CN-117396447-B - Multi-core optical fiber based on blank rod and forming method

Abstract

An optical fiber manufacturing method includes installing a glass sleeve in a selective etching apparatus. The sleeve includes one or more axial through holes, and the etching apparatus includes a first end cap having a central aperture disposed therethrough, the first end cap being attached to the first surface of the sleeve. The method further includes exposing the sleeve to an acid solution such that a first portion of the first surface is exposed to the acid solution and a second portion of the first surface is not exposed to the acid solution. The first portion is adjacent the central aperture when the sleeve is installed in the selective etching apparatus and the second portion is covered by the first end cap when the sleeve is installed in the selective etching apparatus.

Inventors

• R.R. Herapacon
• MCDERMOTT MARK A
• M. A. tagle
• R. YuFlores

Assignees

• 康宁股份有限公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20220513

Priority Date

20210521

Claims (20)

1. 1. A method of manufacturing an optical fiber, the method comprising: the glass sleeve is installed in a selective etching apparatus, The sleeve comprising one or more axial through holes, and The etching apparatus includes a first end cap having a central aperture disposed therethrough, the first end cap attached to a first surface of the sleeve, and Exposing the sleeve to an acid solution such that a first portion of the first surface is exposed to the acid solution and a second portion of the first surface is not exposed to the acid solution, wherein exposing the sleeve to the acid solution forms a recessed depression in the first portion of the sleeve; the first portion is adjacent the central aperture when the sleeve is installed in the selective etching apparatus, and The second portion is covered by the first end cap when the sleeve is installed in the selective etching apparatus.
2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the recess is surrounded by a raised lip of the sleeve, the raised lip being the second portion of the sleeve.
3. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising inserting a glass cane core into each of the one or more axial through holes.
4. 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising a gap between the cane core and the axial through bore, the gap having a diameter of 1 mm or less.
5. 5. The method of claim 3, further comprising attaching a sleeve into which the cane core is inserted to the glass handle and the glass nose cone to form the assembly.
6. 6. The method of claim 5, the fitting comprising an internal channel formed by a recess.
7. 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising exposing the fitting to a vacuum sealing process, wherein the vacuum system creates a vacuum draw through the passageway.
8. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the vacuum sealing process is performed in a draw tower furnace.
9. 9. The method of claim 7, further comprising simultaneously drawing the optical fiber from the fitting while exposing the fitting to the vacuum sealing process.
10. 10. The method of any one of claims 1-9, wherein the recess has a depth of 40 microns or greater.
11. 11. The method of any one of claims 1-9, wherein the recess has a depth of 10 mm or less.
12. 12. The method of any one of claims 1-9, wherein the recess has a depth ranging from 40 microns to 5 mm.
13. 13. The method of any one of claims 1-9, further comprising forming a second recess on the second surface of the sleeve.
14. 14. The method of any one of claims 1-9, wherein the acid solution comprises hydrofluoric acid.
15. 15. A method of manufacturing an optical fiber, the method comprising: Forming a recessed depression on a first surface of a glass sleeve, the recessed depression being surrounded by a raised lip of the sleeve, and the sleeve comprising one or more axial through holes; inserting a glass cane core into each axial through hole, and The sleeve is vacuum sealed with one or more additional glass components to form the assembly.
16. 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising simultaneously vacuum sealing the sleeve to form the fitting while drawing the fitting to form the optical fiber.
17. 17. The method of claim 15, further comprising vacuum sealing the sleeve in a draw tower furnace.
18. 18. The method of any one of claims 15-17, wherein the recess has a depth of 40 microns or greater.
19. 19. The method of any one of claims 15-17, wherein the recess has a depth of 10 mm or less.
20. 20. The method of any one of claims 15-17, wherein the recess has a depth ranging from 40 microns to 5mm.

Description

Multi-core optical fiber based on blank rod and forming method The present application claims the benefit of priority from U.S. provisional patent application serial No. 63/191,543 filed at 2021, 5, 21, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Technical Field The present disclosure relates generally to a cane-based multi-core optical fiber, and more particularly, to a method of forming a cane-based multi-core optical fiber using a vacuum-based method. Background Multi-core optical fibers increase transmission capacity in communication systems over single-core optical fibers. In a multi-core optical fiber, multiple cores are surrounded by a single cladding so that light propagates through each core. An all-glass process can be used to make multi-core optical fibers using a bulk cladding glass with one or more precision-formed axial holes. Each hole accommodates a cane, and the cane forms the core of a multi-core optical fiber. The all-glass process is preferred over deposition-based processes, such as Outside Vapor Deposition (OVD), that involve soot layering, sintering, and consolidation to convert soot to glass. With the all-glass process, the clad glass can be precisely ground to a selected diameter, which provides both precision and flexibility in the various pitches, shapes, and arrangement of the one or more axial holes when forming the glass preform. However, the all-glass process is expensive and time consuming. During precision hole drilling, the preform or preforms need to be formed to define a selected refractive index profile and then applied to the clad glass, and the entire structure needs to be consolidated in a furnace to form a solid glass preform. To make a sufficiently long glass preform, it may be necessary to axially join separate glass cladding sections, which involves precise alignment of the axial holes. The consolidation process typically requires special support fixtures to hold the glass clad segments and the cane in a consolidation furnace to form the resulting solid glass preform. The solid glass preform must then be removed from the support fixture so that it can be moved from the consolidation furnace to the draw furnace to draw the preform into an optical fiber. Disclosure of Invention Typical all-glass processes are not only accomplished using a large number of resources, but are also very time consuming. More specifically, the entire process takes about two days to allow the coated glass to cool completely between each step. And, the process involves a large number of steps. Embodiments of the present disclosure reduce the number of steps and resources involved in producing optical fibers from coated glass. For example, embodiments of the present disclosure reduce the number of steps so that the entire process can be performed throughout a day. Also, embodiments of the present disclosure do not require separate consolidation and draw tower furnaces. Thus, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a more economical and resource-efficient process for producing optical fibers than typical processes. Exemplary solutions to this object are described in the independent claims. Various embodiments are defined in the dependent claims. Aspects of the present disclosure include methods of optical fiber fabrication. The method includes installing a glass sleeve in a selective etching apparatus, the sleeve including one or more axial through holes and the etching apparatus including a first end cap having a central aperture disposed therethrough, the first end cap attached to a first surface of the sleeve. The method further includes exposing the sleeve to an acid solution such that a first portion of the first surface is exposed to the acid solution and a second portion of the first surface is not exposed to the acid solution. The first portion is adjacent the central aperture when the sleeve is installed in the selective etching apparatus and the second portion is covered by the first end cap when the sleeve is installed in the selective etching apparatus. Aspects of the present disclosure include methods of optical fiber fabrication. The method includes forming a recessed depression in a first surface of the glass sleeve, the recessed depression (concave recess) being surrounded by a raised lip of the sleeve, and the sleeve including one or more axial through-holes. The method further includes inserting a glass cane core into each axial through bore and vacuum sealing the sleeve with one or more additional glass components to form an assembly. Aspects of the present disclosure include methods of optical fiber fabrication. The method includes inserting a glass cane core into an axial through bore in a glass sleeve and simultaneously vacuum sealing the sleeve with one or more additional glass components to form an assembly while drawing the assembly to form an optical fiber. Although a number of different embodiments are listed, the embodiments