Abstract

Current world-wide practices in important glass preform- and fiber-making processes have been carefully reviewed. Selected key processes and materials that affect fiber performance (such as attenuation, bandwidth, and numerical aperature) and/or fabrication economics (such as deposition rate and efficiency, size, and selections) will be discussed. Special attention will be given to progress in vapor phase processes (IVPO, OVPO, and VAD) for both telephone and nontelephone fiber applications.

© 1979 Optical Society of America