Triple-band bend tolerant optical waveguide

• US 7,130,516 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2005
• Issued: 10/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Research & Development Corporation (Corning Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Wu, Junjun, Sykora, Craig R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wood, Kevin S.
• Application Number:
  US11/196,185
• Publication Number:
  US 20060045451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 454 Days
• Field of Search: 385123-128
• US Class Current: 385/128
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/02004 characterised by the core effective area or mode field radius
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/03611 Highest index adjacent to central axis region, e.g. annular core, coaxial ring, centreline depression affecting waveguiding
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/03627 arranged - +

Abstract

An optical waveguide comprises a core, an inner cladding laterally surrounding the core, and an outer cladding laterally surrounding the inner cladding, wherein the core, inner cladding, and outer cladding have a depressed well configuration. The waveguide operates in three or more wavelength bands, wherein a first wavelength band is centered at about 1300 nm, and wherein a second wavelength band is centered at about 1625 nm. The waveguide has bend losses that are less than or equal to 1.0 dB/turn when measured on a 5 mm radius bend at 1625 nm and bend losses that are less than or equal to 1.5 dB/turn when measured on a 5 mm radius bend at 1650 nm.

Claims

1. An optical waveguide comprising:

a) a core having a refractive index n_co and a radius r_co;

b) an inner cladding laterally surrounding the core, the inner cladding having a refractive index n_ic and an outer radius of r_ic;

c) an outer cladding laterally surrounding the inner cladding, the outer cladding having a refractive index n_oc;

d) wherein the core, inner cladding, and outer cladding have a depressed well configuration, wherein n_co>

n_oc>

n_ic, with

e) the range of the ratio of the inner, depressed-well clad radius, r_ic, to core radius, r_co, varying from about 3.0 to 5.0;

f) a +Δ

of about 0.0030 to 0.0036;

g) a −

Δ

of about −

0.0018 to −

0.0012; and

h) a Δ

_Tot of about 0.0048 to 0.0052, wherein said fiber operates in three or more wavelength bands, wherein a first wavelength band is centered at about 1300 nm, and wherein a second wavelength band is centered at about 1625 nm, wherein the waveguide has a glass core and glass claddings, the waveguide further comprising a polymer coating adhered to the outer cladding, wherein the polymer coating comprises a material having a Shore D hardness value of at least 55, and further comprising a soft polymer material coating the polymer coating, wherein the soft polymer material comprises one or more coatings selected from the group of Desolite 3471-3-14, Desolite 3471-1-152A, and Shin-Etsu OF-206.

2. The optical waveguide of claim 1, wherein:

a) the depressed-well clad to core radius ratio is about 3.7 to about 3.8;

b) the +Δ

is about 0.0032;

c) the −

Δ

is about −

0.0017; and

d) the Δ

_Tot is about 0.0049.

3. The optical waveguide of claim 1, wherein the optical waveguide is a single-mode optical fiber.

4. The optical waveguide of claim 1, wherein the core has a diameter of about 9–

12 micrometers.

5. The optical waveguide of claim 1, having an operating wavelength range between about 1300 to 1650 nm and a cabled cutoff wavelength of less than or equal to 1280 nm.

6. The optical waveguide of claim 1, having an MFD between greater than or equal to 9.6 when measured at 1550 nm.

7. The optical waveguide of claim 1, having bend losses less than or equal to 1.0 dB/turn when measured on a 5 mm radius bend at 1625 nm and bend losses that are less than or equal to 1.5 dB/turn when measured on a 5 mm radius bend at 1650 nm.

8. The optical waveguide of claim 1 having bend losses less than or equal to 0.8 dB/turn when measured on a 5 mm radius bend at 1550 nm.

9. The optical waveguide of claim 1, wherein the inner cladding comprises one or more of the following:

fluorosilicate, borosilicate, phosphorus fluorosilicate, phosphorus borosilicate, germanium fluorosilicate or germanium borosilicate composition.

10. An optical device including the optical waveguide of claim 1.