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Fiber Optics Crystalline
In an effort to innovate and improve the proven advantages of fiber
optics, infrared fiber optics is born. Infrared fiber optics was
first used in during the last four decades that was made out of
using chalcogenide glasses like arsenic trisulfide. In 1970 the need
to develop a more efficient and dependable infrared fiber optics has
paved way for a reliable broadband link.
Infrared fiber optics can be classified into three categories, one
of which is the crystalline; the other two are glass and hollow
waveguides. Fiber optics crystalline is better choice of material
than glass because it is able to transmit lightwaves in longer
distances. However, fiber optics crystalline is difficult to
produce. There are two types of fiber optics crystalline—single
crystal and polycrystalline.
Polycrystalline optical fiber is made up of a number of halide
crystals that possesses excellent infrared transmission capability,
however only thallium and silver halides can be extruded into fiber
optics. In this procedure of hot extrusion a prefrom made of single
crystal is placed inside a hot oven and let the fiber extrude to a
desired shape by the use of tungsten carbide die. Diamond carbide
die is also used in the process of hot extrusion. The fiber is
subjected to a temperature that reaches to almost half of the point
where the substance would melt. The buffer jacket-less
polycrystalline optical fibers generally measure in diameter to
about 500-900 µm (microns or micrometer).
Using fiber optics crystalline made from polycrystalline material
has its own drawbacks. One common disadvantage of using this fiber
is its own shelf life, which also causes the decrease of efficiency
in data transmission. This usually happens when deposits of crystal
particles surface inside the fiber. The other known negative effect
in using polycrystalline infrared optical fiber is that silver
halide is susceptible to light, which could likely form into
colloidal silver. In order to avoid this from happening the optical
fiber must be placed in dark-colored packaging.
Single crystal optical fibers are made from the same materials used
in extruding polycrystalline fibers. Single crystal fibers are
usually one meter long. It is believed that polishing the optical
fibers from grain particles could enhance the optical capacity of
the fiber, but the thing did not materialize, so instead oxides were
utilized as good materials in single crystal optical fiber
production. Presently the popular material used in producing single
crystal is sapphire.
Infrared fiber optics is one viable option in producing
high0performance data transmitter. In today’s advancement of
technology, this one can feasibly stand to the challenge.
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