Method and device for preparing fluoride glass optical fiber preform by tube suction method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2026062337-A1
Application number	US-202418926791-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 25, 2024
Priority date	Sep 5, 2024
Publication date	Mar 5, 2026
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method and a device for preparing a fluoride glass optical fiber preform by a tube suction method are provided. The method includes following steps: S1, heating and melting glass raw materials of outer cladding, inner cladding and a fiber core; S2, sucking to prepare the outer cladding; S3, sucking to prepare the inner cladding inside the outer cladding; S4, sucking to prepare the fiber core inside the inner cladding; and S5, annealing the outer cladding, the inner cladding and the fiber core to obtain a preform product.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for preparing a fluoride glass optical fiber preform by a tube suction method, comprising following steps:
S 1 , heating and melting glass raw materials of outer cladding, inner cladding and a fiber core; S 2 , sucking to prepare the outer cladding; S 3 , sucking to prepare the inner cladding inside the outer cladding; S 4 , sucking to prepare the fiber core inside the inner cladding; and S 5 , annealing the outer cladding, the inner cladding and the fiber core to obtain a preform product.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein in the S 1 , the glass raw materials of the outer cladding, the inner cladding and the fiber core are respectively put into platinum crucibles, and the platinum crucibles are placed in a furnace at 700-900 degrees Celsius and kept for 1-2 hours, so that the glass raw materials are completely melted.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein in the S 2 , a first platinum crucible containing an outer cladding melting raw material is taken out of the furnace and placed on a movable platform, and a temperature of the melting raw material is monitored by infrared temperature measurement; when the temperature of the melting raw material is reduced to 450-550 degrees Celsius, a quartz tube is inserted into the melting raw material, and the melting raw material is sucked by a negative pressure, and a pressure is held for 5-30 seconds after suction is completed, and the negative pressure is relieved, an excess raw material is discharged, and a preparation of the outer cladding is completed.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein in the S 3 , a second platinum crucible containing an inner cladding melting raw material is moved below the quartz tube through the movable platform, the quartz tube with the outer cladding is inserted into the inner cladding melting raw material, the melting raw material is sucked by the negative pressure, the pressure is held for 5-10 seconds after suction is completed, the negative pressure is relieved, an excess raw material is discharged, and a preparation of the inner cladding is completed.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein in the S 4 , a third platinum crucible containing a fiber core melting raw material is moved below the quartz tube through the movable platform, and the quartz tube with the outer cladding and the inner cladding is inserted into the fiber core melting raw material, and the melting raw material is sucked by the negative pressure, and the pressure is held for 10-30 seconds after suction is completed, and the negative pressure is relieved after a fiber core melting raw material is solidified.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein in the S 5 , the quartz tube with the outer cladding, the inner cladding and the fiber core is put into an annealing furnace for annealing, wherein an annealing temperature is 10-20 degrees Celsius higher than a glass transition temperature, and a duration of an annealing heat preservation is 2-4 hours; and after the heat preservation is completed, a temperature of the quartz tube is cooled to room temperature at a rate of 10 degrees Celsius per hour, and the preform product is obtained.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: preparing a preform product with a single cladding.

8 . A device used in the method of claim 1 , comprising: a movable platform, wherein platinum crucibles are placed on a top end of the movable platform, and a lifting column is arranged on one side of the movable platform, and the lifting column is fixedly connected to a valve body through a bracket; wherein the valve body is fixedly in communication with a quartz tube, and the quartz tube is located above the platinum crucibles; and wherein the valve body is also fixedly in communication with two hoses, one of the hoses is fixedly in communication with a sucker, and an other of the hoses is fixedly in communication with a vent valve through a quick-connect port.

Assignees

• Univ Jiliang China

Inventors

• Hua Youjie
• Fan Zhanhao
• Xu Shiqing
• Cai Muzhi
• Huang Feifei
• Tian Ying
• Zhang Junjie

Classifications

• C03B2201/12

  doped with fluorine (C03B2201/14 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C03B37/01274

  by extrusion or drawing · CPC title

• C03B2201/82

  Fluoride glasses, e.g. ZBLAN glass · CPC title

• C03B37/01268 Primary

  by casting · CPC title

• C03B37/01205 Primary

  starting from tubes, rods, fibres or filaments (C03B37/014 takes precedence) · CPC title