Bell Telephone Laboratories

At&t Bell Laboratories

American Telephone & Telegraph Co., At&t Bell Laboratories

Paul B O'Connor

John Burnette MacChesney

Arthur D Pearson

Paul Joseph Lemaire

Sandra Greenberg Kosinski

James W Fleming, Jr

Miles Vincent Sullivan

A preform for fabrication of a glass fiber optical transmission line is prepared by chemical reaction of vapor ingredients within a glass tube. Reaction, which may be between chlorides or hydrides of, for example, silicon and germanium with oxygen, occurs preferentially within a constantly traversing hot zone. Flow rates and temperature are sufficient to result in glass formation in the form of particulate matter on the inner surface of the tube. The particulate matter deposits on the tube and is fused with each passage of the hot zone. Continuous rotation of the tube during processing permits attainment of higher temperatures within the heated zone without distortion of the tube.

Optical fiber fabrication and resulting product

A preform for fabrication of a glass fiber optical transmission line is prepared by chemical reaction of vapor ingredients within a glass tube. Reaction, which may be between chlorides or hydrides of, for example, silicon and germanium with oxygen, occurs preferentially within a constantly traversing hot zone. Flow rates and temperature are sufficient to result in glass formation in the form of particulate matter on the inner surface of the tube. This particulate matter deposits on the tube and is fused with each passage of the hot zone. Continuous rotation of the tube during processing permits attainment of higher temperatures within the heated zone without distortion of the tube.

Optical fiber fabrication method

The time required to collapse an OH-rich silica tube can be reduced significantly by subjecting the tube to a deuterium/hydrogen exchange prior to its collapse.

Optical fiber preform manufacturing method

Iron oxide films for 'see-through' photomasks are deposited upon heated substrates by chemical vapor deposition from iron pentacarbonyl in the presence of oxygen. The solubility of the iron oxide film is found to be higher, the lower the temperature of the substrate during deposition. At temperatures below 160 degrees C., films are obtained which can be patterned at reasonable rates by photolithographic procedures using conventional mild etchants.

Technique for the fabrication of an iron oxide mask

Optical fiber fabrication

Optical fiber preforms are produced by means of a duplex hot zone, a section of which is defined by an r.f. generated plasma fire ball. The process operates within a tube with gaseous precursor material reacting within the hot zone to result in deposited material of the desired preform glass composition. A 'smoothing' region within the hot zone is defined by tube surface at a temperature sufficiently elevated to consolidate any particulate material resulting from reaction. In some aspects, the disclosed procedures may be regarded as Modified Chemical Vapor Deposition. Commercial significance resides in significantly increased throughput of preforms and, consequently, in fiber.

Optical fiber fabrication by a plasma generator

An optical fiber fabrication method and apparatus are described which are capable of producing reproducible and uniform layers of fiber quality glass. The formation of a saturated stream of glass precursor vapor by condensation allows for the delivery of calibrated predetermined quantities of vapor to an appropriate fiber fabrication apparatus, thereby permitting improved fabrication characteristics.

Optical fiber fabrication method and apparatus

Glass tubes which form an integral part of optical fiber preforms from which optical fibers are drawn are fabricated from tubular structures comprising amorphous powdery particles. The tubular structures are heated so as to fuse the particles thereby yielding a transparent tubular glass structure of optical fiber quality. During the fusing step, the structure is substantially constrained against shrinkage in both the radial and longitudinal direction thereby yielding a glass tube with improved dimensional characteristics.

Growing community of inventors

Plainfield, NJ, United States of America

Paul B O'Connor