A method may include (1) coating a segment of fiber optic cable with an adhesive substance, (2) forming a coil of the segment of fiber optic cable, (3) deforming the coil into a noncircular shape defining a slot external to the coil while obeying a minimum bend radius requirement for the segment of fiber optic cable, and (4) activating the adhesive substance to stabilize the noncircular shape of the coil. Various other methods and apparatuses, such as those for performing the deforming operation, are also disclosed.

According to embodiments of the present invention, a fiber preform or an optical fiber is provided. The fiber preform or the optical fiber includes a core region having a plurality of cores, wherein two cores of the plurality of cores are bridged by an air gap, and a cladding arrangement including a first cladding region having a plurality of structures surrounding the core region, and a second cladding region in between the core region and the first cladding region, the second cladding region having a plurality of tubes, wherein at least one split is defined in the second cladding region. According to further embodiments of the present invention, a method for forming the fiber preform, a method for forming the optical fiber, an optical coupler having the optical fiber, an optical combiner having the optical fiber, and an optical apparatus having the optical fiber are also provided.

An optical preform manufacturing process is disclosed in which an alkali dopant is deposited between an optical fiber core rod and an optical fiber cladding jacket. Depositing the alkali dopant between the core rod and the cladding jacket permits diffusion of the alkali dopants into the core during fiber draw when the core and the cladding are at their respective transition (or vitrification) temperatures. Introduction of the alkali dopants between the core rod and the cladding jacket also permits decoupling of the alkali doping process from one or more of other optical preform manufacturing processes. The optical preform manufacturing process can also include placing alkali dopants between an optical fiber inner cladding jacket and an optical fiber outer cladding jacket to reduce the glass viscosity during fiber draw.

A glass composition is disclosed that comprises SiO.sub.2 in an amount from 50 to 58% by weight; Al.sub.2O.sub.3 in an amount from 18 to 23% by weight; less than 18% by weight of CaO and MgO; at least 5% by weight of Y.sub.2O.sub.3 and La.sub.2O.sub.3, wherein Y.sub.2O.sub.3 and La.sub.2O.sub.3 are present in a ratio R1 (R1=Y.sub.2O.sub.3/La.sub.2O.sub.3) between 2 and 4. A glass fiber formed from the glass composition has a sonic fiber elastic modulus of at least 94.5 GPa.

A glass composition is disclosed that comprises SiO.sub.2 in an amount from 50 to 58% by weight; Al.sub.2O.sub.3 in an amount from 18 to 23% by weight; less than 18% by weight of CaO and MgO; at least 5% by weight of Y.sub.2O.sub.3 and La.sub.2O.sub.3, wherein Y.sub.2O.sub.3 and La.sub.2O.sub.3 are present in a ratio R1 (R1=Y.sub.2O.sub.3/La.sub.2O.sub.3) between 2 and 4. A glass fiber formed from the glass composition has a sonic fiber elastic modulus of at least 94.5 GPa.

A system and methods are described herein for preheating a preform in a preheater furnace and then transferring the preheated preform to a consolidation furnace for chemical treatment and sintering the preform into a clear glass which can be drawn into optical fiber. In addition, the preheater furnace is described herein which is configured to heat the preform per a predetermined heat-profile until the preform is uniformly heated to a temperature above 1000° C.

A molding device and a molding method for an optical fiber preform are provided. The molding device includes a rotating mechanism, an extrusion mechanism, and a cylinder mold that is of a cylindrical structure with two ends each having an opening. After a hollow cladding sleeve is obtained by rotating the cylinder mold through the rotating mechanism, a molten core glass is then reversely extruded into the cladding sleeve in the cylinder mold from bottom to top by the extrusion mechanism to prepare the optical fiber preform.

A method for manufacturing an optical fiber preform includes generating glass particles from a glass raw material gas in a flame obtained by combustion of a combustible gas supplied to a burner and depositing the glass particles on an outer circumference of a silica glass pipe to form a hollow porous glass preform, inserting a rod into the silica glass pipe, transparently vitrifying the porous glass preform by heating the porous glass preform after inserting the rod to obtain a transparent glass preform, drawing out the rod from the silica glass pipe after the porous glass preform is transparently vitrified, and removing the silica glass pipe from the transparent glass preform by etching after drawing out the rod.

Provided is an optical fiber glass preform in which a starting rod and a dummy glass are hardly separated from each other, and a method for manufacturing the glass preform. In the optical fiber glass preform, the dummy glass is fitted into one end of the starting rod, and a part of the dummy glass and the starting rod are surrounded by a clad glass. In the manufacturing method, at the time of connecting the starting rod and the dummy glass, a shape is adjusted in such a manner that an iron is brought into contact with a connection portion and is moved from a starting rod side toward a dummy glass side with appliance of a load.

A method of producing an optical fiber preform includes a silica glass body forming step of forming a silica glass body to be at least a portion of a core portion. The method includes an alkali-metal-doped silica glass body forming step of forming an alkali-metal-doped silica glass body doped with an alkali metal around the silica glass body such that the alkali-metal-doped silica glass body contacts the silica glass body. The method further includes a diffusing step of diffusing the alkali metal from the alkali-metal-doped silica glass body to the silica glass body by a heat treatment.