At&t Bell Laboratories

Dsm N.v.

At+t Corp.

Lucent Technologies Inc.

American Telephone and Telegraph, Co.

Fitel USA Corporation

At&t Bell Laboratories, At&t Technology, Inc.

James R Petisce

Timothy Edward Bishop

Paul Eugene Snowwhite, Jr

David M Szum

Edward P Zahora

Chander P Chawla

George Pasternack

Carl Raymond Taylor

Stephen C Lapin

John T Vandeberg

Lloyd Shepherd

John Michael Turnipseed

Priya L Tabaddor

Joseph M Mon

Daniel Harper, Jr

Candido J Arroyo

Lee L Blyler

John Monroe Zimmerman

Kenneth Wade Jackson

Parbhubhai D Patel

Jim Jenqtsong Sheu

Daryl Inniss

Eva Montgomery

Robert C Moore

Jibing Lin

Gregory A Lochkovic

Darryl L Brownlow

James R Turner

Michael L Pearsall

Theodore L Parker

Anton Kotesky

Paul E Snowwhite, Jr

Optical fiber coatings are disclosed having excellent ribbon stripping and adhesion behavior. The coatings are radiation-curable. The excellent stripping and adhesion behavior can be achieved by several means which include by use of additives, by use of radiation-curable oligomers having higher molecular weight, or by use of coatings having certain thermal properties. Combination of means can be employed. Stripping behavior can be measured by crack propagation and fiber friction measurements.

Radiation-curable optical glass fiber coating compositions, coated optical glass fibers, and optical glass fiber assemblies

A coated fiber strand including at least one heterogeneous region present in one or more coating layers. The heterogeneous region(s) preferably comprises a material useful for coding of the fiber. The optical fiber can include a primary coating layer and a secondary coating layer where the heterogeneous region(s) defines one or more colored stripes in or on the secondary coating layer. A method for forming a coated fiber, such as an optical fiber, includes introducing at least one coating layer onto a fiber strand such that one or more coating layers cover a portion of the surface of the strand. At least one heterogeneous region is introduced into or onto one or more coating layers, and the strand is cured to provide a desired product. A desired functionality, e.g., coding, can thus be introduced onto a fiber without adversely effecting subsequent processing steps, e.g., curing of the coating layer(s).

Methods for making coated fiber strands having one or more heterogeneous regions

A radiation-curable fiber optic coating composition for an inner primary coating includes a coloring agent, preferably a dye or a dye precursor, compatible with the fiber of the fiber optic and capable of imparting a pre-selected color to the inner primary coating, or another coating. The coloring agent can be a reactive dye. Any of the dyes preferably is stabilized by a stabiliser in the colored coating layer, or, preferably, in a more exterior layer.

Radiation-curable composition with simultaneous color formation during cure

Optical fiber primary coating systems are disclosed having excellent ribbon stripping and adhesion behavior. The coatings are radiation-curable. The excellent stripping and adhesion behavior can be inner piramry coating composition having a slip enhancing component and a high modulus outer primary coating composition. Combination of means can be employed. Stripping behavior can be measured by crack propagation and fiber friction measurements.

Radiation-curable, optical fiber primary coating system

Process for preparing uniformly consistent radiation-curable compositions

A coated fiber strand includes one or more coating layers located directly or indirectly on the strand and at least one heterogeneous region present in or on one or more of the coating layer(s). The heterogeneous region(s) preferably comprises a material useful for coding of the fiber. One particularly preferred embodiment relates to an optical fiber having a primary coating layer and a secondary coating layer where the heterogeneous region(s) defines one or more colored stripes in or on the secondary coating layer. A method for forming a coated fiber, such as an optical fiber, includes introducing at least one coating layer onto a fiber strand such that one or more coating layers directly or indirectly cover at least a portion of the surface of the strand. The method further includes introducing at least one heterogeneous region into or onto a coating layer(s). The fiber can then be treated, e.g., cured so as to provide a desired product. By this method, a desired functionality, e.g., coding, can be introduced onto a fiber without adversely effecting subsequent processing steps, e.g., curing of the coating layer(s).

