Coating of fiber lightguides with UV cured polymerization

• US RE33,677 E
• Filed: 07/17/1989
• Issued: 08/27/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hargovind N. Vazirani
• Original Assignee: Hargovind N. Vazirani
• Inventors: Vazirani, Hargovind N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John D.
• Application Number:
  US07/380,755
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 204/157.63, 204/180.6, 350/96.30, 350/96.31, 350/96.33, 350/96.34, 350/320, 350/96.29, 427/54.1, 427/162, 427/163, 427/169
• US Class Current: 385/123
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/18 performed by dipping
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 3/067 Curing or cross-linking the coating
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 7/20 to wires for insulating electric cables H01B13/16
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 25/106 Single coatings
• 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

Glass fiber lightguides require polymer coatings for protection. A new coating system comprising an acrylate-epoxy polymer that is UV curved is convenient to apply and gives excellent strength and durability to fiber lightguides.

Claims

1. An optical fiber waveguide comprising a glass fiber and a polymer coating the fiber, the invention characterized in that the polymer coating comprises the polymerization product of a prepolymer mixture resulting from reacting acrylic acid with a 0.4 to 1.0 weight ratio mixture of aliphatic diglycidyl ether to aromatic diglycidyl ether, and further characterized in that the polymerization product contains a UV sensitizer in order to cure said prepolymer mixture with ultra violet light. light.

2. The waveguide of claim 1 in which the aliphatic ether is 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether.

3. The waveguide of claim 2 in which the aromatic ether is diglycidyl ether of halogenated bisphenol A.

4. The waveguide of claim 1 in which the polymerization product additionally contains a silane or titanate coupling agent. .Iadd.

5. Optical fiber waveguide comprising a glass optical fiber having a continuous flexible adherent cured coating on the surface of said fiber said coating formed by immersing said fiber in a bath of liquid radiation curable material thus coating said fiber with said material and passing said coated optical fiber through a die and thereafter exposing said coated optical fiber to UV radiation for a time sufficient to cure said coating on said fiber. .Iaddend. .Iadd.

6. An optical fiber waveguide suitable for optical communication comprising a glass fiber and a polymer coating characterized in that said polymer coating comprises 1) the polymerization product of a UV curable polymer and 2) a UV sensitizer wherein said polymerization is induced by UV light. .Iaddend.