An optical fiber includes: a core; and a cladding layer disposed on an outer circumference of the core. A Cl concentration in the cladding layer is 0.029 wt % to 0.098 wt %. In the optical fiber, Δ2−Δ1≤0 dB/km is satisfied at a wavelength of 430 nm where Δ1 is a value of transmission loss before exposure of the optical fiber to hydrogen and Δ2 is a value of transmission loss after the exposure.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a preform for optical fibers, which method comprises the sequential steps of: i) deposition of non-vitrified silica layers on the inner surface of a hollow substrate tube; ii) deposition of vitrified silica layers inside the hollow substrate tube on the inner surface of the non-vitrified silica layers deposited in step i); iii) removal of the hollow substrate tube from the vitrified silica layers deposited in step ii) and the non-vitrified silica layers deposited in step i) to obtain a deposited tube; iv) optional collapsing said deposited tube obtained in step iii) to obtain a deposited rod comprising from the periphery to the center at least one inner optical cladding and an optical core; v) preparation of an intermediate layer by the steps of: * deposition of non-vitrified silica layers on the outside surface of the deposited tube obtained in step iii) or deposited rod obtained in step iv) with a flame hydrolysis process in an outer reaction zone using glass-forming precursors, and subsequently; * drying and consolidating said non-vitrified silica layers into a vitrified fluorine-doped silica intermediate cladding layer; and * in case preceding step iv) was omitted collapsing; to provide a solid rod comprising from the periphery to the center the intermediate layer, at least one inner optical cladding and an optical core; wherein a fluorine-comprising gas is used during the deposition and/or drying and/or consolidating and wherein the intermediate layer has a ratio between the outer diameter of the intermediate cladding layer (C) to the outer diameter of the optical core (A) that is at least 3.5; vi) deposition of natural silica on the outside surface of the intermediate cladding layer of the solid rod obtained in step v) by melting natural silica particles in an outer deposition zone to produce an outer cladding whereby a preform is obtained.

A photodarkening-resistant ytterbium-doped quartz optical fiber and a method for prpearing such a fiber are provided. Glass of a photodarkening-resistant ytterbium-doped quartz optical fiber core rod includes at least Yb.sub.2O.sub.3, Al.sub.2O.sub.3, P.sub.2O.sub.5, SiO.sub.2. The proportions of Yb.sub.2O.sub.3, Al.sub.2O.sub.3, and P.sub.2O.sub.5 in the entire substance are Yb.sub.2O.sub.3: 0.05-0.3 mol %, Al.sub.2O.sub.3: 1-3 mol %, and P.sub.2O.sub.5: 1-5 mol %, respectively. In the preparation method for the photodarkening-resistant ytterbium-doped quartz optical fiber, a sol-gel method and an improved chemical vapor deposition method are combined. By using the molecular-level doping uniformity and the low preparation loss thereof respectively, ytterbium ions, aluminum ions and phosphorus ions are effectively doped in a quartz matrix, thereby effectively solving the problems in the optical fiber of high loss, photodarkening caused by cluster or the like, and a central refractive index dip.

A sintering apparatus comprising: a furnace core tube containing a porous glass base material for optical fiber whose longitudinal direction is along the axial direction; and a multi-stage heater in which two or more heaters surround the furnace core tube and are arranged in the axial direction of the furnace core tube to form a heating area in the furnace core tube, is used. The sintering method includes a step in which the base material is heated in the heating area to perform a first dehydration process; and a step in which the base material is moved so that the position in the longitudinal direction of the base material where the dehydration was identified as the most insufficient, is at the position in the axial direction of the furnace core tube where the temperature is highest in the heating area, and then a second dehydration process is performed.

A system and methods are described herein for preheating a preform in a preheater furnace and then transferring the preheated preform to a consolidation furnace for chemical treatment and sintering the preform into a clear glass which can be drawn into optical fiber. In addition, the preheater furnace is described herein which is configured to heat the preform per a predetermined heat-profile until the preform is uniformly heated to a temperature above 1000° C.

A system and methods are described herein for preheating a preform in a preheater furnace and then transferring the preheated preform to a consolidation furnace for chemical treatment and sintering the preform into a clear glass which can be drawn into optical fiber. In addition, the preheater furnace is described herein which is configured to heat the preform per a predetermined heat-profile until the preform is uniformly heated to a temperature above 1000° C.

The present application provides a process of fabrication of erbium and ytterbium-co-doped multielements silica glass based cladding-pumped fiber for use as a highly efficient high power optical amplifier.

A single mode optical fiber including a core region doped with an alkali metal. The optical fiber has a total attenuation at 1550 nm of about 0.155 dB/km or less such that extrinsic absorption in the optical fiber contributes to 0.004 dB/km or less of the total attenuation

The present disclosure provides a method for fabrication of an optical fibre soot preform. The method includes production of silicon dioxide particles along with waste particulates. The silicon dioxide particles are produced using a precursor material in a combustion chamber. In addition, the method includes cooling of the silicon dioxide particles. Further, the method includes agglomeration of the silicon dioxide particles. Furthermore, the method includes separation of the waste particulates from the silicon dioxide particles. Moreover, the method includes dehydration of the silicon dioxide particles. Also, the method includes compaction of the silicon dioxide particles. The compaction of the silicon dioxide particles facilitates fabrication of the optical fibre soot preform.

A photodarkening-resistant ytterbium-doped quartz optical fiber and a method for preparing such a fiber are provided. Glass of a photodarkening-resistant ytterbium-doped quartz optical fiber core rod includes at least Yb.sub.2O.sub.3, Al.sub.2O.sub.3, P.sub.2O.sub.5, SiO.sub.2. The proportions of Yb.sub.2O.sub.3, Al.sub.2O.sub.3, and P.sub.2O.sub.5 in the entire substance are Yb.sub.2O.sub.3: 0.05-0.3 mol %, Al.sub.2O.sub.3: 1-3 mol %, and P.sub.2O.sub.5: 1-5 mol %, respectively. In the preparation method for the photodarkening-resistant ytterbium-doped quartz optical fiber, a sol-gel method and an improved chemical vapor deposition method are combined. By using the molecular-level doping uniformity and the low preparation loss thereof respectively, ytterbium ions, aluminum ions and phosphorus ions are effectively doped in a quartz matrix, thereby effectively solving the problems in the optical fiber of high loss, photodarkening caused by cluster or the like, and a central refractive index dip.