Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes – Optical article shaping or treating – Optical fiber – waveguide – or preform
Patent
1998-11-13
2000-06-06
Vargot, Mathieu D.
Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes
Optical article shaping or treating
Optical fiber, waveguide, or preform
264 17, 264 21, B29D 1100
Patent
active
060714417
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for producing a graded-refractive-index optical fiber (hereinafter sometimes referred to as GI type optical fiber for short) having high transparency and high heat resistance simultaneously, from a base material (preform), which was difficult to attain with conventional optical plastics.
The GI type optical fiber obtained by the present invention is an amorphous resin and thus is free from light scattering and very transparent to light at wavelengths within a wide range from ultraviolet light to near infrared light. Therefore, it is useful for optical systems for light of various wavelengths. In particular, the GI type optical fiber obtained by the present invention provides a light transmission medium with small losses at wavelengths of 1,300 nm and 1,550 nm, at which a trunk vitreous silica fiber is used in the field of optical communication.
2. Description of the Background
It has been known by JP-A-8-334633 to produce the GI type optical fiber by using an amorphous fluoropolymer (a) which has no C--H bond and a substance (b) which differs in refractive index by at least 0.001 in such a manner that a cylindrical molded body made of a low-refractive-index material is used as a mold, and made to contain a layer-forming material having a high refractive index on its inner surface, and it is subjected to rotational molding so that the layer-forming material having a high refractive index thermally diffuse during the rotational molding to form a cylindrical base material having an inner and outer at least two layer structure; and the obtained cylindrical base material is then formed into a fiber.
In the above method for production of the GI type optical fiber, by making the base material cylindrical, there will be no voids, bubbles or deformation resulting from cooling shrinkage of the resin, and no light scattering body will form, and thus, the transmission property improves. However, there was a defect that the hollow part is likely to remain in the fiber when the cylindrical base material is formed into a fiber.
Further, there was a defect that it is difficult to optionally change the refractive index distribution form, and in many cases, the distribution form is determined uniformly, and it is difficult to obtain the refractive index distribution form suitable for the required property of e.g. a light source, a light receiver or a connector.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made to solve the above problems and provides comprises using an amorphous fluoropolymer (a) which substantially has no C--H bond, and at least one substance (b) which differs from the fluoropolymer (a) in refractive index by at least 0.001; using a cylindrical molded body made of a low-refractive-index material selected from at least one member of the above materials as a mold, forming at least one layer made of a layer-forming material having a relatively high refractive index selected from at least one member of the above materials, on the inner surface of the cylindrical body material by rotational molding; forming a cylindrical base material having an inner and outer at least two layer structure; and forming the obtained cylindrical base material into a fiber, wherein the centrifugal force is changed during the rotational molding, comprises using an amorphous fluoropolymer (a) which substantially has no C--H bond and at least one material which differs from the fluoropolymer (a) in refractive index by at least 0.001; using a cylindrical molded body made of a low-refractive-index material selected from at least one member of the above materials as a mold, forming at least one layer made of a layer-forming material having a relatively high refractive index selected from at least one member of the above material on the inner surface of the cylindrical base material by rotational molding; forming a cylindrical base material having an inner and outer at least two layer structure; and forming the obtained cylindric
REFERENCES:
patent: 4022855 (1977-05-01), Hamblen
patent: 4541969 (1985-09-01), Neefe
Koganezawa Koji
Onishi Tsuyoshi
Tsukamoto Takashi
Yoshihara Noriyuki
Asahi Glass Company Ltd.
Vargot Mathieu D.
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