Polymer Optical Fibers

Polymer Optical Fibres: Fibre Types, Materials, Fabrication, Characterization, and Applications explores polymer optical fibers, specifically their materials, fabrication, characterization, measurement techniques, and applications. Optical effects, including light propagation, degrading effects of attenuation, scattering, and dispersion, are explained. Other important parameters like mechanical strength, operating temperatures, and processability are also described. Polymer optical fibers (POF) have a number of advantages over glass fibers, such as low cost, flexibility, low weight, electromagnetic immunity, good bandwidth, simple installation, and mechanical stability. Provides systematic and comprehensive coverage of materials, fabrication, properties, measurement techniques, and applications of POF Focuses on industry needs in communication, illumination and sensors, the automotive industry, and medical and biotechnology Features input from leading experts in POF technology, with experience spanning optoelectronics, polymer, and textiles Explains optical effects, including light propagation, degrading effects of attenuation, scattering, and dispersion

This straightforward text examines the scientific principles, characterization techniques, and fabrication methods used to design and produce high quality optical fibers. Polymer Fiber Optics: Materials, Physics, and Applications focuses on the fundamental concepts that will continue to play a role in future research and applications. This book documents the underlying physics of polymer fibers, particularly aspects of light interaction, and details the practical considerations for a broad range of characterization techniques used to investigate new phenomena. The book presents basic fabrication techniques and protocols that will likely remain useful as new advances address specific processing challenges. The author presents a fresh approach to standard derivations, using numerous figures and diagrams to break down complex concepts and illustrate theoretical calculations. The final chapters draw attention to the latest directions in research and novel applications, including photomechanical actuation, electro-optic fibers, and smart materials.

This book provides the reader with a clear overview of the considerable body of research and development work carried out in the last five years on microstructured polymer optical fibres (mPOFs). It discusses new applications which will be opened up by this emerging technology and includes for the first time details about the fabrication process for these fibres. The book provides an excellent introduction to this new technology.

Written by some of the best known POF experts from Germany, one of the leading countries in POF technology, this is the most comprehensive introduction and survey of POF data communication systems currently available. Featuring recent experimental results and over 600 coloured figures and tables.

Describes the systems commonly employed for producing fiber Braggs gratings (FBGs) in silica fibers that can be used for the production of POFBGs Explores different laser sources for the inscription of POFBGs Explores the capability of using this technology at the visible and infrared region, in different fiber types (e.g., step-index, microstructured, unclad, highly birefringent) and in fibers composed of different polymer materials such as PMMA, doped PMMA, PS and ZEONEX Reports the fabrication of different types of POF gratings, such as uniform, phase-shifted, tilted, chirped, and long period gratings Shows the opportunities of POFBGs for a variety of sensing applications

This research- and application-oriented book covers main topical areas of optical fibers. The selection of the chapters is weighted on technological and application-specific topics, very much a reflection of where research is heading to and what researchers are looking for. Chapters are arranged in a user-friendly format essentially self-contained and with extensive cross-references. They are organized in the following sections: - Optical Fiber Communication | Editors: Ming-Jun Li and Chao Lu - Solitons and Nonlinear Waves in Optical Fibers | Editor: Boris A. Malomed - Optical Fiber Fabrication | Editor: Hairul Azhar Bin Abdul Rashid - Active Optical Fibers | Editor: Kyunghwan Oh - Special Optical Fibers | Editors: Perry Shum and Zhilin Xu - Optical Fiber Measurement | Editor: Jianzhong Zhang - Optical Fiber Devices | Editors: John Canning and Tuan Guo - Optical Fiber Device Measurement | Editor: Yanhua Luo - Distributed Optical Fiber Sensing | Editor: Yosuke Mizuno - Optical Fiber Sensors for Industrial Applications | Editor: Tong Sun OBE - Polymer Optical Fiber Sensing | Editor: Ginu Rajan - Photonic Crystal Fiber Sensing | Editor: D. N. Wang - Optical Fiber Microfluidic Sensors | Editor: Yuan Gong

Polymer Optical Fibers summarizes research activities on polymer optical fibers to offer a complete perspective on this emerging topic. Polymer optical fibers are in great demand for the transmission and processing of optical communications compatible with the Internet, which is one of the fastest growing industries of modern times. This book is aimed to bring together, under a single cover, all aspects of plastic optical fibers including different classes of polymers; fiber fabrication techniques; laser sources used for optical fibers, mechanical properties; photosensitivity; poling and second harmonic generation; adhesion; donor-acceptor properties of surfaces; protective coatings; water resistance; stress corrosion; mechanical stability and deformation characteristics; temperature and pressure sensitivity; fiber elongation; optical fiber attenuation; planar optical waveguides; fiber gratings; refractive index distribution and their potential applications in telecommunication and high capacity transmission systems; WDM systems; gigabit ethernet; power splitters and couplers; amplifiers; sensors; filters; lenses; scramblers; integrated optical devices; frequency up-conversion; etc.

Written by some of the best known POF experts from Germany, one of the leading countries in POF technology, this is the most comprehensive introduction and survey of POF data communication systems currently available. Featuring recent experimental results and over 600 coloured figures and tables.