The present disclosure provides optical fiber preforms formed from core canes having large core-clad ratio, intermediate core-cladding assemblies, and methods for making the preforms and core cladding assemblies. The preforms are made with capped core canes. The capping material has a coefficient of thermal expansion less than the coefficient of thermal expansion of the core cane and more closely matched to or lower than the coefficient of thermal expansion of the surrounding cladding monolith in a cane-in-soot process. Presence of the cap reduces stresses that arise from differential thermal expansion of the core cane and cladding materials and leads to preforms having low defect concentration and low probability of failure during subsequent thermal processing steps.

A method for manufacturing a preform for a multicore fiber, including stacking (S1) a plurality of core rods and a plurality of silica-based filler rods in a tube; collapsing (S2) the tube around the stack of core rods and silica-based filler rods, forming a collapsed stack; depositing (S3) a layer of silica around the collapsed stack; removing (S4) at least part of the deposited layer of silica. The preferential process for depositing a layer of silica around the collapsed stack and removing at least part of the deposited layer of silica is Advanced Plasma and Vapor Deposition.

In known methods for producing a glass component, a void-containing intermediate product containing doped or non-doped SiO.sub.2 is inserted into a sheath tube composed of glass, which has a longitudinal axis and an inner bore, and is thermally treated therein. In order to subject the intermediate product to a thermal and/or reactive treatment that is reproducible and uniform in its effect from this starting point, it is proposed in one embodiment that into the sheath tube's inner bore a first gas-permeable gas diffuser is inserted which is displaceable along the sheath tube's longitudinal axis and is pressed against the intermediate product during the thermal treatment.

A method of manufacturing an optical fiber, the method including mounting a glass sleeve in a selective etching apparatus. The sleeve comprising one or more axial through-holes, and the etching apparatus comprising a first end cap with a central aperture disposed therethrough, the first end cap being attached to a first surface of the sleeve. The method further including exposing the sleeve to an acid solution such that a first portion of the first surface is exposed to the acid solution and a second portion of the first surface is not exposed to the acid solution. The first portion being adjacent to the central aperture when the sleeve is mounted in the selective etching apparatus, and the second portion being covered by the first end cap when the sleeve is mounted in the selective etching apparatus.

A method for manufacturing an optical fibre includes placing the powdery substance compactly in the fluorine doped tube to form a core section. The core section of the glass preform is defined along a longitudinal axis of the glass preform. In particular, the fluorine doped tube is sintered to solidify the powdery substance. Moreover, the glass preform is heated at high temperature to draw the optical fibre.

A method for manufacturing of an optical fibre preform (100) using optimized core particles includes optimization of particles of calcium aluminum silicate powder (104), utilizing the optimized core particles, sintering the optimized core particles inside a fluorine doped glass tube (106) and drawing of an optical fibre. Particularly, the optimization of the particles of calcium aluminum silicate powder (104) facilitates formation of the optimized core particles and the optimized core particles are filled inside the fluorine doped glass tube (106). Moreover, sintering of the optimized core particles solidifies and adheres smoothly with the fluorine doped glass tube (106) for manufacturing of the optical fibre preform (100).

A reduced diameter optical fibre preform positioned along a longitudinal axis includes a core section defined around the longitudinal axis and a cladding section circumferentially surrounding the core section. The reduced diameter optical fibre preform is manufactured by utilizing a calcium aluminum silicate rod and a fluorine doped glass cylinder.

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 for manufacturing an optical fiber preform includes: adding an alkali metal element or an alkaline earth metal element to an inner surface of a glass pipe made of silica-based glass; reducing a diameter of the glass pipe after the adding; etching an inner surface of a continuous section of the glass pipe in a longitudinal direction after the reducing; and collapsing the glass pipe after the etching. At least one of the adding, the reducing, the etching, and the collapsing includes performing a local etching on an inner surface of a section of the glass pipe that is shorter than the continuous section.

A multicore fiber is provided that includes a plurality of elliptical cores spaced apart from one another. Each of the plurality of elliptical cores has an elliptical shape. The multicore fiber also includes a cladding surrounding the plurality of elliptical cores.