OPTICAL FIBER CONTAINING AN ALKALI METAL OXIDE AND METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING SAME

• Main Authors: CHACON LISA CARINE, BOOKBINDER DANA CRAIG, MURTAGH MICHAEL THOMAS, KHRAPKO ROSTISLAV RADIYEVICH, OSTERHOUT CLINTON DAMON, GAUSMAN GREGORY GERARD, ANDERSON JAMES GARY, WHEDON WILLIAM ANTHONY, COFFEY CALVIN THOMAS, ELLISON ADAM JAMES, LOGUNOV STEPHAN LVOVICH, SEN SABYASACHI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 05.11.2015
• Subjects: CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF GLASSES, GLAZES, OR VITREOUSENAMELS; CHEMISTRY; GLASS; JOINING GLASS TO GLASS OR OTHER MATERIALS; MANUFACTURE, SHAPING, OR SUPPLEMENTARY PROCESSES; METALLURGY; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL; OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS, OR APPARATUS; OPTICS; PHYSICS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF FIBRES OR FILAMENTS MADE FROM GLASS,MINERALS OR SLAGS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF GLASS

Disclosed is an optical fiber having a core with an alkali metal oxide dopant in an peak amount greater than about 0.002 wt. % and less than about 0.1 wt. %. The alkali metal oxide concentration varies with a radius of the optical fiber. By appropriately selecting the concentration of alkali metal oxide dopant in the core and the cladding, a low loss optical fiber may be obtained. Also disclosed are several methods of making the optical fiber including the steps of forming an alkali metal oxide-doped rod, and adding additional glass to form a draw perform. Preferably, the draw preform has a final outer dimension (d2), wherein an outer dimension (d1) of the rod is less than or equal to 0.06 times the final outer dimension (d2). In a preferred embodiment, the alkali metal oxide-doped rod is inserted into the centerline hole of a preform to form an assembly.