosphere containing a fluorine-containing gas in a first elongated chamber of a first furnace. The first elongated chamber typically has a single isothermal hot zone, which may be maintained at a doping temperature of about 800° C. to 1200° C., to obtain a fluorine-doped soot preform. The exemplary method further includes dehydrating the fluorine-doped soot preform by exposing it to an atmosphere containing a chlorine-containing gas in a second elongated chamber of a second furnace. The second elongated chamber typically has an upper hot zone, which may be maintained at a dehydration temperature of about 1000° C. to 1350° C., and a lower hot zone, which may be maintained at a consolidation temperature of about 1500° C. to 1650° C. Dehydration of the fluorine-doped soot preform typically occurs in the upper hot zone of the second furnace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: Prysmian S.p.A.
    Inventors: Valeria Caronna, Stefano Grieco, Irene Di Giambattista, Franco Cocchini, Antonio Schiaffo
  • Patent number: 11125937
    Abstract: An optical fiber with low attenuation and methods of making same are disclosed. The optical fiber has a core, an inner cladding surround the core, and an outer cladding surrounding the inner cladding. The outer cladding is chlorine-doped such that the relative refractive index varies as a function of radius. The radially varying relative refractive index profile of the outer cladding reduces excess stress in the core and inner cladding, which helps lower fiber attenuation while also reducing macrobend and microbend loss. A process of fabricating the optical fiber includes doping an overclad soot layer of a soot preform with chlorine and then removing a portion of the chlorine dopant from an outermost region of the overclad soot layer. The soot preform with the modified chlorine dopant profile is then sintered to form a glass preform, which can then be used for drawing the optical fiber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Dana Craig Bookbinder, Paul Andrew Chludzinski, Brian Lee Harper, Ming-Jun Li, Snigdharaj Kumar Mishra, Sonya Marie Raney, Pushkar Tandon
  • Patent number: 11002905
    Abstract: The present embodiment relates to an optical fiber preform producing method for effectively suppressing breaking of symmetry of refractive index profile defined on a cross section of an optical fiber preform. In the present embodiment, when producing a center glass rod forming a part of the optical fiber preform, prior to grinding an outer peripheral portion of an intermediate glass rod in which an element-doped region is formed by collapse, an non-defective article determination regarding the intermediate glass rod to be a grinding target is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Akiko Funakoshi, Satoshi Tanaka
  • Patent number: 10639102
    Abstract: A surgical method and tool for establishing a steam bubble between a fiber tip and a surgical target. The device and process capable of maintaining the steam bubble by providing a low-power, continuous-wave laser emission. Furthermore, the method and tool capable of delivering to the surgical target through the steam bubble a therapeutic laser emission providing ablation of the surgical target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Inventor: Stephen E. Griffin
  • Patent number: 10185084
    Abstract: Layered glass structures and fabrication methods are described. The methods include depositing soot on a dense glass substrate to form a composite structure and sintering the composite structure to form a layered glass structure. The dense glass substrate may be derived from an optical fiber preform that has been modified to include a planar surface. The composite structure may include one or more soot layers. The layered glass structure may be formed by combining multiple composite structures to form a stack, followed by sintering and fusing the stack. The layered glass structure may further be heated to softening and drawn to control linear dimensions. The layered glass structure or drawn layered glass structure may be configured as a planar waveguide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Douglas Llewellyn Butler, Matthew John Dejneka, Daniel Warren Hawtof, Dale Robert Powers, Pushkar Tandon
  • Patent number: 10118854
    Abstract: Methods for producing an optical fiber by elongating a silica glass blank or a coaxial group of silica glass components, on the basis of which a fiber is obtained that comprises a core zone, an inner jacket zone enclosing the core zone and a ring zone surrounding the inner jacket zone, are known.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: Heraeus Quarzglas GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Ralph Sattmann, Jan Vydra, Michael Huenermann
  • Patent number: 10081567
