Plastic Optical Fiber

Introduction

PlasticOpticalFiber.Asof2014,theopticalfibersusedincommunicationopticalcablesarebasicallyquartzopticalfibers,composedofhigh-puritysilicaSiO2withanappropriateamountofdopant.Inrecentyears,plasticopticalfiber(POF)hasalsobeengraduallydeveloped,whichisanopticalfibermadeofalight-transmittingpolymer.Becauseitcanusethematuresimpledrawingprocessofthepolymer,thecostisrelativelylow,anditisrelativelysoft,strong,largeindiameter(about1mm),andtheconnectionlossislow.

TherearetwomaintypesofmaterialsformakingPOF:oneisPMMA(PolymerPolymethylmethacrylate);theotherisPerfluorinatedpolymers.

Performanceindicators

1.Attenuation

Theattenuationofplasticopticalfibermainlydependsonthescatteringlossandabsorptionlossoftheselectedmaterial.Tobeusedasacommunication-gradeplasticopticalfiber,oneofthemostbasicrequirementsisthattheattenuationofPMMAplasticopticalfibershouldbelow,preferablylessthan180dB/km.

2.Bandwidth

Gradientplasticopticalfiberisanopticalfiberwithagradientdistributionofrefractiveindex,anditsrefractiveindexgraduallydecreasesfromthecoretothecladding.Aslongastheformedgradientrefractiveindexdistributionissuitable,theeffectofsuppressingmodaldispersion,maintainingalargenumericalaperture,andcontrollingthebroadeningoftheemittedlightwaverelativetothehumanlightwavecanbeobtained.Iftherefractiveindexdistributionisproper,thematerialdispersionbecomesthemainfactorthatdeterminesthetransmissionbandwidth.Aslongasfullattentionispaidtothematerialdispersionwhenselecting,itiscompletelyfeasibletoobtainabandwidthofseveralGhz·km.

3.Heatresistance

Themostimportantthingisthattheheatresistanceofplasticopticalfiberismainlydeterminedbyitscomponentproperties.Thematerialcompositionwithgoodheatresistancedeterminesthattheplasticopticalfiberhasbetterheatresistance.Theindexestojudgetheheatresistanceofmaterialsincludeglasstransitiontemperature,Vicatsofteningpoint,heatdistortiontemperatureandotherindexes.

4.Connectivity

Communicationplasticopticalfibermostlyuses1mmdiameteropticalfiber,whichis8-20timesthatofquartzopticalfiber.Theconnectionofthickplasticopticalfiberismucheasierthanthatofquartzopticalfiber.

Advantages

Plasticopticalfiberislighter,softer,andmoreresistanttodamage(vibrationandbending).Plasticopticalfiberhasexcellenttensilestrength,durabilityandsmallfootprint.Theseadvantagesmakethesuccessfulapplicationofplasticopticalfiberinautomobilesparticularlyimportant.Atypicalluxurycarhasatleastseveralkilometersofcopperwiresandcablesinside,whichgreatlyincreasestheweightandcost.Thisistrueforairplanes,trainsandallothermeansoftransportation.

Duetothelargediameterandnumericalapertureoftheplasticopticalfiber,thelighttransmissioncapacityislarge.Plasticopticalfiberhasamuchhigherbandwidthcapabilitythancoppertransmissionmedia(twistedpairandcoaxialcable).Thehigherthetransmissionfrequency,thelowerthecostofusingplasticopticalfiber.

Thecutting,wiring,bonding,polishingandotherprocessingofplasticopticalfiberareeasy.Duetothelargerdiameter,plasticopticalfiberinstallationandconnectionwithdevices,lightsources,detectors,etc.becomeeasyandlow-cost,andnon-professionalscanalsobecompetentfortheseoperations.Ittakesnomorethan1minutetopreparetheconnectionoftheplasticopticalfiber,andnospecialtoolsarerequired.Eventhesimplestscissorscanbeusedtocutplasticopticalfibers.Theplasticopticalfibertransceivermoduleusesredlightwithawavelengthof650nm,whichisverysafe,andtheusercanseeandeasilyjudgewhethertheopticalfiberconnectionissuccessful.Inaddition,theconnectionoftheplasticopticalfiberisnotsensitivetothedustanddebristrappedontheendface.

