SGER: Fabrication of Polymeric Materials with Specialized Optical Characteristics

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ABSTRACT This proposal is to fund innovative exploratory research on producing polymer optical fibers with specified optical index profiles. By controlling the optical index profile, modal dispersion of the signal can be minimized and the speed of transmission can be increased from several Mbit/sec to the Gbit/sec range. The goal of the project is to develop a continuous drawing method that can be used to fabricate graded-index fibers efficiently. The Principal Investigator proposes to use photobleaching to control the optical index. As fibers are draw, oxygen or air is allowed to diffuse into them. The fibers is then irradiated by UV light. Because the concentration of oxygen at the outer region of the fiber is higher, photobleaching occurs at a higher rate, resulting in a spatially varying optical index. Experiments will be conducted to explore this concept of fabrication.