    Abstract: A method for producing a depressed-cladding core rod of an ultra-low water peak optical fiber, the method including 1) producing a core rod component; 2) producing an inner cladding casing component; 3) disposing the core rod hollow shaft and the casing hollow shaft respectively in the glass lathe; 4) cutting off connections among a pressure controlling pipe, a scrubber, and a vacuum pump; 5) connecting the inner cladding casing to the core rod hollow shaft hermetically; 6) turning on the glass lathe; 7) transporting a first mixture gas to the core rod hollow shaft; 8) moving a high temperature heat source; 9) transporting a second mixture gas to the core rod hollow shaft; 10) transporting the first mixture gas to the core rod hollow shaft; 11) transporting the first mixture gas under certain conditions; and 12) controlling relevant parameters to fuse the inner cladding casing with the core layer rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: ZHONGTIAN TECHNOLOGY ADVANCED MATERIALS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Xinli Jiang, Xikai Xu, Jinwen Chen, Hui Zhou, Benhua Qian
  • Patent number: 9919946
    Abstract: A method for forming an optical fiber preform and fibers drawn from the preform. The method includes forming a soot cladding monolith, inserting a consolidated core cane into the internal cavity, and processing the resulting core-cladding assembly to form a preform. Processing may include exposing the core-cladding assembly to a drying agent and/or dopant precursor, and sintering the core-cladding assembly in the presence of a reducing agent to densify the soot cladding monolith onto the core cane to form a preform. The preform features low hydroxyl content and low sensitivity to hydrogen. Fibers drawn from the preform exhibit low attenuation losses from absorption by the broad band centered near 1380 nm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Amanda Lee Billings, Dana Craig Bookbinder, Robert Brett Desorcie, Liam Ruan de Paor, Pushkar Tandon, Li Yang
  • Patent number: 9416045
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an optical fibre preform comprising: providing a glass core rod comprising a central core region of radius a and an inner clad region of external radius b to define a first core-to-clad ratio a/b; forming an intermediate glass preform comprising an intermediate clad region surrounding the inner clad region of the glass rod and having an external radius c to define a second core-to-clad ratio a/c, and overcladding the intermediate glass preform by forming an overclad region surrounding the intermediate clad region to form an optical fibre preform, wherein the first core-to-clad ratio a/b is equal to or less than 0.40 and the second core-to-clad ratio a/c is of from 0.20 to 0.25.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: Prysmian S.p.A.
    Inventors: Antonio Adigrat, Valeria Caronna, Franco Cocchini, Antonio Collaro, Stefano Grieco, Ida Nivelli
  • Patent number: 9323005
    Abstract: Herein is provided a side fire optical device for redirecting electromagnetic radiation, methods of its manufacture, and methods of its use. The herein described side fire optical device minimizes potential Fresnel reflections at fused surfaces and eliminates Snell and Fresnel reflections in a self-contained lateral output assembly (within which a transmitting optical fiber conduit may be subsequently attached). The construction of which involved lower cost raw materials and fewer manufacturing steps; provide a side fire fiber where the protective cap can be replaced interoperatively and even intraoperatively; and provide mechanisms and processes for altering the size or shape of the output spot without altering the lateral fiber design.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: InnovaQuartz LLC
    Inventor: Stephen E. Griffin
  • Patent number: 9221710
    Abstract: A glass fine particle synthesis burner comprising a glass raw material gas emission path for emitting glass raw material; a ring-shaped combustible gas emission path for emitting combustible gas arranged outside the glass raw material emission path; a ring-shaped combustion aiding gas emission path for emitting combustion aiding gas arranged outside the combustible gas emission path; and small diameter nozzles for emitting the combustion aiding gas within the combustible gas emission path. In a cross section of the glass fine particle synthesis burner formed by cleaving orthogonal to a central axis thereof, when the glass fine particle synthesis burner is divided into two regions by a predetermined straight line passing through a center of the glass fine particle synthesis burner, a total area of the small diameter nozzles in one of the regions is greater than a total area of the small diameter nozzles in the other region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yuhei Urata
  • Patent number: 9085481
    Abstract: Methods for producing an optical fiber by elongating a silica glass blank or a coaxial group of silica glass components, on the basis of which a fiber is obtained that comprises a core zone, an inner jacket zone enclosing the core zone and a ring zone surrounding the inner jacket zone, are known.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Assignee: Heraeus Quarzglas GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Ralph Sattmann, Jan Vydra, Michael Huenermann