Plasticopticalfiberdoesnotproduceradiation,andiscompletelyimmunetoelectromagneticinterference,radiofrequencyinterferenceandnoise.Thisisparticularlyimportantforthesplittingofvideoandaudio.Obviously,theseinterferencesandnoisesaffectthequalityofimagesandservices.Plasticopticalfibersandcoppercablescanbelaidsidebysideinthesameductorinthesameharness.Plasticopticalfiberdoesnotproducenoiseandwillnothaveanegativeimpactonthecurrentpipenetwork.

ThecostofthePOFsystemislow.Itissaidthatthecostofeachconnectionusedforhomeconsumerelectronics,homenetworkingandcarsincludingaudio,DVD,VCR,etc.islessthan20dollars.Sothesedevicescanbeboughtingeneralstores.

Datatransmissionthroughplasticopticalfiberisnotlikelytobeeavesdropped,soplasticopticalfiberisverysuitableforsomeoccasionswithhighsecurityrequirements.

Althoughquartzopticalfiberiswidelyusedinlong-distancetrunkcommunicationandfiber-to-the-home,plasticopticalfiberiscalled"civilized"opticalfiberbecauseofthecomparisonofthetotalcostofplasticopticalfiber,relatedconnectingdevicesandinstallationLow.Intheoverallsolutionoffiber-to-the-homeandfiber-to-desktop,plasticopticalfiberisasupplementtoquartzopticalfiber,whichcanjointlyconstructanall-opticalnetwork.

Comparedwithquartzfiber,POFhasthefollowingadvantages:lowmodulus,largecorediameter(0.3-1.0mm),simplePOFconnectorcanbeusedwhensplicing,evenifthefibersplicingcenterisalignedThedeviationof30μmwillnotaffectthecouplingloss;thenumericalapertureislarge(aboutNA0.5),thelightreceivinganglecanreach60°,whilethequartzfiberisonly16°,cheapLEDscanbeused,andthecouplingefficiencyishigh;goodflexibilityandeasyProcessinganduse;lowlosswindowinthevisiblelightregion;lightweight;lowcostandprocessingexpense.

ComparedwithothertransmissionmediaintheLANsystem,thePOFnetworkalsohasobviousadvantages:POFisnotsensitivetoelectromagneticinterference,doesnotemitradiation,attenuationisconstantunderdifferentdatarates,andthebiterrorratecanbeItispredictedthatitcanbeusedinanelectricalnoiseenvironment;itssizeislonger,whichcanreducethetolerancecontrolrequirementsinthejointdesign,sothecostofnetworkformationislower.

Domesticsituation

Fromthedomesticsituation,theplasticopticalfiberinterfacestandardhasnotbeenfullyestablished,andthesystemofchipsandopticalmoduleshasnotyetbeendeveloped.Mostofthemstillneedtobeimported.Theseareallplastics.Theproblemsfacedbyopticalfiberinitsdevelopment.

Applications

Fibertothehome(FTTH)andfibertothedesktop(FTTD)

Homeandofficeintelligentnetwork(threenetworks)One)

