An anti-resonant hollow core optical fiber preform that includes an outer cladding, a plurality of structural tubes, and a central support tube. The outer cladding has a length, a central longitudinal axis, and a hollow interior. The plurality of structural tubes are disposed within the hollow interior of the outer cladding, the plurality of structural tubes each having a length that extends the length of the outer cladding. And the central support tube is disposed within the hollow interior of the outer cladding such that the plurality of structural tubes are disposed radially outward of the central support tube, the central support tube having a length that extends along the central longitudinal axis of the outer cladding. Furthermore, the length of the central support tube is less than the length of the outer cladding.

A method for making an optical fiber device may include using a three-dimensional (3D) printer to generate a preform body including an optical material. The preform body may have a 3D pattern of voids therein defining a 3D lattice. The method may further include drawing the preform body to form the optical fiber device.

Methods are known for producing an anti-resonant hollow-core fiber which has a hollow core extending along a fiber longitudinal axis and an inner jacket region that surrounds the hollow core, said jacket region comprising multiple anti-resonant elements. The known methods have the steps of: providing a cladding tube that has a cladding tube inner bore and a cladding tube longitudinal axis along which a cladding tube wall extends that is delimited by an interior and an exterior; providing a number of tubular anti-resonant element preforms; arranging the anti-resonant element preforms at target positions of the interior of the cladding tube wall, thereby forming a primary preform which has a hollow core region and an inner jacket region; and elongating the primary preform in order to form the hollow-core fiber or further processing the primary preform in order to form a secondary preform. The aim of the invention is to achieve a high degree of precision and an exact positioning of the anti-resonant elements in a sufficiently stable and reproducible manner on the basis of the aforementioned methods. This is achieved in that a secondary preform is formed which has an outer diameter ranging from 30 to 90 mm, and at least one of the end faces of the anti-resonant element preforms is closed prior to drawing the fiber.

Methods are known for producing an anti-resonant hollow-core fiber which has a hollow core extending along a fiber longitudinal axis and an inner jacket region that surrounds the hollow core, said jacket region comprising multiple anti-resonant elements. The known methods have the steps of: providing a cladding tube that has a cladding tube inner bore and a cladding tube longitudinal axis along which a cladding tube wall extends that is delimited by an interior and an exterior; providing a number of tubular anti-resonant element preforms; arranging the anti-resonant element preforms at target positions of the interior of the cladding tube wall, thereby forming a primary preform which has a hollow core region and an inner jacket region; and elongating the primary preform in order to form the hollow-core fiber or further processing the primary preform in order to form a secondary preform. The aim of the invention is to achieve a high degree of precision and an exact positioning of the anti-resonant elements in a sufficiently stable and reproducible manner on the basis of the aforementioned methods. This is achieved in that a positioning template is inserted into the cladding tube inner bore in order to arrange the anti-resonant element preforms, said template having holding elements for positioning the anti-resonant element preforms at the target positions.

Methods are known for producing an anti-resonant hollow-core fiber which has a hollow core extending along a fiber longitudinal axis and an inner jacket region that surrounds the hollow core, said jacket region comprising multiple anti-resonant elements. The known methods have the steps of: providing a cladding tube that has a cladding tube inner bore and a cladding tube longitudinal axis along which a cladding tube wall extends that is delimited by an interior and an exterior; providing a number of tubular anti-resonant element preforms; arranging the anti-resonant element preforms at target positions of the interior of the cladding tube wall, thereby forming a primary preform which has a hollow core region and an inner jacket region; and further processing the primary preform in order to form a secondary preform, including a process of elongating the primary preform in order to directly form the hollow-core fiber or to form the secondary preform. The aim of the invention is to achieve a high degree of precision and an exact positioning of the anti-resonant elements in a sufficiently stable and reproducible manner on the basis of the aforementioned methods. This is achieved in that a primary preform with an outer diameter ranging from 20 to 70 mm is used for the elongation process.

The present invention relates to a preform assembly and a method for drawing a multicore optical fibre and a holey fibre. Particularly, the preform assembly includes a hollow cylindrical tube, a plurality of discs stacked inside the hollow cylindrical tube and a plurality of core rods inserted in a plurality of through holes in each of the plurality of discs.

A hollow core optical fibre comprises a tubular jacket; a cladding comprising a plurality of primary capillaries spaced apart from one another in a ring and each bonded to an inner surface of the jacket at a peripheral location around the circumference of the jacket; and a hollow core formed by a central void within the ring of primary capillaries; wherein the cladding further comprises, within each primary capillary, two secondary capillaries and no more, the two secondary capillaries spaced apart from one another and each bonded to an inner surface of the primary capillary at an azimuthal location around the circumference of the primary capillary which is displaced from the peripheral location of the primary capillary.

A drawing furnace for drawing a glass element includes: a furnace body having an upper end and a lower end. The furnace body includes a top annular plate, an A/C induction coil capable of accepting electrical current and producing an oscillating electronic signal, a cylindrical susceptor capable of producing heat output, a cylindrical quartz beaker, an insulating material disposed between the susceptor and the beaker, and a bottom annular plate housing and supporting at least one of the susceptor, the beaker, and the insulating material. wherein the furnace body comprises a central longitudinal axis; A rotational drive system operably connected to the bottom annular plate by an annular rotation gear system rotates the bottom annular plate along with the susceptor, beaker, and/or insulating material at a frequency between 0.01 to 10 Hz. The electrical current and oscillation frequency determine the heat output of the susceptor.

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.

A shaped tube (50,51) for use as a component in the fabrication of an antiresonant hollow core optical fibre, the shaped tube having a side wall with a transverse cross-sectional shape comprising a number of major curved portions (52) alternating with the same number of minor substantially straight portions (54), each curved portion (52) having an inwardly curving shape, and each straight portion (54) being equidistant from a central longitudinal axis of the shaped tube (50,51).