Abstract

There is continuing concern with regard to the impact of fiber drawing conditions on the optical properties of silica as both preform sizes as well as drawing speeds increase to meet the demands of production. This paper reports recent work conducted on fiber drawing induced defects using our fabrication facility. Specific topics to be presented include the spatial distribution of defect centers generated in synthetic silica fibers, the photosensitivity of drawn fibers to ultraviolet light, photoluminescence of fibers compared to preforms or bulk rods from which they are drawn and the impact of accelerated cooling on defect center generation in silica fibers. These studies have been conducted over a variety of drawing conditions including drawing speed, drawing temperature and fiber tension.

© 1997 Optical Society of America