Beginninginthe1990s,therapiddevelopmentofcommunicationtechnology,mobilecommunications,satellitetransmissionandopticalfibercommunicationshaveevolvedcommunicationsintohigh-speed,large-capacity,digitalandintegratedmultimediaservices.UnderthepromotionofITU-T,variousstandardsforopticalfibercommunicationhavebeenformulated,suchasPDH,SDH,DWDM,AN,andB-ISDN.Therefore,theUnitedStatesfirstproposedtheideaof​​establishinganationalinformationsuperhighway:NationalInformationInfrastructure(NII).Afterthat,variouscountriesformulatedplansandlaunchedaglobalinformationtechnologyconstructionplan(GII).Inthe1970s,theopticalfibernetworkwasmainlyusedinlarge-capacitybusinessareassuchasthecity.Inthe1980s,itdevelopedtolong-distancetrunklinesoutsidethecity,andgraduallyextendedtousersinthe1990s.Building(FTTB),fibertoapartment(FTTA),andfibertothehome(FTTH).Atpresent,therearealsoeconomicmethodsthatadoptcabletothehome(suchas:CABLEMODEMandADSLtechnology).Fibertothehomereferstotheuseofopticalfiberinthefinalaccessnetworkstagefromthetrunknetworktothecommunityandbetweenuserstorealizevoice,data,broadcastandtelevision.Anaccessmethodforvariousintelligentsystemfunctionsisconducivetotheintegrationofnetworkfunctionsandvariousresources.Fiber-to-the-homeisbeingpromotedallovertheworld.Japanhasthehighestpenetrationrateoffiber-to-the-home.Thenumberofusershasreached2.5millionattheendoflastyear,anditisexpectedtoreach4millionbytheendofthisyear.TheUnitedStatesbegantoexerteffortsattheendof2004.AsofMarchthisyear,thelineconstructionhascovered1.6millionusers,andtheactualnumberofservicesopenediscloseto200,000.SouthKorea,whichleadstheworldinonlinegames,alsohashighexpectationsforFTTH.Since2003,KoreantelecomoperatorshavesuccessivelyincreasedinvestmentinFTTH,startingin2005,FTTHhasbecomethemainstreaminbroadbandinvestment.TheSouthKoreangovernmentpredictsthatby2010,thepenetrationrateoffiber-to-the-homehouseholdswillreach70%.Europe'sBritain,Germany,Sweden,etc.areallacceleratingthedevelopmentoffiber-to-the-home.

Duetothelargediameterandnumericalapertureofplasticopticalfiber,ithasastrongerbandwidthcapabilitythancoppertransmissionmedia.Thepropagationspeedandcapacityof8copperwiresareequivalentto2plasticopticalfibers.However,thepriceofcopperpertonisashighas200,000to300,000yuan,andthepriceisincreasingyearbyyear.However,aplasticopticalfiberwithadiameterof1millimeterandaweightof1gramandalengthof1meterisonly0.2to0.3yuan.Thethreenetworksinthe"ThreeNetworksConvergence"strategyrefertotelecommunicationnetworks,radioandtelevisionnetworks,andtheInternet.Withtheadvancementofthisstrategy,plasticopticalfiberisusedtoreplacethetransmissionoftheabovethreekindsofsignals,andthetransmissioncostwillbegreatlyreduced.

Fiber-to-the-homerepresentsthefutureofbroadbandinacountry,andhasagreatroleinpromotingopticaldevices,fiberopticcablesandotherindustries.TheMinistryofInformationIndustryofmycountryhasbeguntoformulaterelevantFTTHstandards,andexpertspredictthedomesticFTTHmarketItwillbefullylaunchedin2006andwillenteralarge-scaleconstructionperiod.Beijing,Changsha,andWuhanhavestartedFTTHpilotprojects.Forexample,WuhanCityhasbuiltthefirstdomesticfiber-to-the-homepilotplatform,andnearly10fiber-to-the-homeprojectshavebeencompletedandunderconstruction.Thenumberofusersisabout5,000,anditisexpectedthatthenumberofuserswillreach50,000from2006to2007.Atpresent,thereare25millionbroadbandusersinChina,and12millionnewuserswillbeaddedeveryyearby2007.Ifabout20%ofusersadoptFTTH,itwillformamarketscaleofabout80billionyuanforFTTHequipment,andannualoperatingbusinessrevenuewillreach18billionyuan.Yuanandabove.AccordingtostatisticsandforecastsbytheInformationInstituteoftheInstituteofTelecommunicationsResearchoftheMinistryofInformationIndustry,theglobalfiberaccessmarketwillgrowrapidlyinthenext5-10years,andthecapitalusedforfibertothehomewillincreasefrom5billionU.S.dollarsthisyearto22.8billionU.S.dollars.,OfwhichcapitalexpenditureintheAsia-PacificregionisUS$12billion.ChinaandIndiawillbecomethefastest-growingcountries,anditisestimatedthatChina'sFTTHinvestmentwillaccountfor1/3oftheAsia-Pacificregion.