  • Publication number: 20150143852
    Abstract: A method for forming an optical glass preform from a soot preform is provided. The method includes forming a soot preform, placing the soot preform in a furnace, and applying a vacuum through a centerline hole of the soot preform.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2014
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Inventors: Dana Craig Bookbinder, Richard Michael Fiacco, Ming-Jun Li, Jeffery Scott Stone, Pushkar Tandon
  • Publication number: 20150143851
    Abstract: The following method steps are known for producing cylindrical components from synthetic quartz glass containing fluorine: producing a SiO2 soot body, removing hydroxyl groups from the soot body, loading the soot body with fluorine, post-chlorinating the soot body loaded with fluorine, and vitrifying the soot body to form the cylindrical component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2013
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Applicant: Heraeus Quarzglas GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Martin Trommer, Malte Schwerin, Steffen Zwarg
  • Publication number: 20140352361
    Abstract: A method of making an optical fiber preform comprising in order: (i) manufacturing a glass preform with at least one porous layer; (ii) exposing the glass preform with at least one porous layer to a fluorine precursor at temperature below 1295° C. to make a fluorine treated preform, and (iii) exposing the fluorine treated glass preform with at least one porous silica based layer the temperatures above 1400° C. to completely sinter the preform. Preferably, the porous silica based layer of the glass preform exposed to fluorine precursor has average density of at least 0.7 g/cm3 but less than 1.9 g/cm3.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2014
    Publication date: December 4, 2014
    Applicant: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Steven Bruce Dawes, Pushkar Tandon
  • Patent number: 8873915
    Abstract: A low-loss optical fiber over wide wavelength range includes a transmission loss of less than or equal to 40 dB/km in a whole wavelength range of 400-1400 nm, and being manufactured by drawing an optical fiber preform including a core composed of a silica glass having a hydroxyl-group concentration of less than or equal to 1 ppm and a cladding composed of a silica glass having a fluorine concentration of more than or equal to 3.2 wt %.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Fujikura Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Aikawa, Masahiro Asano, Kazuyuki Hayashi, Masami Miyachi, Manabu Kudoh
  • Patent number: 8840858
    Abstract: An apparatus for mixing a vaporized precursor with a gas for producing silica particles is provided. The apparatus includes a mixer housing, a precursor delivery chamber having an output in communication with the mixer housing for delivering a vaporized precursor in the mixer housing, and an oxidizing gas delivery chamber having an output in communication with the mixer housing for delivering an oxidizing gas to be mixed with the vaporized precursor. The apparatus further includes a flashback member disposed within the mixer housing and between the output of the precursor delivery chamber and the output of the oxidizing gas delivery chamber. The flashback member is located at a minimum distance from the output of the oxidizing gas delivery chamber defined by Lminimum (cm)=0.453 U (Re)?0.5567, wherein U is the flow rate in cm/sec of precursor and Re is the flow Reynolds number. The flashback member may include a tapered surface on at least one side to reduce recirculation of vaporized gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Lewis A Bernstein, Dana Craig Bookbinder, Jason A Dillard, Jennifer L Porter, Balram Suman, Pushkar Tandon
  • Publication number: 20140241686
    Abstract: An optical fiber is provided. The optical fiber has a refractive index profile that includes a central core, an inner cladding layer, a trench layer, and an outer cladding layer. A trench layer is provided with a reduced refractive index. The optical fiber has a large effective area without having an increase of a cutoff wavelength, and exhibits low macrobending loss.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: FUJIKURA, LTD.
    Inventors: Takayuki KITAMURA, Akihito IMASE, Munehisa FUJIMAKI
  • Patent number: 8794038
    Abstract: The invention relates to a multimode optical fiber having a refractive index profile, comprising a light-guiding core surrounded by one or more cladding layers. The present invention furthermore relates to an optical communication system comprising a transmitter, a receiver and a multimode optical fiber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Draka Comteq, B.V.
    Inventors: Pieter Matthuse, Mattheus Jacobus Nicolaas Van Stralen, Mark Peter Marie Jetten, Gert-Jan Krabshuis
  • Publication number: 20140174133
    Abstract: Methods for forming optical fiber preforms are disclosed. According to one embodiment, a method for forming an optical fiber preform includes forming a preform core portion from silica-based glass soot. The silica-based glass soot may include at least one dopant species for altering an index of refraction of the preform core portion. A selective diffusion layer of silica-based glass soot may be formed around the preform core portion to form a soot preform. The selective diffusion layer may have an as-formed density greater than the density of the preform core portion. A diffusing species may be diffused through the selective diffusion layer into the preform core portion. The soot preform may be sintered such that the selective diffusion layer has a barrier density which is greater than the as-formed density and the selective diffusion layer prevents diffusion of the at least one dopant species through the selective diffusion layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2013
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Applicant: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Amanda Lee Billings, Liam Ruan de Paor, Robert Brett Desorcie, Robert Arnold Knowlton, Pushkar Tandon
  • Publication number: 20140161406
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an optical fiber preform includes forming a porous body that is made of glass particles and includes a first region and a second region formed on an outer circumference of the first region, performing a first heat treatment on the porous body under an atmosphere containing a fluorine gas, performing a second heat treatment on the porous body after the first heat treatment at a higher temperature than that of the first heat treatment to form a transparent glass body, and forming a cladding portion on an outer circumference of the transparent glass body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2014
    Publication date: June 12, 2014
    Applicant: FURUKAWA ELECTRIC CO., LTD
    Inventor: Naomi KUMANO
  • Publication number: 20140155246
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a doped silica-titania glass, DST glass, consisting essentially of 0.1 wt. % to 5 wt. % halogen, 50 ppm-wt. to 6 wt. % one or more oxides of Al, Ta and Nb, 3 wt. % to 10 wt. % TiO2 and the remainder SiO2. In an embodiment the halogen content can be in the range of 0.2 wt. % to 3 wt. % along with 50 ppm-wt. to 6 wt. % one or more oxides of Al, Ta and Nb, 3 wt. % to 10 wt. % TiO2 and the remainder SiO2. In an embodiment the DST glass has an OH concentration of less than 100 ppm. In another embodiment the OH concentration is less than 50 ppm. The DST glass has a fictive temperature Tf of less than 875° C. In an embodiment Tf is less than 825° C. In another embodiment Tf is less than 775° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Applicant: CORNING INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Sezhian Annamalai, Carlos Alberto Duran, Kenneth Edward Hrdina
  • Publication number: 20140126876
    Abstract: An optical fiber with a shaped tip is covered by a cap that is fused to the optical fiber using doped silica. The doped silica has a melting temperature that is lower than the melting temperature of the optical fiber. The doped silica also has a melting temperature that is lower than the melting temperature of the cap.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2013
    Publication date: May 8, 2014
    Inventors: Jie Li, Xiaoguang Sun
  • Patent number: 8712202
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus relate to optical fibers suitable for use in sensing applications exposed to radiation environments. The fibers include a core of pure silica or chlorine doped silica surrounded by a fluorinated silica cladding. These glasses for the core and cladding utilize dopants that resist radiation-induced attenuation. A two step process for forming the cladding can achieve necessary concentrations of the fluorine by performing a soot deposition process in a different environment from a consolidation process where the soot is sintered into a glass. Concentration of fluorine doped into the cladding layer enables obtaining a numerical aperture that confines a mono-mode of the fiber to resist bend-induced attenuation. Dimensions of the fiber further facilitate bending ability of the fiber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Weatherford/Lamb, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul E. Sanders, Edward M. Dowd, Brian J. Pike
  • Publication number: 20140060118
    Abstract: Manufacturing an optical fiber by using an outside vapor deposition technique for making a substrate, applying one or more layers to the substrate using a radial pressing technique to form a soot blank, sintering the soot blank in the presence of a gaseous refractive index-modifying dopant, and drawing the sintered soot blank, provides a more efficient and cost effective process for generating complex refractive index profiles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2012
    Publication date: March 6, 2014
    Inventors: Steven Bruce Dawes, Dominick Fiordimalva, Timothy Leonard Hunt, Douglas Hull Jennings
  • Patent number: 8649650
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method of making rare earth (RE) doped optical fiber using BaO as co-dopant instead of Al or P commonly used for incorporation of the RE in silica glass by MCVD and solution doping technique. The method comprises deposition of particulate layer of GeO2 doped SiO2 with or without small P2O5 for formation of the core and solution doping by soaking the porous soot layer into an aqueous solution of RE and Ba containing salt. This is followed by dehydration and sintering of the soaked deposit, collapsing at a high temperature to produce the preform and drawing of fibers of appropriate dimension. The use of Ba-oxide enables to eliminate unwanted core-clad interface defect which is common in case of Al doped fibers. The fibers also show good RE uniformity, relatively low optical loss in the 0.6-1.6 ?m wavelength region and good optical properties suitable for their application in amplifiers, fiber lasers and sensor devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignees: Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, Department of Information Technology
    Inventors: Ranjan Sen, Anirban Dhar, Mukul Chandra Paul, Himadri Sekhar Maiti
  • Publication number: 20130302001
    Abstract: A low-loss optical fiber over wide wavelength range includes a transmission loss of less than or equal to 40 dB/km in a whole wavelength range of 400-1400 nm, and being manufactured by drawing an optical fiber preform including a core composed of a silica glass having a hydroxyl-group concentration of less than or equal to 1 ppm and a cladding composed of a silica glass having a fluorine concentration of more than or equal to 3.2 wt %.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2013
    Publication date: November 14, 2013
    Applicant: FUJIKURA LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuhiko AIKAWA, Masahiro ASANO, Kazuyuki HAYASHI, Masami MIYACHI, Manabu KUDOH
  • Publication number: 20130291602
    Abstract: In an optical fiber preform manufacturing method including: exposing a soot-deposited object to a high temperature of 1000 to 1300° C. in a chlorine-containing atmosphere to dehydrate the soot-deposited object, the soot-deposited object being formed by deposition of silicon dioxide soot; and vitrifying the soot-deposited object into a transparent glass by exposing the soot-deposited object to a high temperature of 1300 to 1600° C. in an atmosphere containing inert gas and fluorine compound gas, but not containing oxygen, the fluorine compound gas does not contain carbon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2013
    Publication date: November 7, 2013
    Applicant: SHIN-ETSU CHEMICAL CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Dai INOUE
  • Patent number: 8544299
    Abstract: To improve a known method for making a quartz glass tube as a semifinished product for the manufacture of optical fibers, the tube comprising an inner fluorine-doped quartz glass layer and an outer quartz glass layer, so as to achieve inexpensive manufacture and improved dimensional stability of the quartz glass tube, it is suggested according to the invention that the quartz glass of the inner layer should be produced in a first plasma deposition process with formation of an inner layer having a wall thickness of at least 1.5 mm, with a fluorine content of at least 1.5% by wt. being set in the quartz glass, and that the quartz glass of the outer layer should be produced in a second plasma deposition process and deposited directly or indirectly on the inner layer with formation of a composite tube, and that the composite tube should be elongated into the quartz glass tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Heraeus Quarzglas GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Gerhard Schoetz, Karsten Braeuer, Jan Vydra
  • Patent number: 8515231
    Abstract: Described is a method of fabricating an optical fiber preform that includes a deep index trench comprising a shallower outer trench portion formed on a substrate tube and a deeper inner trench portion formed on the shallower outer trench portion. Each of the shallower outer trench and deeper inner trench portions comprises multiple silica layers. The method comprises the steps of: (1) forming each layer of the shallower outer trench portion in a single-pass deposition of a F-containing silica layer; and (2) forming each layer of the deeper inner portion in a double-pass deposition in which, in a first pass, a layer of silica soot is deposited and then, in a second pass, the soot is sintered in the presence of SiF4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: OFS Fitel, LLC
    Inventors: Peter Ingo Borel, David John DiGiovanni, John Michael Fini, Poul Kristensen
  • Publication number: 20130167594
    Abstract: Methods to fabricate an optical preform for draw into Polarization Maintaining (PM) or Polarizing (PZ) optical fiber are provided. The methods involve assembly of pre-shaped and pieced together bulk glass elements into preforms (“assembled preforms”) for simultaneous fusing and drawing into optical fiber. These preforms form a stress-induced birefringent optical core when drawn to fiber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2012
    Publication date: July 4, 2013
    Inventors: Edward M. Dowd, Paul E. Sanders
  • Patent number: 8443630
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a primary preform for optical fibers using an internal vapor deposition process, including the steps of: i) providing a hollow glass substrate tube having a supply side and a discharge side, ii) surrounding at least part of the hollow glass substrate tube by a furnace, iii) supplying a gas flow, doped or undoped, of glass-forming gases to the interior of the hollow glass substrate tube via the supply side thereof, iv) creating a reaction zone in which conditions such that deposition of glass will take place on the interior of the hollow glass tube are created, and v) moving the reaction zone back and forth in longitudinal direction over the hollow glass substrate tube between a reversal point located near the supply side and a reversal point located near the discharge side of the hollow glass substrate tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Draka Comteq, B.V.
    Inventors: Igor Milicevic, Mattheus Jacobus Nicolaas Van Stralen, Johannes Antoon Hartsuiker, Eugen Aldea, Eric Aloysius Kuijpers
  • Publication number: 20130091899
    Abstract: An optical fiber that is relatively insensitive to bend loss and alleviates the problem of catastrophic bend loss configured to support and guide the propagation of light in a fundamental transverse mode. The cladding region includes an outer cladding region, a pedestal region, an inner trench region, and an outer trench region. The pedestal region and the outer cladding region each have a refractive index relatively close to that of the outer cladding region. To suppress HOMs the pedestal region is configured to resonantly couple at least one (unwanted) transverse mode of the core region (other than the fundamental mode) to at least one transverse mode of the pedestal region. Also described are multi-tube fabrication techniques for making such fibers as well as single-pass/double-pass fabrication techniques for making the trench regions of such fibers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2012
    Publication date: April 18, 2013
    Applicant: OFS FITEL, LLC
    Inventors: Peter Ingo Borel, David John DiGiovanni, John Michael Fini, Poul Kristensen
  • Patent number: 8402792
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a primary preform for optical fibers using an internal vapor deposition process, including the steps of: i) providing a hollow glass substrate tube having a supply side and a discharge side, ii) surrounding at least part of the hollow glass substrate tube by a furnace, iii) supplying doped or undoped glass-forming gases to the interior of the hollow glass substrate tube via the supply side thereof, iv) creating a reaction zone in which conditions such that deposition of glass will take place on the interior of the hollow glass tube are created, and v) moving the reaction zone back and forth along the length of the hollow glass substrate tube between a reversal point located near the supply side and a reversal point located near the discharge side of the hollow glass substrate tube, wherein, during at least part of step v), the gas flow comprises a first concentration of fluorine-containing compound when the reaction zone is moving in the direction of the discharge side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Draka Comteq B.V.
