IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,742,925
Granted Patent B2
US 12,742,925 · App. 18/226,324 · Granted Sep 22, 2026

Hollow-core optical fibers

Inventors: Paulo Clovis Dainese, Jr. (Painted Post, NY); Ming-Jun Li (Horseheads, NY); Xiaojun Liang (Chino Hills, CA); Dan Trung Nguyen (Painted Post, NY); Ilia Andreyevich Nikulin (Wilmington, NC)
Assignee: Corning Incorporated
G02B6/02328C03B37/012C03B37/0122C03B37/0256G02B6/02304G02B6/02361G02B6/02376G02B6/032G02B6/03622C03B2203/14C03B2203/16
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,742,925
App. No.
18/226,324
Granted
Sep 22, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A hollow-core optical fiber may include a hollow-core extending along a central longitudinal axis of the hollow-core optical fiber; a substrate; a first cladding positioned between the central longitudinal axis and an inner surface of the substrate, the first cladding surrounding the central longitudinal axis of the hollow-core optical fiber and having a Bragg structure configured to provide a photonic bandgap operable to confine an optical signal with a wavelength λ propagating in the hollow-core of the hollow-core optical fiber; and a second cladding positioned between the central longitudinal axis of the hollow-core optical fiber and the inner surface of the substrate, the second cladding surrounding the central longitudinal axis of the hollow-core optical fiber and including a plurality of cladding elements configured to provide an anti-resonant effect at the wavelength λ, the anti-resonant effect operable to confine the optical signal at the wavelength λ in the hollow-core.

Claims (23)

1 . A hollow-core optical fiber comprising:

a hollow core extending along a central longitudinal axis of the hollow-core optical fiber;

a substrate, the substrate comprising a tubular shape and an inner surface surrounding the central longitudinal axis of the hollow-core optical fiber;

a first cladding positioned between the central longitudinal axis of the hollow-core optical fiber and the inner surface of the substrate, the first cladding surrounding the central longitudinal axis of the hollow-core optical fiber and comprising a Bragg structure, the Bragg structure configured to provide a photonic bandgap operable to confine an optical signal with a wavelength λ propagating in the hollow core of the hollow-core optical fiber, the Bragg structure further configured to provide an anti-resonant effect at the wavelength λ, the anti-resonant effect operable to confine the optical signal at the wavelength λ in the hollow core of the hollow-core optical fiber; and

a second cladding positioned between the central longitudinal axis of the hollow-core optical fiber and the inner surface of the substrate, the second cladding surrounding the central longitudinal axis of the hollow-core optical fiber and comprising a plurality of cladding elements, the plurality of cladding elements configured to provide an anti-resonant effect at the wavelength λ, the anti-resonant effect operable to confine the optical signal at the wavelength λ in the hollow core of the hollow-core optical fiber; each of the plurality of cladding elements extending in a direction parallel to the central longitudinal axis of the hollow-core optical fiber and comprising a glass sheet configured as a spiral.

2 . The hollow-core optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the second cladding is positioned between the first cladding and the central longitudinal axis of the hollow-core optical fiber.

3 . The hollow-core optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the first cladding is in direct contact with the second cladding.

4 . The hollow-core optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the first cladding is in direct contact with the inner surface of the substrate.

5 . The hollow-core optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the Bragg structure comprises alternating concentric first layers and second layers, the first layers comprising a first refractive index at the wavelength λ and the second layers comprising a second refractive index at the wavelength λ, the second refractive index differing from the first refractive index.

6 . The hollow-core optical fiber of claim 5 , wherein the Bragg structure comprises 3 or more first layers.

7 . The hollow-core optical fiber of claim 5 , wherein the Bragg structure comprises 30 or fewer first layers.

8 . The hollow-core optical fiber of claim 5 , wherein each first layer has a thickness from 0.1 μm to 4.0 μm.

9 . The hollow-core optical fiber of claim 5 , wherein a difference between the first refractive index and the second refractive index is greater than 0.10.

10 . The hollow-core optical fiber of claim 5 , wherein the first layers comprise glass and the second layers comprise air.

11 . The hollow-core optical fiber of claim 10 , wherein the first layers are interconnected.

12 . The hollow-core optical fiber of claim 11 , wherein the first layers are interconnected by a plurality of ribs extending parallel to the central longitudinal axis of the hollow-core optical fiber.

13 . The hollow-core optical fiber of claim 12 , wherein each of the plurality of ribs has a width from 0.1 μm to 5 μm.

14 . The hollow-core optical fiber of claim 11 , wherein the first layers are interconnected by a plurality of tubes extending parallel to the central longitudinal axis.

15 . The hollow-core optical fiber of claim 14 , wherein each of the plurality of tubes are positioned on radii of the hollow-core optical fiber that do not pass through the plurality of cladding elements.

16 . The hollow-core optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein each cladding element is spaced apart from adjacent cladding elements in a circumferential direction about the central longitudinal axis.

17 . The hollow-core optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of cladding elements extends in a direction parallel to the central longitudinal axis of the hollow-core optical fiber and each of the plurality of cladding elements comprises a capillary.

18 . The hollow-core optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the wavelength λ is in a range from 350 nm to 8000 nm.

19 . The hollow-core optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the first cladding and the second cladding are configured such that a confinement loss of a fundamental mode of the optical signal propagating in the hollow-core optical fiber is less than 10 −2 dB/km at the wavelength λ.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 26, 2023
From: DAINESE, PAULO CLOVIS, JR.; LI, MING-JUN; LIANG, XIAOJUN; NGUYEN, DAN TRUNG; NIKULIN, ILIA ANDREYEVICH
To: CORNING INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 064385/0075 →
Continuity (4)
Provisional Application 63467087 · May 17, 2023
Provisional Application 63467064 · May 17, 2023
Provisional Application 63394126 · Aug 1, 2022
Related Publication 20240036250A1 · Feb 1, 2024
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