Method for fabricating optical fibers having cores with high rare earth content

Claim 1

A method for fabricating an optical fiber with a core of high rare earth content for use in a solid state laser, said method comprising the steps of: forming a first vapor comprising at least one rare earth organic chelate species where said organic chelate species is derived from a nonfluorinated β-diketone ligand; forming a second vapor, initially isolated from said first vapor, of at least one unreacted compound containing a glass forming element and oxygen; forming a third vapor comprising an aluminium compound for depositing aluminium ions; entraining said first, second, and third vapors in a carrier gas and flowing them toward a chemical vapor deposition reaction zone; and mixing said first, second, and third vapors with one another just prior to entry into said reaction zone.

Claim 2

A method for fabricating an optical fiber with a core of high rare earth content for use in a solid state laser, said method comprising the steps of: forming a first vapor comprising at least one rare earth organic chelate species where said organic chelate species is derived from a nonfluorinated β-diketone ligand; forming a second vapor, initially isolated from said first vapor, of at least one unreacted compound containing a glass forming element and oxygen; forming a third vapor comprising an aluminium compound for depositing aluminium ions; entraining said first, second, and third vapors in a carrier gas and flowing them toward a chemical vapor deposition reaction zone; and mixing said first, second, and third vapors with one another just prior to entry into said reaction zone.

Claim 6

A method for fabricating an optical fiber with a core of high rare earth content for use in a solid state laser, said method comprising the steps of: forming a first vapor comprising at least one rare earth organic chelate species where said organic chelate species is derived from a nonfluorinated β-diketone ligand; forming a second vapor, initially isolated from said first vapor, of at least one unreacted compound containing a glass forming element and oxygen; forming a third vapor comprising an aluminium compound for depositing aluminium ions; entraining said first, second, and third vapors in a carrier gas and flowing them toward a chemical vapor deposition reaction zone wherein the reaction zone is defined by the inner walls of a quartz tube; mixing said first, second, and third vapors with one another just prior to entry into said reaction zone, and transporting another vapor comprising O 2 and SiO 2 and at least one other compound selected from the group comprising Cl 2 , GeCl 4 , POCl 3 , SF 6 , and SiF 4 to the reaction zone for deposition of the core.

Claim 7

A method for fabricating an optical fiber with a core of high rare earth content for use in a solid state laser, said method comprising the steps of: forming a first vapor comprising at least one rare earth organic chelate species where said organic chelate species is derived from a nonfluorinated β-diketone ligand; forming a second vapor, initially isolated from said first vapor, of at least one unreacted compound containing a glass forming element and oxygen; forming a third vapor comprising an aluminium compound for depositing aluminium ions; entraining said first, second, and third vapors in a carrier gas and flowing them toward a chemical vapor deposition reaction zone wherein the reaction zone is defined by the inner walls of a quartz tube; mixing said first, second, and third vapors with one another just prior to entry into said reaction zone, and transporting another vapor comprising O 2 and SiO 2 and at least one other compound selected from the group comprising Cl 2 , GeCl 4 , POCl 3 , SF 6 , and SiF 4 to the reaction zone for deposition of the core.

Claim 8

A method for fabricating optical fibers having cores with rare earth contents of at least one-half weight percent, said method comprising the steps of : vaporizing at least one nonfluorinated β-diketone ligand to form a first vapor of a rare earth chelate species to serve as the source for the rare earth content of the fiber core; forming a second vapor, initially isolated from said first vapor, of at least one unreacted compound containing a glass forming element and oxygen; entraining said first and second vapors in a carrier gas and flowing them toward a chemical vapor deposition reaction zone; mixing said first and second vapors with one another just prior to entry into said reaction zone, and reacting said first and second vapors in said reaction zone to form a glass of silicon dioxide and at least one rare earth oxide whose concentration in said glass is at least one-half percent by weight.

Claim 9

A method for fabricating optical fibers having cores with rare earth contents of at least one-half weight percent, said method comprising the steps of : vaporizing at least one nonfluorinated β-diketone ligand to form a first vapor of a rare earth chelate species to serve as the source for the rare earth content of the fiber core; forming a second vapor, initially isolated from said first vapor, of at least one unreacted compound containing a glass forming element and oxygen; entraining said first and second vapors in a carrier gas and flowing them toward a chemical vapor deposition reaction zone; mixing said first and second vapors with one another just prior to entry into said reaction zone, and reacting said first and second vapors in said reaction zone to form a glass of silicon dioxide and at least one rare earth oxide whose concentration in said glass is at least one-half percent by weight.