    Inventors: Igor Milicevic, Mattheus Jacobus Nicolaas Van Stralen, Johannes Antoon Hartsuiker, Eugen Aldea
  • Patent number: 8375749
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a porous silica preform includes the steps of supplying fuel gas for generating an oxyhydrogen flame to a glass synthesizing burner; supplying Gas A containing silicon and Gas B containing fluorine to the burner; synthesizing glass particles; and depositing the glass particles around a starting rod, in which when glass particles are deposited directly on the starting rod, a supply of Gas A and a supply of Gas B supplied to the burner are adjusted so that a ratio of the number of fluorine atoms to the number of silicon atoms in the gas supplied to the burner satisfies the following Formula (1): {(number of F atoms)/(number of Si atoms)}?0.1??(1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Fujikura Ltd.
    Inventors: Kentaro Ichii, Takakazu Gotoh, Naritoshi Yamada, Koichi Harada
  • Publication number: 20120324960
    Abstract: Methods for producing an optical fiber by elongating a silica glass blank or a coaxial group of silica glass components, on the basis of which a fiber is obtained that comprises a core zone, an inner jacket zone enclosing the core zone and a ring zone surrounding the inner jacket zone, are known.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2011
    Publication date: December 27, 2012
    Applicant: HERAEUS QUARZGLAS GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Ralph Sattmann, Jan Vydra, Michael Huenermann
  • Publication number: 20120321891
    Abstract: A manufacturing method for a porous silica body including: a step of arranging a plurality of burners around an optical fiber core rod; and a deposition step of depositing a plurality of soot layers on an outer peripheral surface of the optical fiber core rod by the burners, wherein the deposition step comprises forming each of the plurality of soot layers by one of the burners, and depositing each soot layer to satisfy 0.2?x?0.5 and 0.1?y?4.0x2?3.8x+1.3 where x (g/cm3) is the average bulk density and y (mm) is the deposition thickness, and so that the maximum value of the bulk density of the soot layers becomes 0.6 g/cm3 or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2012
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicant: FUJIKURA LTD.
    Inventor: Tomohiro NUNOME
  • Publication number: 20120304701
    Abstract: Provided is a method for manufacturing an optical fiber base material, comprising manufacturing a soot deposition body having a core with a high refractive index at a center thereof, using VAD or OVD; dehydrating the soot deposition body within a heating furnace, with a temperature that does not vitrify the soot deposition body and in a helium atmosphere containing chlorine; after the dehydration, forming a core rod by vitrifying the soot deposition body at a temperature that vitrifies the soot deposition body, in a helium atmosphere; and applying cladding on the outside of the core rod. The helium atmosphere in the heating furnace when vitrifying the soot deposition body includes a gas containing a fluorine compound, and concentration of the fluorine in the atmospheric gas is in a range of 0.1 mol % to 10 mol %.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Applicant: SHIN-ETSU CHEMICAL CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Dai INOUE
  • Patent number: 8320726
    Abstract: Described are multi-tube fabrication techniques for making an optical fiber that is relatively insensitive to bend loss and alleviates the problem of catastrophic bend loss comprises a core region and a cladding region configured to support and guide the propagation of light in a fundamental transverse mode. The cladding region includes (i) an outer cladding region, (ii) an annular pedestal (or ring) region, (iii) an annular inner trench region, and (iv) an annular outer trench region. The pedestal region and the outer cladding region each have a refractive index relatively close to that of the outer cladding region. In order to suppress HOMs the pedestal region is configured to resonantly couple at least one (unwanted) transverse mode of the core region (other than the fundamental mode) to at least one transverse mode of the pedestal region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: OFS Fitel, LLC
    Inventors: Peter Ingo Borel, David John DiGiovanni, John Michael Fini, Poul Kristensen
  • Publication number: 20120231943
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a fluorine-containing optical fiber base material through a sintering process includes dehydrating a porous glass stack by heating it under a chlorine-based gas atmosphere, adding fluorine into the porous glass stack by heating it under a fluorine source gas atmosphere, and making the porous glass stack transparent by heating it under a fluorine source gas atmosphere at a higher temperature than a temperature at which the porous glass stack is heated in the adding. Here, process temperatures in the dehydrating, adding and making are T1, T2 and T3 (K) respectively, concentrations of the fluorine source gas in the adding and making are C2 and C3 (%) respectively, a parameter Q is represented by the formula: Q=C2×exp(?T2/T1)+C3×exp(?T2/T1), and the process temperatures and the concentrations of the fluorine source gas satisfy the relation Q>0.14.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2012
