A new solution of reducing polymer optical fiber losses

Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is one of the most commonly used optical materials. However, the application of it in the area of optical communication is strongly limited by the intrinsic absorption loss of carbon-hydrogen stretching vibration. In this paper, we present a method to solve the problem by adopting the hollow-core fibers with cobweb cladding structure. The fibers use a single dielectric material and may solve the problem of structural support. Thus the feasibility of the “OmniGuide” fibers is improved, while a series of advantages of the “OmniGuide” hollow-core fiber are retained. It is promising that a fiber with low transmission loss, high bandwidth, large-core, and low costs can be designed and fabricated using PMMA. At the same time, a very broad range of the wavelengths (from visible to near infrared region, for instance, wavelengths at 0.65-1.12 μm, and even 1.30 μm, 1.54 μm and their neighbors) may be adopted for signal wavelength.     

Combined effects of bending and elongation on polymer optical fiber losses

The combined effects of bending and elongation on fiber losses as rays propagate along deformed polymer optical fibers (POFs) are investigated. The variations in power attenuation for various curvature radii and elongations are studied. The experimental results indicate that the combination of bending and elongation significantly affects the power loss of POF. From the results an equation is proposed to predict the power losses for different bent radii and elongations. The maximum difference between the proposed equation and the experimental results is less than 5%.     

Cleaving of solid single mode polymer optical fiber for strain sensor applications

Single mode polymer optical fibers (smPOFs) can be applied for measuring large strains in numerous applications, such as civil engineering infrastructure assessment and health monitoring. Because of the large light attenuation of solid smPOFs, small lengths of the fiber would need to be coupled to silica optical fibers (SOFs) for practical applications of the smPOF as a strain sensor. This coupling requires smooth cleaving of the smPOFs. In this work, several cleaving techniques previously demonstrated to provide smooth cross-sections of multimode POFs were applied to the smPOF. From these techniques, hot-knife cutting was determined to be a feasible method for cleaving when the blade was heated to 80 °C and the smPOF heated in the range of 30 °C to 40 °C. In addition, focused ion beam machining which produces high-precision cleaves of the solid smPOF cross-section, was performed to set a bench mark and thus evaluate the quality of cleaving from other methods used in this study.     

Acrylic and metal based Y-branch plastic optical fiber splitter with optical NOA63 polymer waveguide taper region

We proposed a simple low-cost acrylic and metal-based Y-branch plastic optical fiber (POF) splitter which utilizes a low cost optical polymer glue NOA63 as the main waveguiding medium at the waveguide taper region. The device is composed of three sections: an input POF waveguide, a middle waveguide taper region and output POF waveguides. A desktop high speed CNC engraver is utilized to produce the mold inserts used for the optical devices. Short POF fibers are inserted into the engraved slots at the input and output ports. UV curable optical polymer glue NOA63 is injected into the waveguide taper region and cured. The assembling is completed when the top plate is positioned to enclose the device structure and connecting screws are secured. Both POF splitters have an average insertion loss of 7.8 dB, coupling ratio of 55: 45 and 57: 43 for the acrylic and metal-based splitters respectively. The devices have excess loss of 4.82 and 4.73 dB for the acrylic and metal-based splitters respectively.     

Hollow-core microstructured polymer optical fiber

We have fabricated microstructured polymer optical fibers that guide light in a hollow core using the photonic bandgap mechanism. The hollow core allows the use of polymer fibers to be extended to wavelength ranges where material absorption typically prohibits their use, with attenuation lower than the material loss observed in the infrared. The fabrication method is similar to other microstructured polymer optical fibers, which has favorable implications for the feasibility of manufacturing such bandgap fibers.     

Bulk strain energy density in randomly reinforced polymer composites with antifriction dispersed additives

Bulk strain energy density was numerically simulated for epoxy-phenol-based composites randomly reinforced with short polyimide fibers, with antifriction dispersed polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) additives. A mathematical model was constructed using the notion of a stress concentration operator (fourth-rank tensor) that relates volume averaged, or external, stresses within a heterogeneous material with their local values within an individual heterogeneity. The simulation was based on a generalized singular approximation of random field theory used to solve a stochastic differential equation of equilibrium of an elastic medium. This approximation yields an explicit expression for stress concentration in a composite material. The explicit expression allows one to analyze the distribution of bulk strain energy density depending on the composition, structure, volume and mass fraction of heterogeneities, and on the type and value of applied load. We studied how the considered energy characteristic depends on the type of external mechanical loading and concentration of isotropic components in the model composites. It is shown that with the increasing concentration of polyimide fibers at a fixed concentration of PTFE inclusions, the bulk strain energy density values of all components decrease and approach each other independently of the type of external loading. The form of these dependences is nonlinear. A change in the mass fraction of dispersed PTFE inclusions in the model composites exerts little effect on local energy values of all components under any of the considered applied external loads.     

Effect of energy losses on the amplitude-frequency characteristic of the electrodynamic system of optical modulators

The results of calculations of main parameters of a slot-type electrodynamic system taking into account losses in a single-mode nonresonance regime of excitation and in the regime of responance excitation in the vicinity of the cutoff frequency are presented. Analytic expressions obtained for the transmission coefficient, resonance frequency, and transmission band can be used in designing wide-band optical modulators. Experimental verification of laboratory prototypes of electrodynamic systems and their application in available modulators confirms the possibility of employment of such analysis for choosing optimal designs of ultrahigh-frequency modulators of optical radiation.     

Surface structure monitoring with plastic optical fiber

A sensor was designed using a plastic optical fiber to study the potential of detecting structural deformities and corrosion of metallic surfaces, in particular for applications in constricted areas such as pipes. The principle of the sensor is based on the collection of scattered light reflected by the surface imperfections. Several types of metallic materials in various surface profiles and stages of corrosion have been studied. The sensor was able to determine the position of ridges on the surface and corroded regions in all cases evaluated in the study. A sensitivity of 100 mV/mm was detectable for proximity and a vertical resolution of 1 mm has been measured.     

基于侧边抛磨光纤的全光纤在线光功率监测器

应用侧边抛磨光纤的倏逝波原理,用光电探测器对光纤侧边抛磨区出射光能进行监测,根据理论和实验分析光纤侧边抛磨区出射光能分布,将具有特殊U型侧边抛磨形状和适当抛磨深度的侧边抛磨光纤与光电探测器精密微封装,制成基于侧边抛磨光纤的全光纤在线光功率监测器。测试表明:此全光纤在线光功率监测器对光纤传输的光功率响应特性好,监测器光电转换效率可达200 mA/W以上。测试了器件的插入损耗、波长相关损耗、波长相关光电转换效率和偏振相关损耗等。其波长相关损耗和偏振相关损耗分别为0.3 dB(1 520 nm～1 620 nm)和0.07 dB(1 310nm)。此器件具有对光纤纤芯无破坏、光路中无插入元件、可与光纤系统直接熔接等诸多优点。     

Minimizing optical losses in bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells

The efficiency that a solar cell can reach is ultimately limited by the number of photons absorbed in its active layer. Bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells are fabricated from a stack of thin film layers, each of which is thinner than a single wavelength from an incident photon within its absorption band. One consequence of this thin film layer stack is a strong optical interference between the various layers that can change the quantity of light dissipated in the active layer by 50%. Here we use optical modeling to quantitatively calculate the dissipation in each of the various layers as functions of wavelength and layer thickness. Using this information the loss free short circuit current density can be calculated (J_scmax). Optimization of J_scmax leads to direct improvements in the efficiency of the solar cell through improved light dissipation in the active layer. The optical properties for a P3HT:PCBM active layer and a model Lorentzian low band gap spectrum are optimized and ideal fabrication conditions are reported for these materials. PACS 72.40.+w; 72.80.Le     

Reconfigurable optical multiplexer based on liquid crystals for polymer optical fiber networks

In this work, different novel 3×1 multiplexer structures for being used in polymer optical fiber networks are proposed. Designs are compact, scalable, and of low consumption, capable of operating in a large wavelength range simultaneously 660, 850, and 1300 nm, due to the use of nematic liquid crystal cells. Light that comes from each input port is handled independently and eight operation modes are possible. Control electronics has been made using a programmable integrated circuit. Electronic system makes available the managing of the optical stage using a computer. An additional four optical sensors have been included for allowing the optical status checking. Finally, a polarization independent multiplexer has been implemented and tested. Insertion losses less than 4 dB and isolation better than 23 dB have been measured. In addition, 30-ms and 15-ms setup and rise times have been obtained. The proposed multiplexer can be used in any polymer optical fiber network, even in perfluorinated graded index one, and it can be specially useful in optical sensor networks, or in coarse wavelength division multiplexing networks.     

Rhodamine 6G-doped polymer optical fiber amplifiers

Rhodamine 6G-doped step-index polymer optical fiber is fabricated.The characteristics of the am-plification of rhodamine 6G-doped step-index polymer optical fiber amplifier have been studied.Thehigh-gain optical amplification with a tunable wavelength range from 585 to 613 nm is obtained in a step-index polymer optical fiber doped with rhodamine 6G at 10-ppm level,which can be used for broadband amplifiers and tunable lasers.     

