Optical Fibers with Multiple Openings From Additive Manufacturing

An optical fiber with multiple openings made from the steps comprising fabricating an extrusion die using at least one additive manufacturing technique such that the extrusion die has a first set of plurality of channels that combine inside the die into a second set of plurality of channels with a different set of shapes and sizes, extruding a glass through the extrusion die, forming a fiber optic preform having a plurality of longitudinal openings that run the entire length of the fiber optic preform, attaching a barrier layer to the fiber optic preform to form a series of channels to which pressure can be applied by a gas, wherein each channel has a pressure that is independently controlled, and stretching the fiber optic preform at an elevated temperature into an optical fiber with multiple openings.