PURPOSE: To use optional elements effective as a light shielding layer with an inexpensive constitution, by arranging and gathering many optical fibers and charging a solution including light shielding layer components to spaces between strands and solidifying the solution.
CONSTITUTION: Many optical fiber strands 1 are so arranged and gathered that their lengthwise directions coincide with one another, and they are packed closely in a quartz pipe 2, and this pipe 2 is immersed in the solution containing components of the light shielding layer to charge the solution to spaces between strands, and materials other than components of the light shielding layer are removed from the solid-phase charged material by heat decomposition and oxidation treatment after solidifying the solution. After components of the light shielding layer are distributed to the outside circumferences of strands 1 in this manner, they are collapsed, and wire drawing is performed to form an image fiber. Since the light shielding layer is formed after gathering strands, various light shielding layer forming means can be used, and optional elements effective as the light shielding layer are used.
SATOU TSUGIO
KOMATSU WATARU
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