Inaddition,somecitiesinmycountryhavesuccessivelyproposedthegoalofupgradingtelecommunicationsnetworksandacceleratingthepaceoffibertothehome.TheBeijingOlympicsOrganizingCommitteeannouncedthatitwillinvest6.6billionU.S.dollarstoexpandandupgradetelecommunicationsnetworksby2008.Shanghaialsoproposestoincreasetelecommunicationsrevenuefrommorethan10billionyuanto43.5billionyuanbefore2010.Inaddition,mycountry’sbackwardfacilitiesThewesternregionwillalsoacceleratethepaceofinformatizationintheprocessoflarge-scaledevelopment,allofwhichprovidearealisticbasisforthemarketspaceofFTTH.

Automotiveapplications

Variousnewfunctionsofmoderncarsrequirefastandreliabletransmissionoflargerdatavolumes.Multimediacarsmeanthattheyoftenhavetotransmitvideoandaudiosignalswithoutinterferenceinpoorenvironments.TheinternationalMOSTandIDBstandardsstipulatetheuseofplasticopticalfibers.Theplasticopticalfiberautomotivenetworkhasbeenusedinhigher-levelcarsandhaswithstoodthetestforalongtime.Suchas:Daimler-Chrysler(Benz)"S-Class"seriesandBMW's"BMW7"series.Currently,thereareabout16modelsinEuropeusingplasticopticalfibercommunicationsystems.

Somevehiclesinmycountryhavealsobeguntoconsiderusingplasticopticalfibercommunicationsystems.AccordingtothemarketingplanningreportofFaztecOptronics,atestingprofessional,thePolymerOpticalFiberofopticalcommunicationhasbecomethenewmainstreaminthedevelopmentofautomotivecomponentsinautomotiveelectronics.Itiscurrentlyusedinin-vehiclecommunicationandin-vehicleentertainmentaudiovisualSystems,suchasin-carTV,in-caraudio,in-carlamps,andin-carswitches,havesuccessivelyswitchedtoplasticopticalfibers.Astheglobalautomotiveindustryadjuststothetrendofthetimes,theinteriorischangedtoplasticopticalfiber.Itisestimatedthatby2010,theglobalautomotiveelectronicsmarketwillreach150billionU.S.dollars.ThemainmarketsarestillconcentratedinEurope,NorthAmerica,Japanandotherregions.Theproportionexceeds80%,andMainlandChinaistheemergingmarketwiththemostdevelopmentpotential,withacompoundannualgrowthrateofapproximately20%inthepastfiveyears.

Consumerelectronicsandsensors

Plasticopticalfiberhasobviousadvantagesinthefieldsofsensorsandconsumerelectronics,suchascomputers,videocameras,CD-ROMs,DVDs,VCD,TV,printer,scanner,diskandstereosystem,etc.Forexample,theannualoutputofDVDinmycountry'sDVDindustryisabout30millionunits,andthedemandforplasticopticalfiberusedforDVDaudiofiberjumpersis30,000km,worth12millionyuan;ifprocessedintoopticalcables,itisworth30millionyuan,ifprocessedintoaudiofiberjumpers,Worth150millionyuan.ConsideringthatdomesticplasticopticalfibersaremainlyprocessedintoopticalcablesoraudioopticalfiberjumpersandexportedtoJapan,SouthKorea,Taiwan,EuropeandtheUnitedStatesandothercountriesandregions,thedomesticmarketdemandforplasticopticalfibersinthisrespectisatleast100millionyuan.

Industrialcontrolbussystem

Withtherapiddevelopmentofcomputersandautomaticcontroltechnology,thelevelofindustrialautomationhasincreasedtoanewlevel.Industrialautomationcanbedividedintoprocesscontrolautomation,automationforproductionandmanufacturing,andautomatedmeasurementsystems(industrialmeasuringinstruments)accordingtoitscharacteristicsanddirectionsofuse.Theestablishmentanddevelopmentoftheseindustrialautomationsystemshaveacommonfeature,thatis,thedevelopmentofadirectcontrolsystemtoadistributedcontrolsystem,andthedevelopmentofthisdistributedcontrolsystemisbasedonvariousindustrialnetworks.Throughthesevariousindustrialbussystems,variousindustrialequipmentformsadecentralizedandunifiedwhole.ForPOF,theindustrialcontrolbussystemisoneofitsmoststableandlargestmarkets.Throughtheconverter,POFcanbeconnectedwithstandardprotocolinterfacessuchasRS232,RS422,100MbpsEthernet,tokennetwork,etc.,therebyprovidingastableandreliablecommunicationlineintheharshindustrialmanufacturingenvironment,andhigh-speedtransmissionofindustrialcontrolsignalsandinstructions,avoidingThereisadangerofcommunicationinterruptionduetoelectromagneticinterferencecausedbytheuseofallcablelines.

