Patent · US Expired

Process for making optical fibers from core and cladding glass rods

US5879426A · kind A · utility

14Cited by
7References
9Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 12, 1996
Grant dateMar 9, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 12, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC C)Chemistry; Metallurgy
  • CPC primaryC03B2201/86
  • WIPO fieldOther special machines
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

A core/clad glass optical fiber is made by melting a core glass rod and a adding glass rod in separate crucibles which are not intersecting with respect to each other and the respective core and cladding glass melts passed out of contact with each other to a glass melt contacting zone proximate a fiber drawing orifice in which the cladding glass surrounds the core glass and a core/clad glass fiber is drawn. This process enables the clad glass fiber to be drawn directly from core and cladding glass rods without the need for a preform or forming a melt from glass chards or chunks, thereby reducing the cost of producing the fiber and also producing a glass clad optical fiber of high purity and excellent concentricity. Chalcogenide glass fibers having a concentricity of 100% have been made.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.