HOLEY OPTICAL FIBER WITH RANDOM PATTERN OF HOLES AND METHOD FOR MAKING SAME
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Accused Products
Abstract
A random array of holes is created in an optical fiber by gas generated during fiber drawing. The gas forms bubbles which are drawn into long, microscopic holes. The gas is created by a gas generating material such as silicon nitride. Silicon nitride oxidizes to produce nitrogen oxides when heated. The gas generating material can alternatively be silicon carbide or other nitrides or carbides. The random holes can provide cladding for optical confinement when located around a fiber core. The random holes can also be present in the fiber core. The fibers can be made of silica. The present random hole fibers are particularly useful as pressure sensors since they experience a large wavelength dependant increase in optical loss when pressure or force is applied.
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Citations
76 Claims
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1-21. -21. (canceled)
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22. A method for making a random hole optical fiber, comprising the steps of:
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a) heating a fiber preform containing a gas generating material that generates gas bubbles when heated; and b) drawing the heated fiber preform so that the bubbles are drawn into tubes. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 33, 34, 35)
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25. (canceled)
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29-32. -32. (canceled)
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36. A method for making a holey optical fiber, comprising the steps of:
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a) providing a fiber perform comprising an optical material and a second material which is a compound of elements comprising silicon and nitrogen; and b) drawing the fiber preform into the holey optical fiber such that the second material causes bubbles to remain in the holey optical fiber once the holey optical fiber is formed. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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45. A method for forming an optical fiber, the method comprising:
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(a) providing a preform; and (b) forming the optical fiber from the preform so as to form a holey region with a random and non-uniform array of holes, wherein the random and non-uniform array of holes varies along a length of the optical fiber. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52)
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53. A method of making an optical fiber having a first material with a first index of refraction and a surrounding second material with a second index of refraction that is lower than the first index of refraction, the method comprising:
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(a) locating said first material within said second material; (b) trapping gas in said second material to randomly locate gas bubbles in said second material so as to increase the porosity of said second material to lower the second index of refraction as compared to the index of retraction of said first material; and (c) drawing said first and second materials to stretch said bubbles and to form the optical fiber in which said second material guides light along said first material. - View Dependent Claims (54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64)
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65. A method of making optical fiber having a core with a first index of refraction and a cladding with a second index of refraction that is lower than the first index of refraction, the method comprising:
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(a) locating said core within said cladding; (b) trapping gas in said cladding to randomly locate bubbles in said cladding so as to increase the porosity of said cladding, thereby lowering the second index of refraction as compared to the first index of refraction; and (c) drawing said core and cladding to stretch said bubbles and to form said optical fiber in which the said cladding guides light along said core. - View Dependent Claims (66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76)
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Specification