Patent ID: 6268435
Filing Date: 2001-07-31
Classification: C08F,Y10T

Abstract:
A method for controlling material dispersion in a polymer composition across a wavelength band, said method comprising the steps of:(a) providing a portion of an optical fiber through which optical energy can propagate, wherein said portion of said optical fiber has a surface through which at least some of said optical energy can be extracted, and wherein said portion of said optical fiber has an effective mode refractive index at each wavelength of said wavelength band and an effective mode dispersion across said wavelength band;(b) forming said polymer composition over said surface of said portion of said optical fiber, wherein said polymer composition comprises:(1) from about 0.2 to about 4% by weight of an infrared absorbing dye having an absorption maximum from about 900 to about 1200 nm; and(2) from about 96 to about 99.8% by weight of a polar olefin copolymer comprising monomeric units derived from two or more polar olefins having an ester, benzene or halogen substituent attached thereto; andwherein said polymer composition has a material refractive index at each wavelength of said wavelength band and a material dispersion across said wavelength band; and(c) controlling said material dispersion across said wavelength band by altering the amount of said infrared absorbing dye present in said polymer composition, whereby said material refractive index at each wavelength is also controlled.