US 12,007,601 B2
Multi-core optical fiber and multi-core optical fiber cable
Tetsuya Hayashi, Osaka (JP)
Assigned to SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD., Osaka (JP)
Filed by SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD., Osaka (JP)
Filed on Oct. 13, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/499,981.
Claims priority of application No. 2020-174975 (JP), filed on Oct. 16, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0120963 A1, Apr. 21, 2022
Int. Cl. G02B 6/02 (2006.01); G02B 6/028 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 6/02042 (2013.01) [G02B 6/0288 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A four-core multi-core optical fiber comprising:
only four cores, each extending along a central axis; and
a common cladding covering each of the four cores, wherein
the common cladding has an outer periphery that is circular on a cross-section of the multi-core optical fiber, the cross-section being orthogonal to the central axis,
on the cross-section, the four cores are respectively arranged at positions to be line symmetric with respect to a straight line that intersects with the central axis and that intersects with none of the four cores, and
on the cross-section, a core arrangement defined by the four cores has rotational symmetry at most once with any point being a center of rotation, wherein
a diameter CD of the common cladding is 126 μm or less,
in each of the four cores, a mode field diameter MFD at a wavelength of 1310 nm and a cable cutoff wavelength λcc measured on a 22 m length of fiber satisfy a following Formula (1):
dcoat≥2.88MFD/λcc+5.36  (1),
in each of the four cores, the mode field diameter MFD is 8.2 μm or more and 9.6 μm or less, and a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value is 0.8 μm or less,
in each of the four cores, a zero-dispersion wavelength is 1300 nm or more and 1352 nm or less, and a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value is 24 nm or less,
in each of the four cores, a dispersion slope at the zero-dispersion wavelength is 0.092 ps/(nm2·km) or less,
in each of the four cores, the cable cutoff wavelength λcc is 1260 nm or less,
either a first condition or a second condition is satisfied,
the first condition is defined that a crosstalk between cores having an adjacent relationship for a fiber length of 10 km at a wavelength of 1360 nm is −10 dB or less, in each of the four cores, a relationship of a following Formula (2):
CDnominal≥13.31MFD/λcc+24.47  (2)
is satisfied,
and in each of the four cores, MFD/λcc and a center-to-center interval Λ between the cores having the adjacent relationship satisfy a following Formula (3):
6.5≤MFD/λcc≤9.5≤0.443Λ−5.33  (3), and
the second condition is defined that the crosstalk between the cores having the adjacent relationship for the fiber length of 10 km at the wavelength of 1360 nm is −20 dB or less, in each of the four cores, a relationship of a following Formula (4):
CDnominal≥9.37MFD/λcc+31.73  (4)
is satisfied,
and in each of the four cores, MFD/λcc and the center-to-center interval Λ between the cores having the adjacent relationship satisfy a following Formula (5):
6.5≤MFD/λcc≤9.5≤0.392Λ−4.88  (5), and wherein
an optical cladding having a depressed type refractive index profile without a trench layer is provided in the periphery of each of the four cores.