OPTICAL FIBERS BY A HYBRID PROCESS USING SOL-GEL SILICA OVERCLADDING TUBES

Citation
Jb. Macchesney et al., OPTICAL FIBERS BY A HYBRID PROCESS USING SOL-GEL SILICA OVERCLADDING TUBES, Journal of non-crystalline solids, 226(3), 1998, pp. 232-238
Citations number
19
Categorie Soggetti
Material Science, Ceramics
ISSN journal
00223093
Volume
226
Issue
3
Year of publication
1998
Pages
232 - 238
Database
ISI
SICI code
0022-3093(1998)226:3<232:OFBAHP>2.0.ZU;2-I
Abstract
We have successfully developed a sol-gel process to produce large sili ca glass bodies to be used as optical fiber pre form overcladding tube s which meet the demands of optical fiber. We have made and tested tub es weighing approximately 4.5 kg, which comprise about 90% of the even tual fiber's mass. This sol-gel process uses colloidal silica disperse d in high pH water. The sol is cast, gelled by reducing the pH and dri ed to a porous tube. The dried body is heat treated to remove organics , to dehydrate and to purify by removing both refractory oxide particl es and transition metal ions to the parts/billion range and then sinte red to transparency in He. These tubes are competitive with vapor depo sited synthetic silica tubes and produce fiber meeting current commerc ial standards. Net shape formation of large precision glass bodies by gel casting is demonstrated. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.