A method of forming an optical element is provided. The method includes producing silica-based soot particles using chemical vapor deposition, the silica-based soot particles having an average particle size of between about 0.05 μm and about 0.25 μm. The method also includes forming a soot compact from the silica-based soot particles and doping the soot compact with a halogen in a closed system by contacting the silica-based soot compact with a halogencontaining gas in the closed system at a temperature of less than about 1200° C.

A method of forming an optical element is provided. The method includes producing silica-based soot particles using chemical vapor deposition, the silica-based soot particles having an average particle size of between about 0.05 μm and about 0.25 μm. The method also includes forming a soot compact from the silica-based soot particles and doping the soot compact with a halogen in a closed system by contacting the silica-based soot compact with a halogencontaining gas in the closed system at a temperature of less than about 1200° C.

An optical fiber rod (30) according to the present invention includes a center region (35), an outer region (31) formed around the center region (35), and an intermediate region (33) formed between the center region (35) and the outer region (31), and satisfies nA>nB>nC where nA is the refractive index of a material A produced by polymerization of a monomer ma, nB is the refractive index of a material B produced by polymerization of a monomer mb, and nC is the refractive index of a material C produced by polymerization of a monomer mc. The center region (35) is made of a material produced by polymerization of a monomer mixture containing the monomer ma, the outer region (31) is made of a material produced by polymerization of a monomer mixture containing the monomer mc, and the intermediate region (33) is made of a material produced by polymerization of a monomer mixture containing the monomer mb. The refractive index decreases in the order: the center region (35)>the intermediate region (33)>the outer region (31).

An optical fiber rod (30) according to the present invention includes a center region (35), an outer region (31) formed around the center region (35), and an intermediate region (33) formed between the center region (35) and the outer region (31), and satisfies nA>nB>nC where nA is the refractive index of a material A produced by polymerization of a monomer ma, nB is the refractive index of a material B produced by polymerization of a monomer mb, and nC is the refractive index of a material C produced by polymerization of a monomer mc. The center region (35) is made of a material produced by polymerization of a monomer mixture containing the monomer ma, the outer region (31) is made of a material produced by polymerization of a monomer mixture containing the monomer mc, and the intermediate region (33) is made of a material produced by polymerization of a monomer mixture containing the monomer mb. The refractive index decreases in the order: the center region (35)>the intermediate region (33)>the outer region (31).

A method of making a multi-mode optical fiber that includes: depositing a porous germania-doped silica soot to form a germania-doped porous soot preform; depositing a porous silica layer over the porous soot preform; doping the porous soot preform and the porous silica layer with a fluorine dopant to form a co-doped soot preform having a core region and a fluorine-doped trench region; consolidating the co-doped soot preform to form a sintered glass, co-doped core preform having a refractive index alpha profile between 1.9 and 2.2 measured at 850 nm; depositing a cladding comprising silica over the sintered glass, co-doped preform to form a multi-mode optical fiber preform; drawing the optical fiber preform into a multi-mode optical fiber. Further, the step of doping the germania-doped soot preform and the porous silica layer is conducted according to a doping parameter (Φ) that is set between 20 and 300, and given by:

[00001]$\Phi =\frac{1\times {10}^{14}.Math.R_{\mathrm{prc}}^2.Math.\exp \left(-E/{\mathrm{RT}}_{\mathrm{dop}}\right).Math.T_{\mathrm{dop}}^{1/2}}{x^{3/4}}.$

A method of making a multi-mode optical fiber that includes: depositing a porous germania-doped silica soot to form a germania-doped porous soot preform; depositing a porous silica layer over the porous soot preform; doping the porous soot preform and the porous silica layer with a fluorine dopant to form a co-doped soot preform having a core region and a fluorine-doped trench region; consolidating the co-doped soot preform to form a sintered glass, co-doped core preform having a refractive index alpha profile between 1.9 and 2.2 measured at 850 nm; depositing a cladding comprising silica over the sintered glass, co-doped preform to form a multi-mode optical fiber preform; drawing the optical fiber preform into a multi-mode optical fiber. Further, the step of doping the germania-doped soot preform and the porous silica layer is conducted according to a doping parameter (Φ) that is set between 20 and 300, and given by:

[00001]$\Phi =\frac{1\times {10}^{14}.Math.R_{\mathrm{prc}}^2.Math.\exp \left(-E/{\mathrm{RT}}_{\mathrm{dop}}\right).Math.T_{\mathrm{dop}}^{1/2}}{x^{3/4}}.$

A quasi-single-mode optical fiber with a large effective area is disclosed. The quasi-single-mode fiber has a core with a radius greater than 5 μm, and a cladding section configured to support a fundamental mode and a higher-order mode. The fundamental mode has an effective area greater than 170 μm.sup.2 and an attenuation of no greater than 0.17 dB/km at a wavelength of 1530 nm. The higher-order mode has an attenuation of at least 1.0 dB/km at the wavelength of 1530 nm. The quasi-single-mode optical fiber has a bending loss of less than 0.02 dB/turn for a bend diameter of 60 mm for a wavelength of 1625 nm.

Optical transmission systems and methods are disclosed that utilize a QSM optical fiber with a large effective area and that supports only two modes, namely the fundamental mode and one higher-order mode. The optical transmission system includes a transmitter and a receiver optically coupled by an optical fiber link that includes at least one section of the QSM optical fiber. Transmission over optical fiber link gives rise to MPI, which is mitigated using a digital signal processor. The QSM optical fiber is designed to have an amount of DMA that allows for the digital signal processor to have reduced complexity as reflected by a reduced number of filter taps as compared to if the DMA were zero.

An optical fiber assembly is provided including an optical fiber and a beam shaping component affixed to an extremity of the optical fiber. The optical fiber supports a guided mode having a spatial profile defining a first shape. The beam shaping component defines a light path and has a transversal refractive index profile including an outer refractive index value greater than an inner refractive index value. The beam shaping component transforms the spatial profile of a light beam propagating along the light path between the first shape and a second shape different from the first shape. The optical assembly may for example transform a Gaussian light beam into a flat-top or donut shape.

Embodiments of the current disclosure include low moat volume single mode ultra-low loss optical fibers. In some embodiments, a single mode optical fiber includes a first core region; a second core region surrounding and directly adjacent to the first core region, wherein a volume V of the second core region is less than or equal to 14% Δμm.sup.2; a cladding region surrounding the core region; and wherein the optical fiber has a cable cutoff of less than 1260 nm, a mode field diameter at 1310 nm of 8.6 microns to 9.7 microns, a mode field diameter at 1550 nm of 9.9 microns to 11 microns, and an attenuation at 1550 nm of less than or equal to 0.17 dB/km.