The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 30, 1988
Filed:
Dec. 11, 1986
James W Fleming, Fanwood, NJ (US);
Sandra A Pardenek, Westfield, NJ (US);
American Telephone & Telegraph Co., AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ (US);
Abstract
The disclosed simple, economical and rapid sol-gel process for forming a silica-based glass body, termed the 'vapogel' process, comprises introduction of a silicon halide-containing gas (e.g., SiCl.sub.4 +O.sub.2) into an aqueous medium. The thus formed sol can gel within minutes, resulting in a monolithic gel from which particles having a narrow size distribution can easily be formed. The thus formed particles can be used to produce a glass body such as an optical fiber. Various techniques for forming the glass body from the gel are disclosed. Among the many advantages of the vapogel method are its ability to produce very homogeneous mixed oxide glasses of composition not obtainable by prior art sol-gel processes, and the advantageous mechanical properties of the gel produced by the method. The latter makes possible, inter alia, formation of particles having a relatively narrow size distribution.