Current manufacturing methods rely on batch production of preforms trough internal or external chemical vapor deposition (CVD or MCVD) where gas phase precursors are thermally decomposed to produce particles (soot) which are deposited on the preform surface and heated to remove voids and impurities. 

The layered preform is then drawn into a fiber. Such methods are used to produce high quality optical fiber, however, deposition rates remain low and cost is high. Moreover, fiber length is limited by the discontinuous nature of the production process. The inherent variability of batch process and the ever present “end” effects requires the drawn fiber from ends of the preform to be discarded and sections of cable to be joined to achieve the sufficient lengths required by many applications. This leads to complex couplings associated with losses and disruptions in the light signal. Moreover, the methods produce a coating composed of nucleated particles having a wide distribution of size and morphology, which can also further reduce the light transmission efficiency.

Current manufacturing method

Our technology revolutionizes optical fibre production by synthesizing super-micron sized nano-structured particles which are efficiently deposited at high throughput by inertial impaction.

Using this method, both the fiber substrate and a multi-layered preform can be continuously produced. The layered preform is constructed from multicomponent particles deposited from one or more aerosol streams wherein the individual particles have the ratio of components as desired in the preform layer. The aerosol particles have a sub-particle structure having dimensions smaller than the wavelength of light (which, in previous methods, required ultra fine deposition particles) byt are large enough to be deposited by highly efficient aerosol deposition methods such as atmospheric pressure inertial impaction (which, in current methods would require ultra high vacuum or hypersonic deposition speeds). Particles are deposited on the preform substrate via one or more specialized deposition units.

Multiple deposition units are operated simultaneously or in series. For batch production a preform substrate is used. For continuous production, a preform substrate can be produced by extrusion and, as the preform substrate is synthesized, it can be simultaneously fed into a drawing furnace for continuous fiber production.

Continuous Fiber Production

The particle synthesis process has been demonstrated in the lab with silica together with model materials other than traditional optical fiber doping materials. The deposition process has been simulated and demonstrated for other materials and substrates. The short term development focus is to demonstrate particle synthesis with traditional silica doping materials and to build a test deposition unit for deposition on silica substrates.

* Demo nano-structured deposition particles have been produced and deposition has been simulated.

Patents for the invention applied in Europe, USA, Canada

• CA2694173 Method and apparatus for continuous or batch optical fiber preform and optical fiber production
• EP2158169 Method and apparatus for continuous or batch optical fiber preform and optical fiber production
• US20070240454 Method and apparatus for continuous or batch optical fiber preform and optical fiber production
• WO2008094228 Method and apparatus for continuous or batch optical fiber preform and optical fiber production