| 摘要 |
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for producing an optical fiber applicable even when a material having low chemical and heat resistances, e.g. a transparent resin is used as a core material by subjecting a gelatinous compd. of silica to supercritical drying and sticking the resultant silica aerogel made of a porous skeleton of silica as a cladding material to the surface of a core to form a cladding layer. SOLUTION: A gelatinous compd. of silica obtd. by using alkoxysilane, water glass, etc., as starting materials is subjected to supercritical drying and treatment for imparting hydrophobic property to produce hydrophobic silica aerogel made of a porous skeleton of silica and having a refractive index of 1.008-1.18. The silica aerogel is stuck as a cladding material to the surface of a core 2 in severalμm thickness to form a cladding layer 1 and the objective optical fiber is obtd. The aerogel may be stuck by an electrostatic process using static electricity. In this case, the aerogel is preferably used in the form of powder having about severalμm to several mm diameter. |
