A method of forming an optical fiber includes the steps of forming a silica-based soot blank with at least one silica-based soot core cane at least partially embedded in the soot blank. The soot blank with the soot core cane positioned therein is consolidated to form a preform. The preform is then drawn to form an optical fiber. The soot core cane preferably has an average bulk density within 10% of the bulk density of the soot blank, and more preferably within 5% of the bulk density of the soot blank.

Monolithic optical structures include a plurality of layer with each layer having an isolated optical pathway confined within a portion of the layer. The monolithic optical structure can be used as an optical fiber preform. Alternatively or additionally, the monolithic optical structure can include integrated optical circuits within one or more layers of the structure. Monolithic optical structures can be formed by performing multiple passes of a substrate through a flowing particle stream. The deposited particles form an optical material following consolidation. Flexible optical fibers include a plurality of independent light channels extending along the length of the optical fiber. The fibers can be pulled from an appropriate preform.

A multicore fiber includes a plurality of unit multicore fibers each including: a plurality of core portions; and a clad portion which is formed in an outer circumference of the core portions and has a refractive index lower than a maximum refractive index of the core portions. The plurality of the core portions have substantially same refractive index profile and different group delays at same wavelength in same propagation mode. The core portions of the multicore fiber are configured so that the core portions of the plurality of the unit multicore fibers are connected in cascade, a maximum value of differential group delays between the core portions of the multicore fiber is smaller than a reduced value of a maximum value of differential group delays between the core portions of each unit multicore fiber as a value in terms of a length of the multicore fiber.

Provided is a method for producing a multi-core optical fiber that includes a plurality of cores made of pure silica glass and exhibits a minor transmission loss. The method for producing a multi-core optical fiber according to the present invention is a method for producing a multi-core optical fiber including a plurality of cores made of pure silica glass substantially free of Ge and a cladding surrounding the plurality of cores and made of a fluorine-containing silica glass. The multi-core optical fiber is produced by drawing an optical fiber preform at a drawing tension T satisfying the relationship 0.06 g/m.sup.2<T/S<0.4 g/m.sup.2, wherein S is a total cross-sectional area of the plurality of cores.

The present invention relates to a method (300) for drawing an optical fiber (101) having step of stacking (302) at least two glass sub-preforms of a plurality of glass sub-preforms (114a-114n) inside a hollow cylindrical glass tube (108) to form a master glass preform (130) and melting (304) the bottom end (134) of the master glass preform (130) in a furnace (110) to continuously draw an optical fiber (101). In particular, the at least two glass sub-preforms are stacked in such that the master glass preform has a top end (132) and a bottom end (134) and each of the glass sub-preforms is defined by a first end (126) and a second end (128). Further, the first end (126) of a successive glass sub-preform is stacked on the second end (128) of a previous glass sub-perform such that the successive glass sub-preform rests on the previous glass sub-preform.

The present invention discloses a preform assembly and a method for drawing a multicore optical fibre and a holey fibre. Particularly, the preform assembly includes a hollow cylindrical tube, a plurality of discs stacked inside the hollow cylindrical tube and a plurality of core rods inserted in a plurality of through holes in each of the plurality of discs.

A multicore fiber is provided. The multicore fiber includes a plurality of cores spaced apart from one another, and a cladding surrounding the plurality of cores and defining a substantially rectangular or cross-sectional shape having four corners. Each corner has a radius of curvature of less than 1000 microns. The multicore fiber may be drawn from a preform in a circular draw furnace in which a ratio of a maximum cross-sectional dimension of the preform to an inside diameter of the preform to an inside diameter of the draw furnace is greater than 0.60. The multicore fiber may have maxima reference surface.

Optical waveguide cores having refractive index profiles that vary angularly about a propagation axis of the core can provide single-mode operation with larger core diameters than conventional waveguides. An optical waveguide includes a core that extends along a propagation axis and has a refractive index profile that varies angularly about the propagation axis. The optical waveguide also includes a cladding disposed about the core and extending along the propagation axis. The refractive index profile of the core varies angularly along a length of the propagation axis.

A multicore optical fiber (1) includes a plurality of cores (11 to 16) and a cladding (20) surrounding the outer circumferential surfaces of the cores (11 to 16). In the plurality of cores of the multicore optical fiber (1), a skew value (S) between a pair of cores is expressed by a predetermined expression. The multicore optical fiber (1) is bent in a specific bending direction, in which in all of the combinations of the pairs of cores in the plurality of cores, the pair of cores has the maximum absolute value of the skew value found by the expression and the skew value of the pair of cores is a minimum value

A production method of an optical fiber preform includes first preparing a first preform having a plurality of glass preforms and a first cladding portion disposed between the plurality of glass preforms, and first arranging a second cladding portion to surround the first preform. At the first arranging, a material gas and a combustion gas are ejected from a burner to produce glass particles. The first preform and the burner are moved relative to each other in a longitudinal direction of the first preform. The glass particles are deposited on the first preform.