    Publication date: September 13, 2012
    Applicant: SHIN-ETSU CHEMICAL CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yuhei URATA
  • Patent number: 8254017
    Abstract: A method is provided for forming an optical fiber amplifier. The method comprises providing a composite preform having a gain material core that includes one or more acoustic velocity varying dopants to provide a longitudinally varying acoustic velocity profile along the gain material core to suppress Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS) effects by raising the SBS threshold and drawing the composite preform to form the optical fiber amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Robert R. Rice, Michael G. Wickham, Hiroshi Komine, Peter Livingston, Peter Thielen, Charles Phillip Asman
  • Patent number: 8240172
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for production of a synthetic quartz glass having a fluorine concentration of 1,000 mass ppm or more, the process comprising: (a) a step of depositing and growing quartz glass fine particles obtained by flame hydrolysis of a glass forming raw material onto a substrate, to thereby form a porous glass body; (b) a step of keeping the porous glass body in a reaction vessel that is filled with elemental fluorine (F2) or a mixed gas comprising elemental fluorine (F2) diluted with an inert gas and contains a solid metal fluoride, to thereby obtain a fluorine-containing porous glass body; and (c) a step of heating the fluorine-containing porous glass body to a transparent vitrification temperature, to thereby obtain a fluorine-containing transparent glass body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Asahi Glass Company, Limited
    Inventors: Chikaya Tamitsuji, Kunio Watanabe, Akio Koike
  • Publication number: 20120198891
    Abstract: A method for producing an optical fiber preform according to the present invention includes a collapse step of collapsing a silica-based glass tube by heating with a heat source continuously traversed in the longitudinal direction of the glass tube to form a first glass rod to be formed into a core part or part of a core part of an optical fiber, the glass tube having an inner surface doped with an alkali metal, in which the glass tube has a maximum alkali metal concentration of 500 to 20,000 atomic ppm, a maximum chlorine concentration of 0 to 1000 atomic ppm, and a maximum fluorine concentration of 0 to 10,000 atomic ppm, and in which in the collapse step, the maximum temperature of the outer surface of the glass tube is 2000° C. to 2250° C., and the traverse speed of the heat source is 30 mm/min to 100 mm/min.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2012
    Publication date: August 9, 2012
    Applicant: SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshiaki TAMURA, Masaaki HIRANO, Tetsuya HARUNA
  • Publication number: 20120159995
    Abstract: An optical fiber that is relatively insensitive to bend loss and alleviates the problem of catastrophic bend loss comprises a core region and a cladding region configured to support and guide the propagation of light in a fundamental transverse mode. The cladding region includes (i) an outer cladding region, (ii) an annular pedestal (or ring) region, (iii) an annular inner trench region, and (iv) an annular outer trench region. The pedestal region and the outer cladding region each have a refractive index relatively close to that of the outer cladding region. In order to suppress HOMs the pedestal region is configured to resonantly couple at least one (unwanted) transverse mode of the core region (other than the fundamental mode) to at least one transverse mode of the pedestal region. In a preferred embodiment, the fiber is configured so that, at a signal wavelength of approximately 1550 nm, its bend loss is no more than about 0.1 dB/turn at bend radius of 5 mm and is no more than about 0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2011
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Inventors: Peter Ingo Borel, David John DiGiovanni, John Michael Fini, Poul Kristensen
  • Patent number: 8200057
    Abstract: A single mode fiber having a core, an inner cladding, a depressed cladding, and an outer cladding composed of pure silica glass. The core is surrounded in sequence with the inner cladding and the depressed cladding. The core has silica glass doped with germanium and fluorine, with a diameter (a) of 8.0-8.8 ?m, a relative refractive index difference (?1) of 0.35-0.38%, and the contribution of fluoride (?F) is ?0.09±0.02%. The inner cladding has silica glass doped with germanium and fluorine, with a diameter (b) of 18-21 ?m and a relative refractive index difference (?2) of 0±0.02%. The depressed cladding has silica glass doped with fluorine, with a diameter (c) of 26-36 ?m and a relative refractive index difference (?32) at the external interface thereof is between ?0.22 and ?0.35%, and a relative refractive index difference (?31) at the internal interface thereof is between ?0.20 and ?0.35%, and ?32??31.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Qingrong Han, Chen Yang, Jing Li, Jie Luo
