Standard Telephones & Cables Limited

Standard Telephone & Cables

Michael G Scott

An optical fibre is provided with a coating by coating the fibre (1) with a coating material (4) on-line with the fibre drawing process (2) and employing a laser beam (6) to locally heat the coating material whereby to change its physical or chemical properties. Metallic glass coated fibres, useful for hermeticity and sensor applications, can thus be achieved in multikilometer lengths by fusing metallic glass forming alloy coatings to a fibre. Alternatively, polymer coatings may be cured by laser beam local heating.

Metallic-glass coated optical fibres

Infrared optical fibres are provided with hermetic coatings (6) by decomposition or reaction of volatile compounds of the coating material at the surface of the fibre. Materials having melting points greater than the fibre's glass transition temperatures may thus be applied at temperatures lower than the glass transition temperatures. The fibre (1) may be sufficiently hot from a preceding fibre formation (2,3) process in line with the coating process to enable the decomposition or reaction, or additional heating of the fibre by radiation may be necessary in the reaction chamber (7).

Growing community of inventors

Safron Walden, United Kingdom

Michael G Scott