Method of applying a precursor to an assembled fiber bundle and fusing the bundle together
US6397636B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 20, 1999 |
| Grant date | Jun 4, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 20, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B6/2856
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Optical fiber bundles having high optical throughput can be produced with relatively high yield if gaps between fibers are eliminated by application of a particle-containing glass precursor material, exemplarily fumed silica in an aqueous medium. Manufacture of optical fiber bundles that comprise two or more fibers that each comprise a substantially planar surface (with the planar surfaces facing each other) is improved by application of a particle-free glass precursor material, e.g., partially hydrolysed tetramethyl orthosilicate, to the fiber bundle. After drying of the applied glass precursor material the fiber bundle is heated to fuse the fibers together.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.