US4616901A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Doped optical fiber
Assignee: Furukawa Electric North America Inc
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Filing: 1983-08-31
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Granted: 1986-10-14
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Expires: 2003-08-31
Abstract
Abstract Optical fibers doped with nonglass forming refractory oxides, such as alumina and zirconia, are disclosed. Devitrification is retarded by adding an additional glass forming component, such as P 2 O 5 , and by rapidly quenching the heated glass. Aluminum and zirconium-containing precursor vapors are formed by passing halide gas over heated aluminum or zirconium wire.
Inventors
- 👤 John B. MacChesney
- 👤 Jay R. Simpson
- 👤 Kenneth L. Walker
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 23:25
CPC Classifications
C; C03; C03C; C03C13/00; C03C13/04; C03C13/045; C03B; C03B37/00; C03B37/01; C03B37/012; C03B37/014; C03B37/01413; C03B37/018; C03B37/01807; G; G02; G02B; G02B6/00; G02B6/02; C03B2201/00; C03B2201/06; C03B2201/20; C03B2201/28; C03B2201/30; C03B2201/32; C03B2201/40; C03B2207/00; C03B2207/80; C03B2207/90
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
56 words
An optical fiber comprising at least 80% by weight silica, at least some of the silica being doped silica, characterized in that the doped silica comprises more than 5 mole percent alumina or zirconia and also comprises an effective amount of at least one phosphorus oxide for preventing devitrification of the doped silica during fiber manufacture.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
56 words
An optical fiber comprising at least 80% by weight silica, at least some of the silica being doped silica, characterized in that the doped silica comprises more than 5 mole percent alumina or zirconia and also comprises an effective amount of at least one phosphorus oxide for preventing devitrification of the doped silica during fiber manufacture.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
91 words
A method of forming an optical fiber, the method comprising (a) forming a metal-halide-containing vapor by passing a halogen gas over at least one solid metal object, the metal object consisting essentially of at least one of the metals selected from the group consisting of Al, Zr, Nb, Ta, Ga, In, Sn, Sb, Bi, the 4f rare earths (atomic numbers 57-71), and the alkaline earths Be, Mg, Ca, Zn, Sr, Cd, and Ba, (b) reacting the metal-halide-containing vapor to form a preform, and (c) drawing an optical fiber from the preform.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
91 words
A method of forming an optical fiber, the method comprising (a) forming a metal-halide-containing vapor by passing a halogen gas over at least one solid metal object, the metal object consisting essentially of at least one of the metals selected from the group consisting of Al, Zr, Nb, Ta, Ga, In, Sn, Sb, Bi, the 4f rare earths (atomic numbers 57-71), and the alkaline earths Be, Mg, Ca, Zn, Sr, Cd, and Ba, (b) reacting the metal-halide-containing vapor to form a preform, and (c) drawing an optical fiber from the preform.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 2, wherein the metal object is a wire or a granule.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 2, wherein the metal object is a wire consisting essentially of Al or Zr.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
104 words
An optical fiber containing everywhere at least 80% by weight silica, the fiber produced by a process comprising forming a body by a process comprising (a) depositing glass precursor material comprising doped silica on a substrate, (b) heating the glass precursor material for a time sufficient to produce unitary glass from the glass precursor material, the time also chosen such that substantially no devitrification of the glass formed from the glass precursor material results from the heating, and (c) drawing the optical fiber from the body, characterized in that the doped silica comprises silica doped with more than 5 mole percent alumina or zirconia.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
104 words
An optical fiber containing everywhere at least 80% by weight silica, the fiber produced by a process comprising forming a body by a process comprising (a) depositing glass precursor material comprising doped silica on a substrate, (b) heating the glass precursor material for a time sufficient to produce unitary glass from the glass precursor material, the time also chosen such that substantially no devitrification of the glass formed from the glass precursor material results from the heating, and (c) drawing the optical fiber from the body, characterized in that the doped silica comprises silica doped with more than 5 mole percent alumina or zirconia.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
11 words
The fiber of claim 5, wherein the fabrication process is MCVD.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
20 words
The fiber of claim 6, the fiber comprising a core comprising silica doped with more than 5 mole percent alumina.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
15 words
The fiber of claim 7, wherein the core further comprises P 2 O 5 .
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
18 words
The fiber of claim 5, the fiber comprising silica further doped with at least one glass forming dopant.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
17 words
The fiber of claim 9, wherein the glass forming further dopant is P 2 O 5 .
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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) | 1989-10-13 | 1990-04-14 | 1990-10-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1993-10-13 | 1994-04-14 | 1994-10-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1997-10-13 | 1998-04-14 | 1998-10-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |