Drawing dielectric optical waveguides
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of manufacturing a bubble-free dielectric optical waveguide comprising:
- loading preformed core and cladding glasses in rod form into the inner and outer compartments respectively of a metallic double crucible, having concentric adjacent outlet orifices, cladding glass being loaded in said outer and core glass in said inner compartmentmelting the glasses in said crucible;
completely surrounding the double crucible containing melted glasses with a nonoxidising atmosphere;
drawing from said orifices core and cladding glasses to form a clad dielectric optical waveguide; and
continuously replenishing said inner and outer compartments of the double crucible by feeding preformed core and cladding glass rods having a diameter between 3 and 10 millimeters into the glass melt at a rate less than 30 millimeters per minute thereby avoiding pulling gas into the glass melt.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The attenuation in a dielectric optical waveguide can be reduced by the following techniques:
1. Surrounding the double crucible during the drawing operation by a non-oxidizing atmosphere.
2. Feeding glass rod into the melt at a slow rate.
3. Guiding glass rod into the melt so that movement of the glass rod transverse to the melt surface is inhibited.
4. Melting the glass in the double crucible under vacuum.
29 Citations
16 Claims
-
1. A method of manufacturing a bubble-free dielectric optical waveguide comprising:
-
loading preformed core and cladding glasses in rod form into the inner and outer compartments respectively of a metallic double crucible, having concentric adjacent outlet orifices, cladding glass being loaded in said outer and core glass in said inner compartment melting the glasses in said crucible; completely surrounding the double crucible containing melted glasses with a nonoxidising atmosphere; drawing from said orifices core and cladding glasses to form a clad dielectric optical waveguide; and
continuously replenishing said inner and outer compartments of the double crucible by feeding preformed core and cladding glass rods having a diameter between 3 and 10 millimeters into the glass melt at a rate less than 30 millimeters per minute thereby avoiding pulling gas into the glass melt. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
Specification