Corning Incorporated

Corning Glass Works

Alan J Morrow

Daniel Aloysius Nolan

George Edward Berkey

Venkata Adiseshaiah Bhagavatula

Robert Adam Modavis

Mark A Newhouse

Kenneth Henry Sandhage

Donald B Keck

Yanming Liu

Peter C Jones

Alan C Bailey

John W Gilliland

William James Miller

Richard S Roth

Donald R Young, Jr

Norman W Carpenter

A single-mode optical waveguide fiber designed to limit power penalty due to four wave mixing and a method of making the waveguide is disclosed. Variations in properties, e.g., radius or refractive index, of the waveguide fiber core provide a total dispersion which varies along the length of the waveguide. The algebraic sum of products of length times total dispersion is controlled to a pre-selected value for each waveguide fiber which makes up a system link Proper choice of total dispersion variation magnitude and sub-length results in a system link wherein a signal travels only short distances in waveguide portions having total dispersion near zero. However, the variation of the total dispersion provides a system link which has a pre-selected dispersive effect on the signal over a selected wavelength range. The dispersive effect on the signal can be chosen to be essentially zero. A number of techniques for fabricating DM fiber are also disclosed.

Dispersion managed optical waveguide

A device for adding and/or dropping a signal to a transmission line. First and second optical circulators are connected by at least one switchable grating reflector, whereby a grating reflector can be switched into or out of the connecting path between the two circulators. A plurality of optical signals, each centered about a different wavelength, is coupled to a first port of the first circulator; these signals appear at the second port thereof. If a grating reflector capable of reflecting .lambda..sub.i is switched into the circuit, the signal centered about .lambda..sub.i propagates from the second port of the first circulator and reflects from the grating reflector back into the second port and out of the third port. The remainder of the input signals that are not reflected by grating reflectors propagate into the first port and from the second port of the second circulator as an output thereof. Also, a signal at wavelength .lambda..sub.i input to the third port of the second circulator propagates from the first port to the grating reflector where it reflects back to the second circulator and appears at the second port as an output thereof.

Switchable wavelength add/drop component

A single-mode optical waveguide fiber designed to limit power penalty due to four wave mixing and a method of making the waveguide is disclosed. Variations in properties, e.g., radius or refractive index, of the waveguide fiber core provide a total dispersion which varies along the length of the waveguide. The algebraic sum of products of length times total dispersion is controlled to a pre-selected value for each waveguide fiber which makes up a system link. Proper choice of total dispersion variation magnitude and sub-length results in a system link wherein a signal travels only short distances in waveguide portions having total dispersion near zero. However, the variation of the total dispersion provides a system link which has a pre-selected dispersive effect on the signal over a selected wavelength range. The dispersive effect on the signal can be chosen to be essentially zero. A number of techniques for fabricating DM fiber are also disclosed.

A radiation resistant optical waveguide fiber doped with fluorine or drawn with low tension in the fiber. The fluorine doping is substantially constant across the core and a portion of the clad adjacent the core. The concentration of the fluorine is in the range of about 0.3 to 3.0 weight percent. The draw tension is less than or equal to about 5 grams (40 dynes/cm.sup.2) to achieve optimum radiation resistance. A synergy is found when fluorine and low draw tension are applied to a fiber. Improvement in radiation resistance is largely independent of fiber type and geometry. Further improvement in radiation resistance is found when germanium is doped in a portion of the clad adjacent the core.

Radiation resistant optical waveguide fiber

Radiation resistant optical waveguide fiber and method of making same

Disclosed is a method of forming a glass tube doped with boron and fluorine. A B.sub.2 O.sub.3 -doped tubular porous preform is heated, and a fluorine-containing gas is flowed into its aperture. The temperature is sufficiently high to cause the fluorine-containing gas to decompose and form fluorine which dopes the preform. Also flowed into the aperture is a sufficient amount of BF.sub.3 to prevent fluorine from reacting with the B.sub.2 O.sub.3 in the porous preform and forming a B.sub.2 O.sub.3 -depleted region near the aperture surface. The particles are then fused to form a fluorine-containing dense glass tube.

Method of making fluorine/boron doped silica tubes

An apparatus for selectively transmitting input optical signals carried on input optical fibers to output optical fibers. A three refractive index tapered wave guide structure is bent and maintained in the bent state. This structure is, thereafter, rotated in the bent state. The coupling characteristics are tunable based on the degree of rotation.

Rotary variable optical tap

Solid glass articles are made by the flame hydrolysis technique. A thin stratum of low viscosity glass soot is applied to the surface of a mandrel. First and second coatings of glass soot are deposited on the surface of the thin stratum to form a porous preform. The refractive index of the soot particles of the first coating is greater than that of the soot of the second coating, and the soot of the first coating has a viscosity lower than that of the second coating. The mandrel is removed, and the soot preform is subjected to a high temperature whereby it is consolidated to form a dense glass blank. The glass surface tension and the relative viscosities of the inner and outer portions of the preform cause the aperture to close during the consolidation process. The thin stratum, which preferably includes P.sub.2 O.sub.5, smoothes over the damage caused by removing the mandrel and reduces or even eliminates seed formation at the axis of the resultant glass blank. The blank is heated and drawn into an optical fiber.

Low viscosity core glass optical fiber

A method of making solid glass articles by the flame hydrolysis technique. A thin stratum of low viscosity glass soot is applied to the surface of a mandrel. First and second coatings of glass soot are deposited on the surface of the thin stratum to form a porous preform. The refractive index of the soot particles of the first coating is greater than that of the soot of the second coating, and the soot of the first coating has a viscosity lower than that of the second coating. The mandrel is removed, and the soot preform is subjected to a high temperature whereby it is consolidated to form a dense glass blank. The glass surface tension and the relative viscosities of the inner and outer portions of the preform cause the aperture to close during the consolidation process. The thin stratum, which preferably includes P.sub.2 O.sub.5, smoothes over the damage caused by removing the mandrel and reduces or even eliminates seed formation at the axis of the resultant glass blank. The blank may be heated and drawn into a filament, or it may be sliced into optical windows, lenses or the like.

Growing community of inventors

Elmira, NY, United States of America

Alan J Morrow