A method of manufacturing a polarizing glass sheet includes subjecting, while heating, a glass preform sheet containing metal halide particles to down-drawing, to thereby provide a glass member having stretched metal halide particles dispersed in an aligned manner in a glass matrix, and subjecting the glass member to reduction treatment to reduce the stretched metal halide particles, to thereby provide a polarizing glass sheet. A shape of the glass preform sheet during the down-drawing satisfies a relationship of the following expression:
L.sub.1/W.sub.11.0
where L.sub.1 represents a length between a portion in which a width of the glass preform sheet has changed to 0.8 times an original width and a portion in which the width of the glass preform sheet has changed to 0.2 times the original width W.sub.0, and W.sub.1 represents a length equivalent to 0.5 times the original width W.sub.0 of the glass preform sheet.

A method of manufacturing a polarizing glass sheet includes subjecting, while heating, a glass preform sheet containing metal halide particles to down-drawing, to thereby provide a glass member having stretched metal halide particles dispersed in an aligned manner in a glass matrix, and subjecting the glass member to reduction treatment to reduce the stretched metal halide particles, to thereby provide a polarizing glass sheet. A shape of the glass preform sheet during the down-drawing satisfies a relationship of the following expression:
L.sub.1/W.sub.11.0
where L.sub.1 represents a length between a portion in which a width of the glass preform sheet has changed to 0.8 times an original width and a portion in which the width of the glass preform sheet has changed to 0.2 times the original width W.sub.0, and W.sub.1 represents a length equivalent to 0.5 times the original width W.sub.0 of the glass preform sheet.

Layered glass structures and fabrication methods are described. The methods include depositing soot on a dense glass substrate to form a composite structure and sintering the composite structure to form a layered glass structure. The dense glass substrate may be derived from an optical fiber preform that has been modified to include a planar surface. The composite structure may include one or more soot layers. The layered glass structure may be formed by combining multiple composite structures to form a stack, followed by sintering and fusing the stack. The layered glass structure may further be heated to softening and drawn to control linear dimensions. The layered glass structure or drawn layered glass structure may be configured as a planar waveguide.

Layered glass structures and fabrication methods are described. The methods include depositing soot on a dense glass substrate to form a composite structure and sintering the composite structure to form a layered glass structure. The dense glass substrate may be derived from an optical fiber preform that has been modified to include a planar surface. The composite structure may include one or more soot layers. The layered glass structure may be formed by combining multiple composite structures to form a stack, followed by sintering and fusing the stack. The layered glass structure may further be heated to softening and drawn to control linear dimensions. The layered glass structure or drawn layered glass structure may be configured as a planar waveguide.

A method of drawing different materials includes forming a first material into a preform body defining at least one channel extending therethrough having a first cross-sectional area. A first element formed of a second material is inserted into the channel and with the preform body creates a preform assembly. The first element has a cross-sectional area that is less than the cross-sectional area of the channel, and the second material has a higher melting temperature than the first material. The preform assembly is heated so that the first material softens and the preform assembly is drawn so that the preform body deforms at a first deformation rate to a smaller cross-sectional area and the first element substantially maintains a constant cross-sectional area throughout the drawing process. Upon completion of the drawing step, the cross-sectional area of the channel is equivalent to the cross-sectional area of the first element.

A method of drawing different materials includes forming a first material into a preform body defining at least one channel extending therethrough having a first cross-sectional area. A first element formed of a second material is inserted into the channel and with the preform body creates a preform assembly. The first element has a cross-sectional area that is less than the cross-sectional area of the channel, and the second material has a higher melting temperature than the first material. The preform assembly is heated so that the first material softens and the preform assembly is drawn so that the preform body deforms at a first deformation rate to a smaller cross-sectional area and the first element substantially maintains a constant cross-sectional area throughout the drawing process. Upon completion of the drawing step, the cross-sectional area of the channel is equivalent to the cross-sectional area of the first element.

Provided is an elongating method for elongating a glass base material by heating the same while moving the same downward within an elongating apparatus, the glass base material including a transparent tapered section, wherein the transparent tapered section is located at an upper end of the glass base material and has an end face to which a suspension dummy formed from a glass pole is welded, the elongating method comprising steps for: starting to elongate the glass base material by heating the same, starting from a lower-end side thereof, by causing the glass base material to pass through a range within the elongating apparatus in which a preset elongating process temperature or higher is maintained; and after the tapered section enters the range, ending the elongating of the glass base material before the end face enters the range.

Provided is an elongating method for elongating a glass base material by heating the same while moving the same downward within an elongating apparatus, the glass base material including a transparent tapered section, wherein the transparent tapered section is located at an upper end of the glass base material and has an end face to which a suspension dummy formed from a glass pole is welded, the elongating method comprising steps for: starting to elongate the glass base material by heating the same, starting from a lower-end side thereof, by causing the glass base material to pass through a range within the elongating apparatus in which a preset elongating process temperature or higher is maintained; and after the tapered section enters the range, ending the elongating of the glass base material before the end face enters the range.

A standalone lithium ion-conductive solid electrolyte including a freestanding inorganic vitreous sheet of sulfide-based lithium ion conducting glass is capable of high performance in a lithium metal battery by providing a high degree of lithium ion conductivity while being highly resistant to the initiation and/or propagation of lithium dendrites. Such an electrolyte is also itself manufacturable, and readily adaptable for battery cell and cell component manufacture, in a cost-effective, scalable manner.

A standalone lithium ion-conductive solid electrolyte including a freestanding inorganic vitreous sheet of sulfide-based lithium ion conducting glass is capable of high performance in a lithium metal battery by providing a high degree of lithium ion conductivity while being highly resistant to the initiation and/or propagation of lithium dendrites. Such an electrolyte is also itself manufacturable, and readily adaptable for battery cell and cell component manufacture, in a cost-effective, scalable manner.