METHOD OF MANUFACTURING OPTICAL FIBER PREFORM, AND OPTICAL FIBER

摘要

The present invention relates to a preform manufacturing method and others for effectively reducing variation in refractive index due to chlorine used in manufacture of an optical fiber preform. The manufacturing method includes a dechlorination step carried out between a point of an end time of a dehydration step and a point of a start time of a sintering step, the dechlorination step being a step of heating a porous preform after dehydrated, in an atmosphere containing no chlorine-based dehydrating agent, for a given length of time while maintaining a temperature lower than a sintering temperature, thereby removing chlorine from the porous preform after dehydrated.