Sol-gel doping of optical fiber preform
US5123940A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 12, 1991 |
| Grant date | Jun 23, 1992 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 12, 2011 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S65/901
- WIPO fieldMaterials, metallurgy
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
The method includes collapsing a silica-based glass tube to make a preform and drawing fiber from the preform. Prior to collapsing the tube, one or more glass layers are formed on the inner surface of the tube by dip-coating the surface with a sol comprising a metal alkoxide dissolved in an alcoholic or aqueous solvent, polymerizing the sol to form a gel, and drying and sintering the gel. A substantial portion the dopant, present within the sintered gel, diffuses into at least one adjoining glass region. A wide selection of dopant materials, in the form of salts or alkoxides, are readily incorporated by dissolving them in the solvent.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.