Precision Process Control for Fabrication of High-Performance Polymer Optical Fiber

这项拨款为研究和使用精密过程控制实现高性能（即非常高带宽）聚合物光纤的加工提供资金。该团队将研究光纤折射率分布在光纤半径上的精确控制，以实现高带宽传输。新方法将通过控制气态二氧化碳在高压下向圆柱形聚合物预成型体中的扩散来产生纳米级孔隙，从而在聚合物中产生非平衡的过饱和二氧化碳溶液，并导致二氧化碳浓度随径向位置的变化。光纤具有实现千兆赫数据传输的潜力。模拟和实验任务的结合将探索二氧化碳在光学级聚合物中的输运行为和控制。与硅玻璃相比，聚合物光纤具有较低的弹性模量，可以制造更大的纤维直径，使光纤连接更容易，更便宜。对于具有大量连接的短距离应用，使用聚合物光纤可以显著降低系统成本。如果研究成功，聚合物光纤将提供一个全新的机会，提供安全，低成本，用户友好的媒体，将高带宽扩展到社会的各个方面：家庭，企业，数据中心，以及包括飞机和汽车娱乐在内的日常交通方式。

This grant provides funding to study and enable processing of high-performance (i.e. very high bandwidth) polymer optical fiber using precision process control. The team will investigate the precision control of the optical fiber's refractive index profile across the fiber radius to achieve high bandwidth transmission. The new methodology will produce nanometer scale pores by control of the diffusion of gaseous carbon dioxide into a cylindrical polymer preform at elevated pressure, generating a non-equilibrium, supersaturated solution of carbon dioxide in the polymer and a resulting change in CO2 concentration as a function of the radial position. The optical fiber has the potential to enable gigahertz data transmission. A combination of modeling and experimental tasks will explore the transport behavior and control of carbon dioxide in optical grade polymer.Polymer optical fiber has a lower modulus of elasticity compared to silica glass, allowing it to be manufactured with larger fiber diameters, making fiber connections easier and cheaper. For short-range applications with a large number of connections, the system cost can be dramatically reduced using polymer optical fiber. If the research is successful, polymer optical fiber will offer a completely new opportunity to provide secure, low-cost, user-friendly media for extending high bandwidth to all aspects of society: homes, businesses, data centers, and everyday modes of transportation including entertainment in aircraft and automobiles.