APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR FABRICATING GLASS BODY USING AN AEROSOL DELIVERY SYSTEM

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PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED : To provide an apparatus and method for fabricating a glass body including a plurality of constituents, and particularly, to provide rare-earth (RE)-doped optical fibers. SOLUTION : The method for fabricating the glass body that includes the plurality of constituents, at least one of which is a dopant (e.g. a rare-earth element) having a low vapor pressure (LVP) precursor, comprises the steps of : (a) generating an aerosol from the LVP precursor; (b) separately generating vapors of the other constituents; (c) convecting the aerosol and vapors to a deposition system including a substrate; and (d) forming at least one doped layer on the surface of the substrate. In one embodiment, the method also includes filtering the aerosol so as to remove aerosol particles outside of a particular range of sizes. Also described is a unique aerosol generator that is particularly useful in generating aerosols of rare-earth dopants. Particular embodiments directed to the fabrication of Yb-doped optical fibers are described. COPYRIGHT : (C)2007, JPO&INPIT