摘要 |
This invention is a method for making at least one silica-based optical waveguide glass fiber having a dopant-induced core-cladding waveguiding structure. In the interest of reducing the effect on tensile strength of flame processing of a silica-based optical fiber waveguide, such processing is by a method in which a significant flow of oxygen surrounds a flame produced by combustion of hydrogen, deuterium, ammonia, or deuterated ammonia. Flame processing may be for purposes such as, e.g., fiber drawing, fiber fusing for the sake of lateral coupling, refractive index modification by the diffusion of dopants, and fiber splicing in the manufacture of long lengths of fiber. Even though there is no use of chlorine, at least 80 percent of spliced fibers have a tensile strength greater than or equal to 500 kpsi (3.45 GPa) as is desirable in optical fiber cable manufacture. |