OPTICAL FIBER

• Main Authors: SONODA KENJI, YOKOYAMA MASARU, YOKOGAWA HIROSHI, TSUBAKI KENJI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 03.10.1997
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS, OR APPARATUS; OPTICS; PHYSICS

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical fiber which has a large light receiving angle and is capable of transmitting much light. SOLUTION: This optical fiber is formed from a core material 1, a clad material 2 which covers the outside surface of this core material 1 and has the refractive index smaller than the refractive index of the core material 1 and a coating material 3 which coats the outside surface of this clad material 2. The optical fiber has supporting bodies 4 which support this coating material 3 between the core material 1 and the coating material 3. The clad material is an air layer. The supporting bodies 4 are doughnut-shaped rings, pins, bearings or the projections formed on the inside surfaces of the coating material 3. The contact parts of the supporting bodies 4 which come into contact with the core material 1 are composed of mirror finished surfaces or silica aerogels having a refractive index of 1.008 to 1.18 and consisting of porous skeltons of silica. The end of the core material 1 is sealed by a sealing material of the silica aerogel of the doughnut-shaped rings.