Glass, polymer or ceramic articles with complex cross-sectional structures may be used in a variety of applications. For example, glass or polymer microstructured optical fiber may be drawn from a microstructured optical fiber preform which may generally comprise a central microstructured region surrounded by a cladding or relatively thick-walled solid sleeve. The microstructured region may surround a central core which provides the light guiding characteristics of fiber drawn from the preform. The microstructured region may be formed with a plurality of passages or air holes such that the microstructured region has a very high open to solid ratio (e.g., the microstructured optical fiber is “air filled”). The microstructured region of the preform may be connected to the thick-walled sleeve and the core with a web of thin-walled struts which suspend the microstructured region between the core and the solid sleeve. Accordingly, a radial cross section of the microstructured optical fiber may comprise both thick- and thin-walled portions.
Microstructured optical fiber preforms such as those described above may be formed using various techniques such as, for example, a stack and draw technique where a bundle of capillaries are assembled around a glass core and inserted in a glass sleeve which is drawn into the preform. However, it may be desirable to develop alternative methods for forming microstructured optical fiber preforms and other glass, polymer, or ceramic structures.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds