A system for precoating a preform for drawing optical fiber including a diameter sensor to determine a diameter of pulled optical fiber, a cooling system to cool the optical fiber once it is pulled from a furnace, a coating system to apply a coating to the optical fiber once it has cooled and an ultra-violet lamp to cure the coating.

A resin composition for coating an optical fiber is a resin composition comprising: a base resin containing an oligomer comprising urethane (meth)acrylate, a monomer, and a photopolymerization initiator; and hydrophobic zirconium oxide, wherein the content of the zirconium oxide is 0.5% by mass or more and 65% by mass or less based on the total amount of the resin composition.

A resin composition for coating an optical fiber is a resin composition comprising: a base resin containing an oligomer comprising urethane (meth)acrylate, a monomer, and a photopolymerization initiator; and hydrophobic zirconium oxide, wherein the content of the zirconium oxide is 0.5% by mass or more and 65% by mass or less based on the total amount of the resin composition.

Described herein are methods of producing a coated optical fiber from a primary and/or secondary coating composition that contain a reactive oligomer having an average of at least one polymerizable group, a monomer having an average of at least one polymerizable group, and a photoinitiator, wherein the photoinitiator possesses specified normalized rates of polymerization at (150) degrees Celsius and/or a potential excited triplet state with certain ionization potential values. Also described and claimed are the compositions for use therewith, including primary coating compositions and secondary coating compositions. Yet further described and claimed are the coated optical fibers produced from the methods and/or compositions elsewhere described.

Described herein are methods of producing a coated optical fiber from a primary and/or secondary coating composition that contain a reactive oligomer having an average of at least one polymerizable group, a monomer having an average of at least one polymerizable group, and a photoinitiator, wherein the photoinitiator possesses specified normalized rates of polymerization at (150) degrees Celsius and/or a potential excited triplet state with certain ionization potential values. Also described and claimed are the compositions for use therewith, including primary coating compositions and secondary coating compositions. Yet further described and claimed are the coated optical fibers produced from the methods and/or compositions elsewhere described.

Multimode optical fibers are disclosed herein. In some embodiment disclosed herein, a multimode optical fiber having a bandwidth of greater than 2 GHz.Math.km includes: a glass matrix having a front endface, a back endface, a length (L), a refractive index n.sub.20 and a central axis (AC); and a plurality of cores arranged within the glass matrix, wherein the plurality of cores run generally parallel to the central axis between the front and back endfaces and having respective refractive indices n.sub.50, wherein n.sub.50>n.sub.20, wherein the glass matrix serves as a common cladding for the plurality of cores so that each core and the common cladding define a waveguide, wherein each core is a single mode at an operating wavelength; and wherein any two cores have an center-to-center spacing s of 3 μm to 20 μm and a coupling coefficient of greater than 10 m.sup.−1 but less than 200 m.sup.−1.

In an example implementation, a sintering system includes optical fiber installed into a sintering furnace. A support structure inside the furnace is to support a token green object in a predetermined position and to hold a distal end of the fiber adjacent to the predetermined position. A light source is operably engaged at a proximal end of the fiber to transmit light through the fiber into the furnace. A light detector is operably engaged at the proximal end of the fiber to receive reflected light through the fiber that scatters off a surface of the token green object.

A Photonic Crystal Fiber (PCF) a method of its production and a supercontinuum light source comprising such PCF. The PCF has a longitudinal axis and includes a core extending along the length of said longitudinal axis and a cladding region surrounding the core. At least the cladding region includes a plurality of microstructures in the form of inclusions extending along the longitudinal axis of the PCF in at least a microstructured length section. In at least a degradation resistant length section of the microstructured length section the PCF includes hydrogen and/or deuterium. In at least the degradation resistant length section the PCF further includes a main coating surrounding the cladding region, which main coating is hermetic for the hydrogen and/or deuterium at a temperature below T.sub.h, wherein T.sub.h is at least about 50° C., preferably 50° C.<T.sub.h<250° C.

Methods for synthesizing fibers having nanoparticles therein are provided, as well as preforms and fibers incorporating nanoparticles. The nanoparticles may include one or more rare earth ions selected based on fluorescence at eye-safer wavelengths, surrounded by a low-phonon energy host. Nanoparticles that are not doped with rare earth ions may also be included as a co-dopant to help increase solubility of nanoparticles doped with rare earth ions in the silica matrix. The nanoparticles may be incorporated into a preform, which is then drawn to form fiber. The fibers may beneficially be incorporated into lasers and amplifiers that operate at eye safer wavelengths. Lasers and amplifiers incorporating the fibers may also beneficially exhibit reduced Stimulated Brillouin Scattering.

Methods for synthesizing fibers having nanoparticles therein are provided, as well as preforms and fibers incorporating nanoparticles. The nanoparticles may include one or more rare earth ions selected based on fluorescence at eye-safer wavelengths, surrounded by a low-phonon energy host. Nanoparticles that are not doped with rare earth ions may also be included as a co-dopant to help increase solubility of nanoparticles doped with rare earth ions in the silica matrix. The nanoparticles may be incorporated into a preform, which is then drawn to form fiber. The fibers may beneficially be incorporated into lasers and amplifiers that operate at eye safer wavelengths. Lasers and amplifiers incorporating the fibers may also beneficially exhibit reduced Stimulated Brillouin Scattering.