  • Publication number: 20120087625
    Abstract: A fiber preform, including: a fiber core rod and an outer cladding layer. The ratio of the diameter of the fiber core rod to the diameter of the core layer thereof is 2.1-2.8. The fiber core rod and a small fluorine-doped quartz glass tube are melted to form a core rod assembly. The ratio of the diameter difference between the core rod assembly and the fiber core rod to the diameter of the core layer is 0.5-2.2. The relative refractive index difference of fluorine-doped quartz glass relative to purified quartz glass ?F is ?0.20% to ?0.35%. The core rod assembly is arranged with a large purified quartz glass tube, or directly deposited with a SiO2 glass cladding layer. A ratio of an effective diameter of the fiber preform to the diameter of the core rod assembly is 2.0-5.6. Methods for manufacturing the preform and a fiber are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2011
    Publication date: April 12, 2012
    Inventors: Qingrong HAN, Chen YANG, Yongtao LIU, Jie LUO, Matai RADJJ
  • Publication number: 20110302966
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a primary preform for optical fibres, using an internal vapour deposition process, wherein a gas flow of doped undoped glass-forming gases is supplied to the interior of a hollow substrate tube having a supply side and a discharge side via the supply side thereof, wherein deposition of glass layers on the interior of the substrate tube is effected as a result of the presence of a reaction zone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2011
    Publication date: December 15, 2011
    Applicant: DRAKA COMTEQ B.V.
    Inventors: Igor MILICEVIC, Mattheus Jacobus Nicolaas VAN STRALEN, Eugen ALDEA
  • Publication number: 20110274129
    Abstract: Cylindrical optical components of quartz glass are known, which have an inner zone made of an inner zone glass, which extends in the direction of the longitudinal axis and is surrounded by a jacket zone made of a jacket zone glass, the average pt wall thickness thereof varying at least over a part of its length in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the component. The aim of the invention is to provide a method that allows a simple and cost-effective production of such an optical component from quartz glass.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2009
    Publication date: November 10, 2011
    Applicant: Hreaeus Quarzglas GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Peter Bauer, Karsten Braeuer, Marco Flach, Andreas Langner, Richard Schmidt, Clemens Schmitt, Gerhard Schoetz, Matthias Stecher
  • Patent number: 8037717
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an optical waveguide preform includes providing a first process gas atmosphere to a soot preform contained in a vessel. The first atmosphere is held in the vessel for a first reacting time sufficient to at least partially dope or dry the soot preform. The vessel is then at least partially refilled with a second doping or drying atmosphere. The second doping or drying atmosphere is held in the vessel for a second reacting time sufficient to further dope or dry the soot preform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Steven B. Dawes, Daniel W. Hawtof, Michael T. Murtagh, John S. Rosettie, Andrew P. Schermerhorn, Merrill F. Sproul, John Stone, III, Pushkar Tandon
  • Publication number: 20110247369
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a primary preform for optical fibres using an internal vapour deposition process, including the steps of: i) providing a hollow glass substrate tube having a supply side and a discharge side, ii) surrounding at least part of the hollow glass substrate tube by a furnace, iii) supplying a gas flow, doped or undoped, of glass-forming gases to the interior of the hollow glass substrate tube via the supply side thereof, iv) creating a reaction zone in which conditions such that deposition of glass will take place on the interior of the hollow glass tube are created, and v) moving the reaction zone back and forth in longitudinal direction over the hollow glass substrate tube between a reversal point located near the supply side and a reversal point located near the discharge side of the hollow glass substrate tube.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2011
    Publication date: October 13, 2011
    Applicant: DRAKA COMTEQ B.V.
    Inventors: Igor MILICEVIC, Mattheus Jacobus Nicolaas VAN STRALEN, Johannes Antoon HARTSUIKER, Eugen ALDEA, Eric Aloysius KUIJPERS