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Have a technical question for Fiber Optic Center?

 

Please email your question to AskFOC@focenter.com and we will respond ASAP. In addition to replying, we will post your question and our answer here on the AskFOC page. Everyone remains anonymous when we post so feel comfortable asking your questions. You can also search to see if your question has already been answered in the FAQs section below.

Making Double-Clad Fibers Process

QUESTION: Do you have a process for making double-clad fibers? ANSWER: Yes. In addition to providing process information on the Halide system, we can also provide process information on preform fabrication, stretching and sleeving operations, preform shaping,...
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Process Information for Running the Halide System

QUESTION: Do you provide process information for running the Halide system? ANSWER: Yes, we will provide the process information and instruction required to prepare a batch of anhydrous rare earth chloride, and a typical process recipe for an industry standard Yb...
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OH Incorporation, Background Loss

QUESTION: What about OH incorporation, background loss? ANSWER: The OH incorporation in the core glass is typically about ¼ of a PPM which will give a water peak at 1380 nm of approximately 15 dB/km. The background loss of the fiber in the windows where the rare...
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Controlling Concentrations of the Various Dopants

QUESTION: How do you control the concentrations of the various dopants? ANSWER: Concentrations of the dopants used in the Halide system are controlled using gas flow rates as well as temperature, just as is done with the standard MCVD system.    ...
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Fiber Performance With Photo-Darkening

QUESTION: How do these fibers perform with respect to photo-darkening? ANSWER: Photo-darkening of Yb doped fibers depends not only on the doping process used but also on the composition of the fiber. We offer a photo-darkening preform recipe to be used with the...
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Halide Process: Laser or Amplifier Performance

QUESTION: What kind of laser or amplifier performance can be expected from fibers made with the Halide Process? ANSWER: For Er doped fiber used in EDFA’s pumped at 1480 nm, efficiencies of ≈ 69% with optical gain of ≈ 35 dB have been demonstrated at 1550 nm....
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Rare Earths Deposited

QUESTION: Which rare earths can be deposited by Halide process? ANSWER: Rare earth elements that have been demonstrated are Ytterbium, Erbium, Thulium, Holmium, Neodymium and Cerium. Since most of the elements in the Lanthanide series exhibit identical chemical...
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Multi Element Rare Earth Anhydrous Boats

QUESTION: Can we prepare multi element rare earth anhydrous boats? ANSWER: Yes. This can be done by mixing the precursor rare earth compounds when preparing a halide batch. The most relevant application that comes to mind is the fabrication of Er/Yb doped...
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Rare Earth Wt. % Possible in the Fiber

QUESTION: What wt. % of rare earth is possible in the fiber? ANSWER: For preforms requiring high concentration, values of Tm3+ have been reported at ≈ 8.5 wt.%. This is by no means the limit of what is achievable.      Answered by AskFOC Fiber...
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Anhydrous Rare Earth in the Quartz Boat

QUESTION: How long does the anhydrous rare earth in the quartz boat last? ANSWER: A charge of rare earth material will last for at least 1 week and could last as long as several weeks depending on the number of preforms produced and the rare earth concentration...
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