Coated optical fiber and optical fiber coating system including a fast-gelling primary coating

• US 7,010,206 B1
• Filed: 09/08/2004
• Issued: 03/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Inventors: Wu, Lung-Ming, Winningham, Michael J., McCarthy, Kevin R., Baker, Linda S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Healy, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): PENG, CHARLIE Y
• Application Number:
  US10/937,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20060051040A1
• Time in Patent Office: 545 Days
• Field of Search: 385/127, 385/128, 427/163.1
• US Class Current: 385/128
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 25/106 Single coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 25/1065 Multiple coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 133/14 of esters containing halogen, nitrogen, sulfur or oxygen atoms in addition to the carboxy oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/02395 Glass optical fibre with a protective coating, e.g. two layer polymer coating deposited directly on a silica cladding surface during fibre manufacture G02B6/02052, G02B6/02057, G02B6/024, G02B6/032, G02B6/105, G02B6/14 take precedence; coating on fibre gratings G02B6/02104; multilayer core or cladding G02B6/036; reinforcing splice joints G02B6/2558; optical cables, i.e. comprising protective structures external to the protective coating such as a jacket or plural coated optical fibres G02B6/44; coating of glass to obtain optical fibres C03C25/104

Abstract

The present invention provides optical fiber coating systems and coated optical fibers. According to one embodiment of the invention, a coated optical fiber includes an optical fiber having a core and a cladding; and a primary coating encapsulating the optical fiber, the primary coating having a Young'"'"'s modulus of about 5 MPa or less, the primary coating being the cured reaction product of a primary curable composition having a gel time less than about 1.4 seconds at a UV intensity of 3.4 mW/cm².

Claims

1. A coated optical fiber comprising:

an optical fiber having a core and a cladding; and

a primary coating encapsulating the optical fiber, the primary coating having a Young'"'"'s modulus of about 5 MPa or less, the primary coating being the cured reaction product of a primary curable composition having a gel time less than about 1.4 seconds at a UV intensity of 3.4 mW/cm².

2. The coated optical fiber of claim 1, wherein the primary curable composition has a gel time less than about 0.6 seconds at a UV intensity of 8.5 mW/cm².

3. The coated optical fiber of claim 1, wherein the primary curable composition has a gel time less than about 0.45 seconds at a UV intensity of 8.5 mW/cm².

4. The coated optical fiber of claim 1, wherein the primary curable composition has a gel time less than about 1.2 seconds at a UV intensity of 3.4 mW/cm².

5. The coated optical fiber of claim 1, wherein the primary coating has a Young'"'"'s modulus less than about 2 MPa.

6. The coated optical fiber of claim 1, wherein the primary curable composition has a spectroscopic cure speed of at least about 150%/second as determined by FTIR.

7. The coated optical fiber of claim 1, wherein the primary curable composition comprises a polyether or polyester urethane (meth)acrylate oligomer.

8. The coated optical fiber of claim 1, wherein the primary curable composition comprises a monofunctional epoxy acrylate.

9. The coated optical fiber of claim 1, wherein the primary curable composition comprises a multifunctional (meth)acrylate.

10. The coated optical fiber of claim 1, wherein the primary curable composition includes an N-vinyl amide.

11. The coated optical fiber of claim 1, wherein the primary curable composition comprises an optical brightener.

12. The coated optical fiber of claim 1, wherein the primary curable composition comprises an amine synergist.

13. The coated optical fiber of claim 1, wherein the primary coating has a glass transition temperature more negative than about −

10°

C.

14. The coated optical fiber of claim 1, further comprising a secondary coating encapsulating the primary coating.

15. An optical fiber ribbon comprising at least one of the coated optical fibers of claim 1.

16. An optical fiber cable comprising at least one of the coated optical fibers of claim 1.

17. A method for coating an optical fiber comprising the steps of:

providing a bare optical fiber;

coating the optical fiber with a primary curable composition having a gel time less than about 1.4 seconds at a UV intensity of 3.4 mW/cm²; and

curing the primary curable composition to form a primary coating encapsulating the optical fiber, the primary coating having a Young'"'"'s modulus less than about 5 MPa.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the coating and curing steps are performed at a process speed of greater than about 20 m/s.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the primary curable composition has a spectroscopic cure speed of at least about 150%/second as determined by FTIR.

20. A curable composition having a gel time less than about 1.4 seconds at a UV intensity of 3.4 mW/cm², wherein a substantially cured reaction product of the curable composition has a Young'"'"'s modulus less than about 5 MPa.

21. The curable composition of claim 20, wherein the curable composition comprises a polyether or polyester urethane (meth) acryl ate oligomer, and a monofunctional epoxy acrylate.

22. The curable composition of claim 20, wherein the curable composition includes an optical brightener.

23. The curable composition of claim 20, wherein the curable composition includes an amine synergist.

24. The curable composition of claim 20, wherein the curable composition includes an N-vinyl amide.