The present invention relates to an optical fiber (200) having a core (202) extending along a central axis (206) and a cladding (204) concentrically surrounding the core (202). The core (202) has at least 83-mole percent (mol %) of Silicon dioxide (SiO2) and at most 17-mole percent (mol %) of an up-dopant and, the cladding (204) has at least 99-mole percent (mol %) of Silicon dioxide (SiO2). Further, the optical fiber (200) has (i) an effective area of greater than or equal to 100 ?m.sup.2, (ii) a mode field diameter (MFD) in a range of 11 ?m to 15 ?m, and (iii) a chromatic dispersion of less than or equal to 23.5 picoseconds (ps/(Km.Math.nm) at a wavelength of 1550 nm.

An optical fiber with low attenuation and methods of making same are disclosed. The optical fiber has a core, an inner cladding surround the core, and an outer cladding surrounding the inner cladding. The outer cladding is chlorine-doped such that the relative refractive index varies as a function of radius. The radially varying relative refractive index profile of the outer cladding reduces excess stress in the core and inner cladding, which helps lower fiber attenuation while also reducing macrobend and microbend loss. A process of fabricating the optical fiber includes doping an overclad soot layer of a soot preform with chlorine and then removing a portion of the chlorine dopant from an outermost region of the overclad soot layer. The soot preform with the modified chlorine dopant profile is then sintered to form a glass preform, which can then be used for drawing the optical fiber.

A single mode optical fiber including a germania doped silica central core region having outer radius r.sub.1 and refractive index .sub.1, a maximum refractive index .sub.1max, and 0.32%.sub.1max0.45%, and a core alpha profile (Core.sub.). In various embodiments, the optical fiber also contains a cladding region including: (i) a second inner cladding region or ring region surrounding the first inner cladding region; or (ii) an inner cladding region or pedestal region surrounding the germania doped silica central core region. The corresponding resultant optical fibers exhibit a 22 m cable cutoff less than or equal to 1260 nm, a macrobending loss at 1550 nm of 0.75 dB/turn on a 20 mm diameter mandrel, a zero dispersion wavelength, .sub.0, of 1300 nm.sub.01324 nm, and a mode field diameter at 1310 nm of 8.2 micronsMDF.sub.1310nm9.6 microns.

An optical fiber comprising: (i) a chlorine doped silica based core comprising a core alpha ()>10, and maximum refractive index delta .sub.1max % and Cl concentration >1 wt %; (ii) a cladding surrounding the core, the cladding comprising: (a) an inner cladding region adjacent to and in contact with the core and having a refractive index delta .sub.2 and a minimum refractive index delta .sub.2min such that .sub.2min<.sub.1max, the inner cladding region comprising fluorine doped silica and the refractive index delta .sub.2 with region that decreases with radial position, and (b) an outer cladding region surrounding the inner cladding region and having refractive index delta .sub.3, such that .sub.2min<.sub.3. The fiber has mode field diameter MFD at 1310 nm of 9 microns, a cable cutoff of 1260 nm, zero dispersion wavelength of 1300 nmzero dispersion wavelength 1324 nm and bend loss at 1550 nm for a 20 mm mandrel of less than 0.5 dB/turn.

Illuminating coherent or partially coherent light may be directed over an optical fiber and may be despeckled by vibrating the optical fiber or by increasing the number of modes and modal dispersion. An exemplary embodiment is directed to an optical fiber attached to a vibrating device operable to vibrate the optical fiber above a threshold frequency. Another exemplary embodiment is directed to an optical fiber configured to have a refractive index profile operable to increase the number of modes and modal dispersion.

A fiber optic cable and connector assembly is disclosed. The assembly includes a cable optical fiber, a ferrule, a stub optical fiber having a first portion supported within the ferrule a second portion the projects rearwardly the ferrule and a signal modification structure optically coupled between the stub optical fiber and the cable optical fiber.

A fiber optic cable and connector assembly is disclosed. The assembly includes a cable optical fiber, a ferrule, a stub optical fiber having a first portion supported within the ferrule a second portion the projects rearwardly the ferrule and a signal modification structure optically coupled between the stub optical fiber and the cable optical fiber.

According to embodiments, an optical fiber may include a core portion comprising a radius r.sub.C, a centerline C.sub.L, a numerical aperture NA greater than or equal to 0.15 and less than or equal to 0.25, a graded relative refractive index profile having a maximum relative refractive index .sub.Cmax and an value greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 3. The core portion may include an up-dopant with a graded concentration from the radius r.sub.C to the centerline C.sub.L and an attenuation dopant with a constant concentration from the centerline C.sub.L of the core portion to the radius r.sub.C of the core portion. The optical fiber is multi-moded for wavelengths of light within a range from 800 nm to 1350 nm and an attenuation of the optical fiber wavelengths between 800 nm and 1000 nm is greater than or equal to 0.5 dB/m.

An optical beam delivery device is formed of optical fibers configured for beam divergence or mode coupling control. An incident optical beam propagates through a first length of fiber, which is coupled to a second length of fiber and has a first refractive index profile (RIP). The first RIP enables, in response to an applied perturbation, modification of the beam characteristics of the incident optical beam to form an adjusted optical beam having modified beam characteristics relative to beam characteristics of the incident optical beam. The second length of fiber is formed with one or more confinement regions defining a second RIP and arranged to confine at least a portion of the adjusted optical beam. The second and first lengths of fiber are tapered in the direction of light beam propagation to control output beam divergence or susceptibility to beam mode coupling in the first length of fiber, respectively.

An optical beam delivery device, such as an optical fiber, includes: a first length of fiber having a first refractive index profile (RIP) to enable modification of one or more beam characteristics of an optical beam having a first wavelength; and a second length of fiber having at least one wavelength-modifying confinement region and situated to receive the optical beam from the first length of fiber.