Patent ID: 6802190
Filing Date: 2004-10-12
Classification: A61B,C03B,G02B

Abstract:
A method for fabricating a GRIN fiber, comprising:forming a tube of silica-glass having a tubular core and a concentric tubular cladding adjacent and external to the tubular core, the core having a dopant density with a radially graded profile; partially collapsing the tube by applying heat thereto, the partially collapsed tube having a central channel; passing a glass etchant through the central canal to remove an internal layer of silica glass; and then, collapsing the etched tube to a rod-like perform; and drawing a GRIN fiber from the perform; and wherein the drawing produces a GRIN fiber whose core has a refractive index with a profile having a radial second derivative whose average magnitude is less than about 1.7Ã—10âˆ’6 micronsâˆ’2 times the value of the refractive index on the axis of the GRIN fiber lens.