SBIR Phase I: Extrusion Manufacturing Process for Ultrahigh Bandwidth, Low Attenuation Graded-Index Polymer Optical Fibers

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将研究通过低成本连续挤压工艺生产低衰减、超高带宽全氟聚合物光纤（POF）的可行性。目前，在医院系统、教育机构、国防和安全系统以及工业控制等应用中，对一种非常简单、易于使用的多gb /s网络光介质的需求尚未得到满足。聚合物光纤大大简化了光纤链路的连接，降低了光纤链路的安装成本，但其使用受到低带宽和高衰减的限制。该公司发明了一种独特的多层挤压工艺，通过控制流动的全氟聚合物中提高折射率的掺杂剂的扩散，形成具有渐变折射率芯的塑料光纤。挤出的POF具有低于30 dB/km的衰减水平，并通过减少模态色散支持高带宽（~300MHz-km）。本提案的目标是证明使用挤压工艺制造具有更高带宽性能的POF的可行性，可与最好的二氧化硅多模光纤（优于2 GHz-km）相媲美。公司开发的分级指数全氟化聚碳酸酯（GI-POF）挤出技术是目前最具竞争力的新型高性能GI-POF产品大批量生产方法。实现超高速通信的GI-POF挤出技术的成功商业化可以使美国成为聚合物光纤的商业和技术领导者。随着高速通信进入许多新的应用领域，GI-POF制造技术的领先地位可能会越来越具有经济重要性。除了提供一个解决方案，以满足目前尚未满足的需求，一个易于使用的高速光介质，GI-POF有望在高速企业和家庭局域网的商业市场有显著的渗透。高带宽GI-POF的可用性可以加速超高带宽服务（如交互式视频）向家庭和企业的渗透。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)Phase I project will address the feasibility of producing low attenuation, ultrahigh bandwidth perfluorinated polymer optical fibers (POF) by a low-cost continuous extrusion process. Currently, there is an unmet need for a very simple, easy to use optical medium for multi-Gb/s networks in applications such as hospital systems, educational institutions, defense and security systems and industrial controls. Polymer optical fibers greatly simplify connectorization and lower installation costs of fiber optic links, but their use has been limited by their low bandwidth and high attenuation. The company invented a unique multi-layer extrusion process for forming a plastic optical fiber with a graded-index core by controlling the diffusion of a refractive-index-raising dopant in the flowing perfluorinated polymer. The extruded POF has attenuation levels below 30 dB/km and supports high bandwidths (~300MHz-km) through reduced modal dispersion. The goal of this proposal is to demonstrate the feasibility of using the extrusion process to manufacture POF with much higher bandwidth performance, comparable to that of the best silica multimode fiber (better than 2 GHz-km). The graded-index perfluorinated POF (GI-POF) extrusion technology developed by the company is the most competitive method for high volume manufacturing of new high performance GI-POF products. The successful commercialization of a GI-POF extrusion technology that enables ultra-high speed communications could establish the United States as a commercial and technological leader in polymer optical fiber. As high-speed communications move into many new applications, leadership in GI-POF manufacturing technology may be expected to be of increasing economic importance. In addition to providing a solution to the current unmet need for an easy-to-use high-speed optical medium, GI-POF is expected to have significant penetration in commercial markets for high-speed enterprise and home LAN. The availability of the high bandwidth GI-POF could hasten the penetration of ultra-high bandwidth services such as interactive video to homes and businesses.