Drawing glass fibers with complex cross section

Techniques are presented for fabrication of glass fibers with complex cross-sectional shapes by drawing from a composite preform. To prevent distortion of the fiber shape by surface tension during drawing, a soluble glass cladding is added to the preform complete its cross section to a circular shape. After the drawing process, the cladding is dissolved chemically. Fibers with zigzag and meander-like cross sections and minimum dimensions of 2 mu m are demonstrated.<
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