Abstract

The MCVD process,¹ first reported in 1974,² has been one of the most prevalent methods of producing high performance lightguides and has contributed significantly to the current proliferation of lightwave system applications. Since the initial practice of MCVD, considerable progress has been made on factors affecting both the performance and economics of fibers made by the process to the point where it is now practiced in large scale manufacture of tens of thousands of fiber kilometers per year. This paper will review some recent accomplishments in MCVD process technology regarding the fiber loss, bandwidth, and fabrication rate. Multimode fibers designed for both laser and LED application will be discussed, as will some of the characteristics of single-mode fibers, all prepared by MCVD.

© 1981 Optical Society of America