A method for making an optical fiber device may include using a three-dimensional (3D) printer to generate a preform body including an optical material. The preform body may have a 3D pattern of voids therein defining a 3D lattice. The method may further include drawing the preform body to form the optical fiber device.

Provided is an optical fiber containing an alkali metal element or the like having a smaller diffusion coefficient than K and having a low Rayleigh scattering loss. An optical fiber is composed of silica glass and includes a core and a cladding arranged to surround the core which has a lower refractive index than the core. The core includes a first core including a central axis and a second core arranged to surround the first core. The average concentration of an alkali metal element or alkaline-earth metal element in the first core is 10 mol ppm or less. The average concentration of chlorine in the first core is 2000 mol ppm or more. The average concentration of an alkali metal element or alkaline-earth metal element in the second core is 10 mol ppm or more. The average concentration of chlorine in the second core is 10 to 600 mol ppm.

Provided are an optical fiber and a manufacturing method of the optical fiber that can reduce transmission loss even when drawing is performed at a high tension and a high rate. An optical fiber has a core to which chlorine is added and a clad to which fluorine is added, chlorine of 9000 to 13000 ppm is added to the core, a relative refractive index difference 1 of the core to a pure silica glass is 0.09 to 0.13%, a relative refractive index difference 2 of the clad to a pure silica glass is 0.36 to 0.17%, a difference (12) between the relative refractive index difference 1 of the core and the relative refractive index difference 2 of the clad is larger than or equal to 0.30%, a mode field diameter at wavelength 1.31 m is 8.8 to 9.6 m, and a stress difference occurring at an interface between the core and the clad is lower than or equal to 60 MPa.

An optical fiber having a core comprising silica and greater than 1.5 wt % chlorine and less than 0.5 wt % F, said core having a refractive index .sub.1MAX, and an inner cladding region having refractive index .sub.2MIN surrounding the core, where .sub.1MAX>.sub.2MIN.

An optical fiber manufacturing method includes: drawing an optical fiber preform to form a bare optical fiber; cooling the bare optical fiber; coating an uncured coating layer that includes a resin precursor on an outer periphery of the bare optical fiber; curing the uncured coating layer to form a semi-cured coating layer; further curing the semi-cured coating layer; and cooling the semi-cured coating layer by at least one non-contact direction changer between the curing of the uncured coating layer and the curing of the semi-cured coating layer.

A method of processing an optical fiber includes drawing the optical fiber from a heated glass source, reheating the optical fiber, and cooling the optical fiber under vacuum at a cooling rate less than the cooling rate of the optical fiber in air at 25 C. and 1 atm. Cooling the optical fiber under vacuum is conducted after reheating the optical fiber. Cooling the optical fiber under vacuum reduces the rate of heat transfer from the optical fiber, which may enable further relaxation of the glass and reduction in the fictive temperature of the optical fiber. A system for processing an optical fiber includes a furnace containing a fiber preform, a first positioner, a reheating device, and a treatment device downstream of the reheating device, the treatment device operable to cool the optical fiber under vacuum to reduce the rate of heat transfer from the optical fiber.

An optical fiber having a core comprising silica and greater than 1.5 wt % chlorine and less than 0.5 wt % F, said core having a refractive index .sub.1MAX, and a inner cladding region having refractive index .sub.2MIN surrounding the core, where .sub.1MAX>.sub.2MIN.

An optical fiber with low attenuation is provided. The fiber is produced under conditions that reduce fictive temperature. Processing includes maintaining the fiber at temperatures at or near the glass transition temperature (T.sub.g) for an extended period of time. For silica-based fibers, the preferred temperatures are temperatures between 1000 C. and 1700 C. The extended residence times are achieved in a continuous fiber manufacturing process by increasing the path length of the fiber through a processing region maintained at temperatures between 1000 C. and 1700 C. The increased path length is achieved by including one or more fluid bearing devices in the processing region. The extended residence time in the processing region allows the structure of the glass fiber to relax more completely and to more closely approach the equilibrium state. The more relaxed glass structure leads to a lower fictive temperature and provides fibers with lower attenuation.

The present disclosure provides coating compositions and cured products formed from the coating compositions. The cured products can be formed at high cure speeds from the coating compositions and feature low Young's modulus, high tear strength, and/or high tensile toughness. The cured products can be used as primary coatings for optical fibers. The primary coatings provide good microbending performance and are resistant to defect formation during fiber coating processing and handling operations. The coating compositions include an oligomer, an alkoxylated monofunctional acrylate monomer, and preferably, an N-vinyl amide compound.

A method of producing an optical fiber is provided that includes the steps of flowing a first gas into an optical fiber draw furnace. The first gas is passed through a heated section configured to contain and heat a glass source from which the optical fiber is drawn, passing the first gas through a muffle which defines a capture chamber. A portion of the first gas is removed through at least one reclaim port operatively coupled to the capture chamber. A second gas flows into a gas screen at a rate configured to substantially recover a pressure drop associated with removing the portion of the first gas.