公开(公告)号：US11618709B2

公开(公告)日：2023-04-04

申请号：US17376284

申请日：2021-07-15

申请人： CORNING INCORPORATED

发明人： Yacob Mesfin Argaw ,  Nikolaos Pantelis Kladias ,  Robert Clark Moore ,  Bruce Warren Reding ,  Chunfeng Zhou

IPC分类号： C03B37/027

摘要： A method of processing an optical fiber includes drawing the optical fiber from a heated glass source, reheating the optical fiber, and cooling the optical fiber under vacuum at a cooling rate less than the cooling rate of the optical fiber in air at 25° C. and 1 atm. Cooling the optical fiber under vacuum is conducted after reheating the optical fiber. Cooling the optical fiber under vacuum reduces the rate of heat transfer from the optical fiber, which may enable further relaxation of the glass and reduction in the fictive temperature of the optical fiber. A system for processing an optical fiber includes a furnace containing a fiber preform, a first positioner, a reheating device, and a treatment device downstream of the reheating device, the treatment device operable to cool the optical fiber under vacuum to reduce the rate of heat transfer from the optical fiber.

公开(公告)号：US11524920B2

公开(公告)日：2022-12-13

申请号：US17112192

申请日：2020-12-04

申请人： Corning Incorporated

发明人： Sumitava De ,  Robert Clark Moore ,  Douglas Gregg Neilson ,  Pushkar Tandon

IPC分类号： C03C25/12 ,  C03C25/105 ,  C03C25/18

摘要： An optical fiber coating apparatus that provides increased gyre stability and reduced gyre strength, thereby providing a more reliable coating application process during fiber drawing includes a cone-only coating die having a conical entrance portion with a tapered wall angled at a half angle α, wherein 2°≤α≤25°, and a cone height L1 less than 2.2 mm, and a cylindrical portion having an inner diameter of d2, wherein 0.1 mm≤d2≤0.5 mm and a cylindrical height of L2, wherein 0.05 mm≤L2≤1.25 mm; a guide die having an optical fiber exit, the guide die disposed adjacent the cone-only coating die such that a wetted length (L5) between the optical fiber exit of the guide die and the entrance of the cone-only coating die is from 1 mm to 5 mm; and a holder for holding the cone-only coating die and the guide die in a fixed relationship defining a coating chamber between the guide die and the cone-only coating die, the coating chamber having an inner radius L6 from the optical fiber axis to an inner wall of the holder that is from 3 mm to 10 mm.

公开(公告)号：US09932260B2

公开(公告)日：2018-04-03

申请号：US15337591

申请日：2016-10-28

申请人： Corning Incorporated

发明人： Kenneth Duane Billings ,  Dana Craig Bookbinder ,  Paul Andrew Chludzinski ,  Robert Clark Moore ,  Pushkar Tandon

IPC分类号： C03B37/027 ,  C03B37/025 ,  G02B6/036 ,  C03C25/10 ,  G02B6/02

CPC分类号： C03B37/02718 ,  C03B37/0253 ,  C03B37/02727 ,  C03B37/029 ,  C03B37/032 ,  C03B2201/02 ,  C03B2201/12 ,  C03B2201/20 ,  C03B2201/31 ,  C03B2201/50 ,  C03B2203/224 ,  C03B2203/24 ,  C03B2203/26 ,  C03B2205/42 ,  C03B2205/44 ,  C03B2205/55 ,  C03B2205/56 ,  C03B2205/60 ,  C03C25/106 ,  G02B6/02004 ,  G02B6/02009 ,  G02B6/0281 ,  G02B6/03622 ,  G02B6/03627 ,  G02B6/03633 ,  G02B6/03694

摘要： According to some embodiments a method of processing an optical fiber comprises the steps of: (i) drawing the fiber at a drawing rate of at least 30 m/sec; and (ii) cooling the drawn fiber in a gas at an average cooling rate less than 5000° C./s, such that said cooling reduces the temperature of the fiber from an entering temperature in the range between 1500° C. and 1700° C. to another temperature in the range between 1200° C. and 1400° C., the gas being at a temperature between 800° C. and 1500° C.; and the thermal conductivity κ of the gas being not greater than 1.5×10−4 cal/cm-s-K for at least one temperature within a range of 800° C. to 1500° C. at one atm (atmosphere) pressure absolute.

