US4529426A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Method of fabricating high birefringence fibers
Assignee: Furukawa Electric North America Inc
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Filing: 1983-07-22
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Granted: 1985-07-16
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Expires: 2003-07-22
Abstract
Abstract The present invention relates to a technique for producing polarization-preserving and single polarization optical fibers. As disclosed, high birefringence is introduced into the preform by deforming the fiber preform such that a cladding layer becomes flat and highly conformable, while the core remains hard and substantially round. In particular, a cladding layer with a relatively low melting point is utilized such that when the preform is heated the cladding becomes liquified while the core remains solid. The preform may then be deformed so that the cladding layer is substantially flattened. Standard drawing techniques may then be utilized to form polarization-preserving fibers and single polarization fibers from the preform.
Inventors
- 👤 William Pleibel
- 👤 Jay R. Simpson
- 👤 Rogers H. Stolen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 22:58
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02B; G02B6/00; G02B6/10; G02B6/105; C; C03; C03B; C03B37/00; C03B37/01; C03B37/012; C03B37/01205; C03B37/01211; C03B37/01217; C03B37/01225; C03C; C03C13/00; C03C13/04; C03C13/045; C03B2201/00; C03B2201/02; C03B2201/06; C03B2201/08; C03B2201/10; C03B2201/12; C03B2201/30; C03B2201/31; C03B2203/00; C03B2203/02; C03B2203/04; C03B2203/10; C03B2203/22; C03B2203/30
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
84 words
A method of making an optical fiber preform comprising the steps of (a) providing a solid optical fiber preform which comprises a substantially circular inner core region and a surrounding highly-doped cladding region with a lower melting point than said inner core region; (b) heating a localized area of said preform until said localized area begins to soften; and (c) deforming said localized area using external mechanical means to flatten said highly-doped cladding region while allowing said inner core region to remain substantially circular.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
84 words
A method of making an optical fiber preform comprising the steps of (a) providing a solid optical fiber preform which comprises a substantially circular inner core region and a surrounding highly-doped cladding region with a lower melting point than said inner core region; (b) heating a localized area of said preform until said localized area begins to soften; and (c) deforming said localized area using external mechanical means to flatten said highly-doped cladding region while allowing said inner core region to remain substantially circular.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein in performing step (c) the highly-doped cladding region is deformed to obtain an elliptical cross-section, touching the inner core region in the narrow dimension.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein step (c) includes applying a pressure on opposite sides of the optical preform to flatten said optical fiber preform.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein in performing step (a) the inner core region comprises SiO 2 and the highly-doped cladding region comprises boron-doped and germanium-doped SiO 2 .
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein in performing step (a) the inner core region comprises SiO 2 and the highly-doped cladding region comprises boron-doped and phosphorous-doped SiO 2 .
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein in performing step (a) the inner core region comprises germanium-doped SiO 2 and the highly-doped cladding region comprises boron-doped and germanium-doped SiO 2 .
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein in performing step (a) the inner core region comprises phosphorous-doped SiO 2 and the highly-doped cladding region comprises boron-doped and phosphorous-doped SiO 2 .
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein in performing step (a) the inner core region comprises SiO 2 and the highly-doped cladding region comprises boron-doped SiO 2 .
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein in performing step (a) the inner core region comprises germanium-doped SiO 2 and the highly-doped cladding region comprises boron-doped SiO 2 .
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein in performing step (a) the inner core region comprises phosphorous-doped SiO 2 and the highly-doped cladding region comprises boron-doped SiO 2 .
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein in performing step (a) the inner core region comprises a doped silica core and a light guiding silica barrier layer surrounding said doped silica core.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein in performing step (a) the inner core region comprises a doped silica core and a light guiding flourine-doped silica barrier layer surrounding said doped silica core.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
125 words
A method of making an optical fiber comprising the steps of: (a) providing a solid optical fiber preform which comprises a substantially circular inner core region and a surrounding highly-doped cladding region with a lower melting point than said inner core region; (b) heating a localized area of said optical fiber preform until said localized area begins to soften; (c) deforming said localized area of said optical fiber preform using external mechanical means to flatten said highly-doped cladding region while allowing the inner core region to remain essentially circular; (d) repeating steps (b) and (c) to subsequent localized areas of said optical fiber preform; and (e) drawing the optical fiber from said preform using a predetermined tension that maintains the deformation preformed in step (c).
Claim 15
Independent Claim
125 words
A method of making an optical fiber comprising the steps of: (a) providing a solid optical fiber preform which comprises a substantially circular inner core region and a surrounding highly-doped cladding region with a lower melting point than said inner core region; (b) heating a localized area of said optical fiber preform until said localized area begins to soften; (c) deforming said localized area of said optical fiber preform using external mechanical means to flatten said highly-doped cladding region while allowing the inner core region to remain essentially circular; (d) repeating steps (b) and (c) to subsequent localized areas of said optical fiber preform; and (e) drawing the optical fiber from said preform using a predetermined tension that maintains the deformation preformed in step (c).
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method according to claim 13 wherein in performing step (c), the highly-doped cladding region is deformed to obtain an elliptical cross-section, touching the inner core region along the narrow dimension.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method according to claim 13 wherein step (c) includes applying a pressure on opposite sides of the optical fiber preform.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method according to claim 13 wherein in performing step (a) the inner core region comprises SiO 2 and the highly-doped cladding region comprises boron-doped and germanium-doped SiO 2 .
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method according to claim 13 wherein in performing step (a) the inner core region comprises SiO 2 and the highly-doped cladding region comprises boron-doped and phosphorous-doped SiO 2 .
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method according to claim 13 wherein in performing step (a) the inner core region comprises germanium-doped SiO 2 and the highly-doped cladding region comprises boron-doped and germanium-doped SiO 2 .
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method according to claim 13 wherein in performing step (a) the inner core region comprises phosphorous-doped SiO 2 and the highly-doped cladding region comprises boron-doped and phosphorous-doped SiO 2 .
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method according to claim 13 where in performing step (a) the inner core region comprises SiO 2 and the highly-doped cladding region comprises boron-doped SiO 2 .
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method according to claim 13 wherein in performing step (a) the inner core region comprises germanium-doped SiO 2 and the highly-doped cladding region comprises boron-doped SiO 2 .
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method according to claim 13 wherein in performing step (a) the inner core region comprises phosphorous-doped SiO 2 and the highly-doped cladding region comprises boron-doped SiO 2 .
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method according to claim 13 wherein in performing step (a) the inner core region comprises a doped silica core and a light guiding silica barrier layer surrounding said doped silica core.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method according to claim 13 wherein in performing step (a) the inner core region comprises a doped silica core and a light guiding flourine-doped silica barrier layer surrounding said doped silica core.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1988-07-15 | 1989-01-14 | 1989-07-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1992-07-15 | 1993-01-14 | 1993-07-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1996-07-15 | 1997-01-14 | 1997-07-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |