Heat treating optical waveguides for oh ion removal
Abstract
Abstract OPTICAL WAVEGUIDES INCLUDE A CORE OF DOPED SIO2 AND A CLADDING OF PURE SIO2 OR DOPED SIO2. THE DOPANT, WHICH IS AN OXIDE OF A MULTIVALENT ELEMENT, BECOMES CHEMICALLY REDUCED DURING FABRICATION WHICH USUALLY INCLUDES HEATING THE WAVEGUIDE SO THAT IT CAN BE DRAWN. FOR EXAMPLE, TITANIUM DIOXIDE, A COMMONLY USED DOPANT, HAS TI+4 IONS WHICH ARE REDUCED TO TI+3 IONS DURING THE FABRICATION OF THE WAVEGUIDES. THESE REDUCED IONS INCREASE THE ATTENUATION OF THE WAVEGUIDE. FOR EXAMPLE, REDUCED TITANIUM DIOXIDE IS BROWN. IT ABSORBS LIGHT IN THE BLUE REGION AND THE AMOUNT OF TI+3 IONS IN THE GLASS MUST BE QUITE LOW IN ORDER TO GET THE DESIRED WAVEGUIDE TRANSMISSION PROPERTIES. THE REDUCED MULTIVALENT ELEMENT ION ATTENUATION IS MINIMIZED BY HEAT TREATING THE WAVEGUIDE FIBER AT TEMPERATURES IN THE RANGE OF APPROXIMATELY 800 TO 1,000*C. FOR TIMES OF APPROXIMATELY SIX HOURS OR LESS. THE REDUCED MULTIVALENT ION IS OXIDIZED WITH HYDROXYL IONS DELIBERATELY RETAINED IN THE GLASS AND WHICH SERVE AS THE OXIDIZING AGENT.
Inventors
- 👤 Luca R De
- 👤 D Keck
- 👤 R Maurer
Bibliographic Details
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