A method of forming an optical fiber preform includes the steps: igniting a burner having a fume tube assembly to produce a first spray size of silicon dioxide particles; depositing the silicon dioxide particles on a core cane to produce a soot blank; and adjusting an effective diameter of an aperture of the fume tube assembly to produce a second spray size of the silicon dioxide particles. The second spray size is larger than the first spray size.

A multiple tube burner for synthesizing a porous material includes three or more glass tubes are arranged coaxially with one another, the glass tubes having a substantially circular shape on a cross section perpendicular to a longitudinal direction. Out of the three or more glass tubes, a first glass tube and a second glass tube that is arranged on an outer side of the first glass tube are connected with each other on a gas introducing side, and a thickness near a joint portion of the second glass tube connected with the first glass tube is thicker than a thickness of the second glass tube on the gas spouting side.

To provide a fabrication method for a porous glass base material for optical fiber, the method including performing deposition of glass fine particles generated by using a burner for glass fine particle synthesis to form a porous glass base material, and heating this porous glass base material to be transformed into transparent glass to obtain a glass base material hardly containing any air bubbles. Provided is a fabrication method for a porous glass base material for optical fiber by depositing glass fine particles, which is generated in flame formed by ejecting a glass raw material gas and a combustible gas from a burner, on a rotating starting material, in which the burner continuously ejects inert gas for at least a predetermined period immediately after the end of the deposition of the glass fine particles.

A method of producing bi-modal particles includes the steps of igniting a first precursor gas using a primary burner thereby producing a first plurality of particles of a first size, fluidly transporting the first plurality of particles down a particle tube, igniting a second precursor gas using a secondary burner thereby producing a second plurality of particles of a second size, flowing the second plurality of particles into the first plurality of particles, and capturing the first and second plurality of particles.

A method for manufacturing a glass fine particle deposit includes: emitting a siloxane gas, a carrier gas, and a combustion gas from a burner; setting volume concentration of a supply volume amount of the siloxane gas per unit time with respect to the sum of the supply volume amount of the siloxane gas per unit time and a supply volume amount of the carrier gas per unit time (C1) to 10.6 volume %<C1<20.0 volume %; and setting volume concentration of the supply volume amount of the siloxane gas per unit time with respect to the sum of the supply volume amount of the siloxane gas per unit time, the supply volume amount of the carrier gas per unit time, and a supply volume amount of the seal gas per unit time (C2) to 5.8 volume %<C2<10.0 volume %.

A method of producing bi-modal particles includes the steps of igniting a first precursor gas using a primary burner thereby producing a first plurality of particles of a first size, fluidly transporting the first plurality of particles down a particle tube, igniting a second precursor gas using a secondary burner thereby producing a second plurality of particles of a second size, flowing the second plurality of particles into the first plurality of particles, and capturing the first and second plurality of particles.

The present invention provides an optical fiber with improved optical properties such as zero dispersion wavelength by suppressing the volatilization of dopant materials such as germanium dioxide and optimizing the refractive index distribution by adjusting the setting position of the core portion burner for deposition in a larger optical fiber preform. An optical fiber preform includes a core portion with a relatively high refractive index and a clad portion with a relatively low refractive index, wherein a position having a value of 45% of a refractive index difference between a center of the core portion and the clad portion is a boundary rcore (mm) between the core portion and the clad portion; and when a radius position r at which a refractive index difference with the clad portion being a maximum value is rside (mm), r.sub.side/rcore is 0.745 to 1.

A process for producing a glass body, the process including flowing oxygen gas from a burner in a furnace at a flow rate of greater than 12.0 standard liters per minute and flowing a precursor gas mixture from the burner. The process further including oxidizing the precursor gas mixture with the oxygen gas to form glass particles and depositing the glass particles on a collection cup to form the glass body.

A known method for homogenizing glass includes the following steps: providing a cylindrical blank composed of the glass, having a cylindrical outer surface which extends between a first end face and a second end face, forming a shear zone in the blank by softening a longitudinal section of the blank and subjecting it to a thermal-mechanical intermixing treatment, and moving the shear zone along the longitudinal axis of the blank. To reduce the risk of cracks and fractures during homogenizing, it is proposed that a thermal radiation dissipator is used that at least partially surrounds the shear zone, the lateral dimension of which in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the blank is greater than the shear zone and smaller than the length of the blank, the thermal radiation dissipator being moved synchronously with the shear zone along the longitudinal axis of the blank.

A method of measuring a diameter of a core portion of an optical fiber preform including the core portion having a relatively high refractive index and a clad portion having a relatively low refractive index. The method includes applying parallel light to the optical fiber preform, and measuring the diameter of the core portion from an image captured by receiving the light having transmitted through the optical fiber preform.