METHOD OF MANUFACTURING MULTI-SEGMENTED OPTICAL FIBER AND PREFORM

摘要

A method for manufacturing optical fiber preform and fiber. According to the method, a core cane segment is formed with a refractive index delta preferably between 0.2% and 3% that is most preferably formed by an OVD method. A sleeve is formed including at least one down-doped moat preferably having a refractive index delta between -0.1% and -1.2% and at least one up-doped ring preferably having a refractive index delta between 0.1% and 1.2%. The sleeve is formed by introducing glass precursor and dopant compounds into a cavity of a preferably silica glass tube (e.g., one of an MCVD and PCVD method). The core cane segment is inserted into the sleeve and the sleeve is collapsed onto the core cane segment to form a core-sleeve assembly. The core-sleeve assembly is again drawn into a cane and additional cladding is preferably formed thereon. Optical fiber may be drawn from the preform in a conventional draw apparatus. According to another embodiment, the method of manufacturing a multi-segment optical fiber preform comprising the steps of forming a core cane including a first up-doped portion and a down-doped portion, forming a sleeve on an inside of a tube including a second up-doped portion, inserting the core cane into the sleeve, and collapsing the sleeve around the core cane to form a cane-sleeve assembly.