公开(公告)号：US11554980B2

公开(公告)日：2023-01-17

申请号：US17470499

申请日：2021-09-09

申请人： Corning Incorporated

发明人： Erling Richard Anderson ,  Tammy Michelle Hoffmann ,  John Michael Jewell ,  Nikolaos Pantelis Kladias ,  Robert Clark Moore

IPC分类号： C03B37/029

摘要： A furnace system includes a muffle defining a furnace cavity. A lower heater is coupled to the muffle and is configured to create a hot zone within the furnace cavity having a temperature of about 1900° C. or greater. An upper muffle extension is positioned above the muffle and defines a handle cavity. A downfeed handle is positioned within the handle cavity such that a gap is defined between an outer surface of the downfeed handle and an inner surface of the upper muffle extension. An upper heater is thermally coupled to the upper muffle extension and configured to heat the gap. A gas screen is positioned in the upper muffle extension and is configured to inject a process gas into the handle cavity.

公开(公告)号：US11440839B2

公开(公告)日：2022-09-13

申请号：US17112166

申请日：2020-12-04

申请人： Corning Incorporated

发明人： Sumitava De ,  Robert Clark Moore ,  Douglas Gregg Neilson ,  Pushkar Tandon

IPC分类号： C03C25/18 ,  C03C25/105

摘要： An optical fiber coating apparatus that provides increased gyre stability and reduced gyre strength, thereby providing a more reliable coating application process during fiber drawing includes a cone-only coating die having a conical entrance portion with a tapered wall angled at a half angle α, wherein 2°≤α≤25°, and a cone height L1 less than 2.2 mm, and a cylindrical portion having an inner diameter of d2, wherein 0.1 mm≤d2≤0.5 mm and a cylindrical height of L2, wherein 0.05 mm≤L2≤1.25 mm; a guide die having an optical fiber exit, the guide die disposed adjacent the cone-only coating die such that a wetted length (L5) between the optical fiber exit of the guide die and the entrance of the cone-only coating die is from 1 mm to 5 mm; and a holder for holding the cone-only coating die and the guide die in a fixed relationship defining a coating chamber between the guide die and the cone-only coating die, the coating chamber having an inner radius L6 from the optical fiber axis to an inner wall of the holder that is from 3 mm to 10 mm.

公开(公告)号：US20220089480A1

公开(公告)日：2022-03-24

申请号：US17406523

申请日：2021-08-19

申请人： CORNING INCORPORATED

发明人： Kenneth Duane Billings ,  Hector Michael Belleza De Pedro ,  Robert Clark Moore ,  Zachary Joseph Quist ,  Michael James Todt

IPC分类号： C03C25/12 ,  C03C25/104

摘要： An apparatus for curing a coating composition disposed on a glass optical fiber. The apparatus includes a reflector, the reflector having an interior surface delineating a boundary of a cavity, the interior surface including a plurality of portions, each of the portions extending along a different curved contour. Furthermore, each of the plurality of portions is configured to reflect curing light so that the reflected curing light is concentrated to a curing zone within the cavity such that all the reflected curing light within the curing zone has an intensity of about 60% or greater relative to a maximum intensity of the reflected curing light. A fiber location for the glass optical fiber is located within the curing zone. Additionally, the plurality of portions includes at least a first portion and a second portion, the first portion having a different degree of curvature than the second portion.

公开(公告)号：US11237323B2

公开(公告)日：2022-02-01

申请号：US15899558

申请日：2018-02-20

申请人： Corning Incorporated

发明人： Kenneth Duane Billings ,  Spencer Thomas Kingsbury ,  Robert Clark Moore ,  Michael James Todt ,  Johnnie Edward Watson

IPC分类号： C03B25/10 ,  G02B6/028 ,  C03B37/029 ,  C03B37/027

摘要： An optical fiber production system includes an annealing furnace having a furnace inlet, a furnace outlet, and a process tube extending between the furnace inlet and the furnace outlet, the process tube having a process tube wall and a heating zone including at least one heating element. The optical fiber production system also includes a gas distribution assembly fluidly coupled to the furnace outlet and structurally configured to induce gas flow from the gas distribution assembly into the process tube such that gas flows within the process tube in an upflow direction.

