3M Innovative Properties Company

Lawrence J Donalds

Craig R Schardt

Mark T Anderson

James Robert Onstott

Alessandra O Chiareli

Craig R Sykora

A fusion splice including a first optical fiber having a first MFD and a first MFD expansion rate. The splice further includes a second fiber having a second MFD and a second MFD expansion rate, wherein the second MFD is lower than the first MFD. The second fiber comprises a core, a cladding radially surrounding the core, and a zone of high-concentration of fluorine between the core and the cladding. The rate of MFD expansion of the first fiber is less than the rate of MFD expansion of the second fiber during the fusion splicing operation.

Optical fiber fusion splice having a controlled mode field diameter expansion match

An optical article including a core; at least one cladding layer; and a narrow fluorine reservoir between the core and the cladding layer. The fluorine reservoir has a higher concentration of fluorine than either the cladding layer or the core. One particular embodiment includes a core including a halide-doped silicate glass that comprises approximately the following in cation-plus-halide mole percent 0.25-5 mol % Al O , 0.05-1.5 mol % La O , 0.0005-0.75 mol % Er O , 0.5-6 mol % F, 0-1 mol % Cl.

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Mahtomedi, MN, United States of America

Lawrence J Donalds