Patent ID: 7077900

Claim:
A method of fabricating a photonic crystal fiber preform, comprising the step of: extruding a first optical material into a continuous phase, and a second optical material into a plurality of dispersed phases to axially orient the dispersed phases; wherein said first optical material and said second optical material are extruded concurrently using one extrusion die; and wherein the first optical material is selected from the group consisting of polymethyl methacrylate, a copolymer mostly consisting of methyl methacrylate, polystyrene, a copolymer mostly consisting of styrene, a copolymer of styrene with acrylonitrile, poly-4-methylpentene-1, a copolymer of ethylene with vinyl acetate, polycarbonate, polychlorostyrene, polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyl acetate, a tertiary or quaternary copolymer consisting of methyl methacrylate and styrene, vinyltoluene or α-methylstyrene, and maleic anhydride, polydimethylsiloxane, polyacetal, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyvinylidene fluoride, polytrifluoroethylene, polyperfluoropropylene, a copolymer or a tertiary copolymer mostly consisting of fluorine, a blend of polyvinylidene fluoride with polymethyl methacrylate, a polymer mostly consisting of fluoromethacrylate defined as CH 2 ═C(CH 3 )COORf (wherein, Rf is (CH 2 ) m (CF 2 ) n H, (CH 2 ) m (CF 2 ) n F, CH—(CF 3 ) 2 , C(CF 3 ) 3 , CH 2 CF 2 CHFCF 3 , or CH 2 CF 2 (CF 3 ) 2 , and m and n are integers ranging from 1 to 20, respectively), a copolymer partially consisting of fluoromethacrylate, a copolymer of fluoromethacrylate with methylmethacrylate, a polymer mostly consisting of fluoroacrylate defined as CH 2 CHCOOR′f (wherein R′f is (CH 2 ) m (CF 2 ) n F, (CH 2 ) m (CF 2 ) n H, CH 2 CF 2 CHFCF 3 , or CH(CH 3 ) 2 , and m and n are integers ranging from 1 to 20, respectively), a copolymer partially consisting of fluoroacrylate, a copolymer of fluoroacrylate with fluoromethacrylate, a copolymer of fluoroacrylate, fluoromethacrylate, and methylmethacrylate, a polymer of 2-fluoroacrylate defined by CH 2 ═CFCOOR″f (wherein, R″f is CH 3 , (CH 2 ) m (CF 2 ) n H, (CH 2 ) m (CF2) n F, C(CF 3 ) 3 , or CH 2 CF 2 CHFCF 3 , and m and n are integers ranging from 1 to 20, respectively), and a copolymer partially consisting of 2-fluoroacrylate.