Few-mode optical fiber

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10359563-B2
Application number	US-201615070283-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2016
Priority date	Mar 20, 2015
Publication date	Jul 23, 2019
Grant date	Jul 23, 2019

Abstract

A few-mode optical fiber is provided. The few-mode optical fiber includes an elliptical core capable of supporting the propagation and transmission of an optical signal with X number of LP modes at a wavelength of 1550 nm, wherein X is an integer greater than 1 and less than 20, and a cladding surrounding the core. The core has an ovality of greater than about 5.0%.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A few-mode optical fiber comprising:
an elliptical core having a maximum relative refractive index of Δ 1 MAX , the elliptical core being capable of supporting the propagation and transmission of an optical signal with X number of LP modes, wherein X is an integer greater than 1 and less than 20; and
a cladding surrounding the core, the cladding comprising:
a low-index ring having a radius in a first dimension and a radius in a second dimension perpendicular to the first dimension and having a minimum relative refractive index of Δ 2 MIN ;
a first cladding layer having a relative refractive index of Δ 3 , the low-index ring being spaced from the core by the first cladding layer; and
an outer cladding layer surrounding the low-index ring,

wherein the core has an ovality of greater than about 5.0%,
wherein the low-index ring radius in the first dimension is greater than the low-index ring radius in the second dimension, and
wherein Δ 1 MAX >Δ 3 >Δ 2 MIN .

2. The few-mode optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the core has an ovality of greater than about 8.0%.

3. The few-mode optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the difference between effective area of subgroups of LP modes is greater than about 2.8×10 −6 .

4. The few-mode optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the difference between effective area of subgroups of LP modes is greater than about 3.0×10 −5 .

5. The few-mode optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the core comprises germania-doped silica.

6. The few-mode optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the core comprises an average core radius of between about 6.0 μm and about 40 μm.

7. The few-mode optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the relative refractive index difference of Δ 1 MAX with respect to pure silica is between about 0.3% and about 1.0%.

8. The few-mode optical fiber of claim 7 , wherein the relative refractive index difference of Δ 1 MAX with respect to pure silica is between about 0.4% and about 0.6%.

9. The few-mode optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the relative refractive index difference of Δ 2 MIN with respect to pure silica is less than or equal to about 0%.

10. The few-mode optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the relative refractive index difference of Δ 2 MIN with respect to pure silica is less than or equal to about −0.2%.

11. The few-mode optical fiber of claim 1 , further comprising a primary coating surrounding the cladding.

12. The few-mode optical fiber of claim 11 , further comprising a secondary coating surrounding the primary coating.

13. The few-mode optical fiber of claim 1 comprising a birefringence of greater than about 5.0×10 −5 over the wavelength range from about 800 nm to about 1700 nm.

Assignees

• Corning Inc

Inventors

• Li Ming-Jun
• Peng Gaozhu

Classifications

• G02B6/0288 Primary

  Multimode fibre, e.g. graded index core for compensating modal dispersion · CPC title

• G02B6/0365

  arranged - - + · CPC title

• G02B6/024

  with polarisation maintaining properties · CPC title