Cellulose acetate polymer film modified microstructured polymer optical fiber towards a nitrite optical probe

A novel microstructured polymer optical fiber (MPOF) probe for nitrites (NO₂⁻) detection was made by forming rhodamine 6G (Rh 6G)-doped cellulose acetate (CA) on the side wall of array holes in a MPOF. It was found that the MPOF probe only have a response to nitrites in a certain concentration of sulfuric acid solution. The calibration graph of fluorescence intensity versus nitrites concentration was linear in the range of 2.0 × 10^− 4 g/ml-5.0 × 10^− 3 g/ml. The method possesses ease of chemical modification, low cost design, and potential for direct integration with existing instrumentation, and has been applied to the determination of nitrites in real samples with satisfactory results.     

高分辨率光纤应变传感技术的研究

介绍光纤应变传感器中光纤端面反射镜的制作方法,镀膜光纤的连接技术和构成不对称光纤法布里－珀罗干涉腔的方法。应用低反射率不对称光纤法布里－ 珀罗干涉腔与光纤连接构成的光纤应变传感器,以提高分辨率;重点导出此干涉腔反射光与应变的数学模型,论述其工作原理和测量方法,通过实验证明文中所述应变传感原理和测量方法是正确的,其分辨率优于０－００６８με。     

Effect of polymer coating on leakage losses in Bragg fibers

It is found that the reflection of leaky radiation from the interface between the outer silica cladding and the coating polymer greatly modifies the loss spectrum of Bragg fibers. A simple model that describes this effect is proposed and confirmed by measurement and computation.     

Multi-hole plastic optical fiber force sensor based on femtosecond laser micromachining

We study the theoretical and experimental effects of hole quantity and inter–inter-hole spacing on insertion loss for using femtosecond laser to make bend-sensitive multi-hole plastic optical fiber(POF), and also analyze the mechanism of bending loss in multi-hole POF. A force sensor based on bending loss of the multi-hole POF is fabricated. The measurement ranges from 0 to 65 N, and the maximum output change exceeds 15.51 dB with good linearity and repeatability, and the sensitivity is 0.24 dB/N.     

塑料光纤直径测量系统

提出了以可编程逻辑器件为核心的塑料光纤直径在线测量系统,阐述了其工作原理。系统使用发光二极管作为光源、高精度线阵CCD作为图像传感器,简化了光学部分;应用EPLD和双口RAM,提高了信号处理效率;设计了提高测量精度的单片机数据处理算法。实验表明系统的测量范围为0 26～3mm,测量精度在10μm以内,满足塑料光纤直径测量要求。     

Oxygen gas optrode based on microstructured polymer optical fiber segment

In this article, we first propose a novel type of oxygen gas optrode by forming fluorophore doped sensing film in the array microholes with the characteristics of microstructured optical fiber (MOF) segment. Comparing with the conventional O₂ detecting method, this slender shaped optrode shows potential in trace amount of O₂ sensing and online O₂ monitoring. Organical silicate gel or plastified cellulose acetate are chosen as sensing films and tris (4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenathroline) ruthenium(II) dichloride ([Ru(dpp)₃]Cl₂) or meso-tetraphenylporphyin (TPP) as quenching fluorophores. From the experimental results, we find [Ru(dpp)₃]²⁺-Gel-MOF optrode has favorable sensing characteristics, and the Stern-Volmer plots are linear in the full concentration range of O₂ (0-100% v/v). The ratio of I₀/I₁₀₀, where I₀ and I₁₀₀ respectively represents the fluorescence intensities of the optrode exposed to 100% N₂ and 100% O₂, as a sensitivity of the optrode is 10.8. Simultaneously, the optrode can make a quick response within 50 ms.     

大尺寸聚合物光纤面板制造新技术的初步研究

利用堆积-热融合工艺,将商用聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯低损耗光纤以六方堆积的方式排列在自行设计的模具中,制备光学聚合物光纤面板预制棒后,对预制棒进行切割、拼接,研究了一种制备超大尺寸光纤面板的新技术.拼接面板样品的厚度2 mm,像素直径500 μm,总像素数 59052, 对大尺寸人或物的像具有很好的传递能力. 利用该技术制备的大尺寸拼接光纤面板,对于液晶拼接屏中拼接缝的清除以及大屏幕的保护具有不可替代的作用.