公开(公告)号：US20210269352A1

公开(公告)日：2021-09-02

申请号：US17182812

申请日：2021-02-23

申请人： Corning Incorporated

发明人： Steven Akin Dunwoody ,  Robert Clark Moore ,  Pushkar Tandon

IPC分类号： C03B37/025 ,  C03B37/027 ,  C03B37/029

摘要： Optical fibers having low fictive temperature and methods of making such fibers are described. Management of the cooling rate of an optical fiber during fiber draw permits control over the fictive temperature of the fiber. Non-monotonic cooling rates are shown to promote reductions in fiber fictive temperature. The non-monotonic cooling includes slower cooling rates in upstream portions of the process pathway and faster cooling rates in downstream portions of the process pathway. Reduction in fiber fictive temperature is achieved by controlling the ambient temperature of the fiber to slow the cooling rate of the fiber in upstream portions of the process pathway that correspond to the fiber temperature regime in which the fiber viscosity is sufficiently low to permit efficient structural relaxation. Increases in cooling rate in downstream portions of the process pathway permit adjustment of fiber temperature as needed to meet entrance temperature requirements of downstream processing units. Lower fiber fictive temperature and lower fiber attenuation are achieved at faster draw speeds through non-monotonic cooling of fiber temperature.

公开(公告)号：US10961145B2

公开(公告)日：2021-03-30

申请号：US15710074

申请日：2017-09-20

申请人： Corning Incorporated

发明人： Steven Akin Dunwoody ,  Robert Clark Moore ,  Pushkar Tandon

IPC分类号： C03B37/025 ,  C03B37/027 ,  C03B37/029

摘要： Optical fibers having low fictive temperature and methods of making such fibers are described. Management of the cooling rate of an optical fiber during fiber draw permits control over the fictive temperature of the fiber. Non-monotonic cooling rates are shown to promote reductions in fiber fictive temperature. The non-monotonic cooling includes slower cooling rates in upstream portions of the process pathway and faster cooling rates in downstream portions of the process pathway. Reduction in fiber fictive temperature is achieved by controlling the ambient temperature of the fiber to slow the cooling rate of the fiber in upstream portions of the process pathway that correspond to the fiber temperature regime in which the fiber viscosity is sufficiently low to permit efficient structural relaxation. Increases in cooling rate in downstream portions of the process pathway permit adjustment of fiber temperature as needed to meet entrance temperature requirements of downstream processing units. Lower fiber fictive temperature and lower fiber attenuation are achieved at faster draw speeds through non-monotonic cooling of fiber temperature.

公开(公告)号：US20150040614A1

公开(公告)日：2015-02-12

申请号：US14338556

申请日：2014-07-23

申请人： Corning Incorporated

发明人： Steven Akin Dunwoody ,  Robert Clark Moore ,  Pushkar Tandon

IPC分类号： C03B37/027 ,  C03B37/025

摘要： A method of making optical fibers that includes controlled cooling to produce fibers having a low concentration of non-bridging oxygen defects and low sensitivity to hydrogen. The method may include heating a fiber preform above its softening point, drawing a fiber from the heated preform and passing the fiber through two treatment stages. The fiber may enter the first treatment stage at a temperature between 1500° C. and 1700° C., may exit the first treatment stage at a temperature between 1200° C. and 1400° C., and may experience a cooling rate less than 5000° C./s in the first treatment stage. The fiber may enter the second treatment stage downstream from the first treatment stage at a temperature between 1200° C. and 1400° C., may exit the second treatment stage at a temperature between 1000° C. and 1150° C., and may experience a cooling rate between 5000° C./s and 12,000° C./s in the second treatment stage. The method may also include redirecting the fiber with a fluid bearing device or an air-turn device.

摘要翻译： 制造光纤的方法包括控制冷却以产生具有低浓度的非桥接氧缺陷和对氢的低敏感性的纤维。 该方法可以包括在其软化点之上加热纤维预制件，从加热的预成型件拉伸纤维并使纤维通过两个处理阶段。 纤维可以在1500℃和1700℃之间的温度下进入第一处理阶段，可以在1200℃和1400℃之间的温度下离开第一处理阶段，并且可能经历的冷却速率小于 在第一处理阶段为5000℃/秒。 纤维可以在1200℃和1400℃之间的温度下进入第一处理阶段下游的第二处理阶段，可以在1000℃和1150℃之间的温度下退出第二处理阶段，并且可以 在第二处理阶段经历5000°C /秒和12,000°C / s之间的冷却速度。 该方法还可以包括用流体轴承装置或空气转动装置重新定向纤维。