STTR PHASE I: A Novel Continuous Production Method for Rugged Gradient Index Plastic Optical Fiber

* 9632052步行者 该STTR第一阶段项目将证明连续生产坚固耐用、低水分含量、高带宽、梯度折射率塑料光纤的可行性。现有的日本生产方法导致带宽比理论上可能的带宽小三到十倍，并且光纤的带宽不稳定且不可再现。生产速率本质上受到工艺的分批性质和/或多步程序的限制。在美国，高速塑料网络（HSPN）联盟成立于1994年，并得到了美国高级研究计划局500万美元的资助。 该团队的一名成员已经授权日本的一种批量技术来制造上述类型的纤维。本项目将开发一种新型、低成本、连续化的纤维生产工艺。 该光纤将具有稳定的带宽2 GHz.km，在-40 C至+ 150 C范围内稳定，具有低水分吸收，衰减小于150 dB/km，并且在高达1000 Rad的辐射暴露下稳定。 这种类型的光纤预计在高速局域网中有很大的用途。局域网的带宽不足以满足未来几年的预期需要。梯度折射率塑料光纤将是具有足够带宽的最具成本效益的解决方案。目前还没有令人满意的生产工艺用于这种纤维的加固版本。 ***

*** 9632052 Walker This STTR Phase I project will demonstrate the feasibility of a continuous process of producing rugged, low moisture content, high bandwidth, gradient index plastic optical fiber. Existing Japanese production methods result in bandwidths which are three to ten times less than theoretically possible, and the bandwidth of the fiber is not stable and reproducible. The production rate is intrinsically limited by the batch nature of the process and, or, multi-step procedure. In the United States, the High-Speed Plastic Network (HSPN) consortium was formed in 1994, and is supported by a $5 million Advanced Research Projects Agency grant. A member of that team has licensed one of the Japanese batch technologies to fabricate the above type of fiber. This project will develop a novel, low cost, continous production process for the fiber. The fiber will have a stable bandwidth of 2 GHz.km, be stable from -40 C to + 150 C, have low moisture uptake, attenuation of less than 150dB/kilometer and be stable to radiation exposure up to 1000 Rad. This type of fiber is expected to have great utility in high speed local area networks. Local area networks have inadequate band width for the anticipated needs in the coming years. Gradient index plastic optical fiber will be the most cost effective solution with adequate band-width. At present there is no satisfactory production process for a rugged version of this fiber. ***