A method for manufacturing an optical fiber, the method includes: exposing a bare fiber formed of glass and having a temperature of 500? C. to 1,500? C. to a gas in which a moisture content is controlled to 2 to 20 g/m.sup.3; applying an uncured resin to an outer periphery of the bare fiber; and curing the resin to form a coating layer.

The invention concerns 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 comprises a core extending along the length of said longitudinal axis and a cladding region surrounding the core. At least the cladding region comprises 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 comprises hydrogen and/or deuterium. In at least the degradation resistant length section the PCF further comprises a main coating surrounding the cladding region, which main coating is hermetic for the hydrogen and/or deuterium at a temperature below Th, wherein Th is at least about 50? C., preferably 50? C.<Th<250? C.

The invention concerns 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 comprises a core extending along the length of said longitudinal axis and a cladding region surrounding the core. At least the cladding region comprises 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 comprises hydrogen and/or deuterium. In at least the degradation resistant length section the PCF further comprises a main coating surrounding the cladding region, which main coating is hermetic for the hydrogen and/or deuterium at a temperature below Th, wherein Th is at least about 50? C., preferably 50? C.<Th<250? C.

An electrically conductive article that includes a monolithic glass body having a first primary surface; and an electrically conducting element formed in the body. The element includes a discrete layer, or a plurality of discrete layers, of metallic silver. Each layer has a thickness T such that 0.1 mT0.5 m and an electrical resistivity of about 50 n.Math.m to about 2000 n.Math.m. In addition, the element is spaced apart from the first primary surface by a distance D, wherein 0.1 mD20 m. In some aspects, the electrically conducting element and/or the monolithic glass body are configured as an antenna assembly, an optical fiber or a flexible glass substrate.

An electrically conductive article that includes a monolithic glass body having a first primary surface; and an electrically conducting element formed in the body. The element includes a discrete layer, or a plurality of discrete layers, of metallic silver. Each layer has a thickness T such that 0.1 mT0.5 m and an electrical resistivity of about 50 n.Math.m to about 2000 n.Math.m. In addition, the element is spaced apart from the first primary surface by a distance D, wherein 0.1 mD20 m. In some aspects, the electrically conducting element and/or the monolithic glass body are configured as an antenna assembly, an optical fiber or a flexible glass substrate.

An optical fiber containing alkali metal elements or the like in which Rayleigh scattering loss can be reduced is provided. An optical fiber includes a core composed of silica glass and a cladding which surrounds the core, has a refractive index lower than a refractive index of the core, and is composed of silica glass containing fluorine. The core contains a first group of dopants and a second group of dopants having a diffusion coefficient lower than a diffusion coefficient of the first group of dopants. The difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of residual stress in the optical fiber is 150 MPa or less.

A method of processing an optical fiber of the invention includes: a determination step of determining at least an ambient temperature of conditions of a diffusion treatment that causing an optical fiber to be subjected to an non-oxygen bridging atmosphere; an exposure step of exposing the optical fiber to a gas including an oxygen bridging element that is capable of processing the Non-Bridging Oxygen Hole Centers by being bonded to a non-bridging oxygen in the optical fiber, and causing the oxygen bridging element to infiltrate into the optical fiber; and a diffusion step of subsequently causing the optical fiber to be subjected to the non-oxygen bridging atmosphere in the exposure ambient temperature which is determined by the determination step and at which the optical fiber is subjected to the non-oxygen bridging atmosphere, and thereby diffusing the oxygen bridging element into the optical fiber.

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.

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.

Certain example embodiments relate to an improved method of strengthening glass substrates (e.g., soda lime silica glass substrates). In certain examples, a glass substrate may be chemically strengthened by creating an electric field within the glass. In certain cases, the chemical tempering may be performed by surrounding the substrate by a plasma including certain ions, such as Li.sup.+, K.sup.+, Mg.sup.2+, and/or the like. In some cases, these ions may be forced into the glass substrate due to the half-cycles of the electric field generated by the electrodes that formed the plasma. This may advantageously chemically strengthen a glass substrate on a substantially reduced time scale. In other example embodiments, an electric field may be set in a float bath such that sodium ions are driven from the molten glass ribbon into the tin bath, which may advantageously result in a stronger glass substrate with reduced sodium content.