Coated fiber strands having one or more heterogeneous regions and methods of making the same

Optical fiber primary coating systems are disclosed having excellent ribbon stripping and adhesion behavior. The coatings are radiation-curable. The excellent stripping and adhesion behavior can be inner primary coating composition having a slip enhancing component and a high modulus outer primary coating composition. Combination of means can be employed. Stripping behavior can be measured by crack propagation and fiber friction measurements.

Radiation-curable optical fiber primary coating system

Provided is a radiation-curable, optical glass fiber coating composition containing at least one radiation-curable oligomer or monomer, and at least one chromophoric indicator selected so as to be susceptible to destruction of its chromophoric characteristic upon exposure to radiation and present in an amount which becomes substantially colorless when exposed to a level of radiation sufficient to cure said radiation-curable, optical glass fiber coating composition, wherein said at least one chromophoric indicator has a color which is distinguishable from a base color of said radiation-curable, optical glass fiber coating composition in cured form. The invention also provides a method of making the coating composition. The invention further provides a coated optical glass fiber and a method of making a coated optical glass on a fiber drawing tower. Also provided is a cable and telecommunications system.

Radiation-curable, optical glass fiber coating composition and optical

A radiation-curable, cross-linked ribbon matrix material is suitable for covering an array of coated optical glass fibers. The matrix material contains at least one radiation-curable oligomer or monomer, and at least one chromophoric indicator selected so as to be susceptible to destruction of its chromophoric characteristic upon exposure to radiation and present in an amount which becomes substantially colorless when exposed to a level of radiation sufficient to cure the radiation-curable matrix material, wherein the at least one chromophoric indicator has a color that is distinguishable from a base color of the radiation-curable, optical glass fiber coating composition in cured form. A cable structure and a telecommunications system are also described.

Radiation-curable cross-linked ribbon matrix material for bonding an

This invention provides a method of increasing adhesion of radiation-cured, inner primary coatings on glass optical fibers. A glass optical fiber drawing tower has a controllable variable amperage electron beam for exposing different sections of a glass optical fiber with different amperage levels of electron beam radiation. The different sections of the glass optical fiber after being exposed to the selected amperage levels of electron beam radiation are then coated with an inner primary coating composition which is finally cured by exposure to actinic radiation. Later formed sections of the same glass optical fiber can be exposed to different amperage levels of electron beam radiation and then coated and cured. The different sections of the glass optical fiber which have been coated with an inner primary coating using this method demonstrate correspondingly different degrees of coating adhesion. Reduced levels of adhesion promoter are required for inner primary coating compositions when using this method.

Method for increasing adhesion between a coating and an optical glass

In accordance with the present invention, an annular insulating core member is formed from an elastomeric material surrounding a plurality of optical fibers and maintaining the group of fibers in a predetermined configuration relative to each other. More specifically, the elastomeric material is characterized by its modulus at room temperature and its bonding to each color identified optical fiber being such as to hold together said fiber configuration while allowing interfiber movement and to facilitate the exposure of the individual optical fibers upon the application of peeling forces between the elastomeric material and an optical fiber without obfuscating the color identification of the optical fibers while providing suitable mechanical properties to maintain the integrity of the fiber configuration. Additionally, the insulating core member may be incorporated into a communication cable by enclosing the core member into a sheath system with an associated strength member. For applications with high strength demands, such as undersea environments, the cable strength members may include a central elongated filament and plural layers of stranded steel wires separated from the central filament by the annular insulating core member, in which the optical fibers are embedded. Furthermore, a metallic tubular jacket preferably surrounds the stranded steel layers to provide both a DC path for powering the optical repeaters and a hermetic moisture barrier for the fibers.

Optical fiber cable and core

Growing community of inventors

Norcross, GA, United States of America

James R Petisce