ABSTRACT
The mechanism involved during solution doping process has been systematically investigated by correlating the soot characteristics and solution parameters with the amount of rare earth (RE) incorporated in the core of optical fiber. Experiments show that the amount of RE incorporation may be controlled with better precision by adjusting Al ion concentration in the soaking solution. A model has been developed on the basis of cooperative adsorption mechanism correlating different parameters in the overall process. Theoretical estimation shows good agreement with the experimental results and can be used to predict the extent of RE incorporation for any composition if the soot layer characteristics are known.
Subject(s)
Computer-Aided Design , Fiber Optic Technology/instrumentation , Metals, Rare Earth/chemistry , Equipment Design , Equipment Failure Analysis , Light , Optical Fibers , Scattering, Radiation , SolutionsABSTRACT
The porous core layer deposited by modified chemical vapour deposition process has been analyzed in terms of thickness, pore size distribution, homogeneity and characteristics of the soot particles to investigate their variation with deposition temperature and input vapour composition. The compositions selected were SiO(2), SiO(2)-GeO(2) and SiO(2)-P(2)O(5). Rare earth ions were incorporated into the deposit by a solution doping technique. The analysis of deposited microstructures was found to provide a quantitative indication about the rare earth incorporation and its variation with respect to process conditions. Thus the characterization provides a method of controlling rare earth doping and ultimate preform/fiber properties.