Lightingandsolarenergyutilization

Becauseplasticopticalfiberlightinghasuniqueadvantagescomparedwithothermethods,ithasbeenwidelyusedinvariousoccasions.Incontinuouspromotion.Thecurrentdomesticapplicationsandoccasionsarebrieflydescribedasfollows:

(1)Interiordecoration

Ininteriordecoration,side-emittingopticalfibersareusedtoformcontourlineswithuniformilluminationandcolor.Itissoft,givingpeopleasenseofharmonyandhappiness;therationaluseoffinelightcreatesaromanticandwarmatmosphereathome,anditfeelslikeabathingbarinyourownhome.Inthehotellobby,thecrystalchandeliermadeofmeteoropticalfiberisinstalled.Throughthechangesofvariouscolorsandhighlights,itismoregorgeousandunique,givingpeoplearefreshingfeeling;Theartisticeffectofthepatterncanalsobeusedfortheend-lightfiberceiling,whichcansimulatethestarryskyeffect,flickeringanddimming,makingpeoplehaveunlimitedspacefantasy.

(2)Waterscapelighting

Withoutlighting,thewaterscapelosesitscharmingscenery.Andordinarylightingbringsdangeroushiddendangerstotourists.Whenwevisitthewaterscenery,wecanusuallyseethewords"Don'tplayinthewater,becarefulofelectricity",whichundoubtedlybringsalittleregrettoourtour.Becausetheopticalfiberlightingrealizesthephotoelectricseparation,theuseofopticalfiberlightingastheembellishmentofthewaterscapeisnotonlybrightandnovel,butalsoabsolutelysafeandreliable,whichisthebestmatch.Inadditiontolightingthewaterbodytomakethewatermorebeautifulandmoving,thefiberopticlightingcanalsobeusedtoformthecontourlineofthepool.Maketheverticalcolorwaterposeandthehorizontalpooloutlineformaharmoniouslinebeauty.

(3)Urbanarchitecture

Inlightingengineering,theuseofside-emittingopticalfiberstoformbuildingcontoursisthemostcommonapplicationexample.Especiallyfortheimagebuildingofacity,theoutlineofthebuildingismoremagnificentinthenightwithcolorfullines.Atthesametime,theopticalfiberhasalongservicelifeandisamaintenance-freeproduct,whichgreatlyreducesoperatingexpenses.Inaddition,thelightcoloroftheopticalfiberdecorativelightingcanbechanged,sothatthecolorofthebuildingoutlinechangeswiththeseasonorclimate,givingpeopleahumanizedfeeling.

(4)Landscaping

Inlandscaping,end-emittingopticalfibersareusedaspavilionlightsandundergroundlights,sothatgreenspacesandroadscanbeilluminatedatthesametimeascolorchanges.

(5)Roadlighting

Onthelandscaperoad,installdotsoflight-emittingopticalfibertobecomeafiberoptictunnel,whichincreasestheinterestingnessofthelandscape,andcanalsoconnectthemeteoropticalcableItistiledontheground,andpeoplewalkingonitarelikefloatinginthelight,givingendlessreveriestothepeoplewhoplay.

(6)Karstcavelighting

Thekarstcaveisakindofnaturallandscape.Becauseitisnotexposedtosunlight,itreliesonlightstoshowitscharm.Thechangeablelightcolorandflexibleopticalfibershowitsusefulnesstotheirregularkarstrocksandlakeshores,andmakethecavescenerymorecharming.Themostimportantthingistoeliminatehiddendangerstotourists.

(7)Lightingofancientbuildingsandculturalrelics

Undernormallighting,theeffectofultravioletlightacceleratestheagingofbooks,culturalrelics,woodenstructuresandotherbuildings.Atthesametime,electricitywillcauseafirehazard.Theuseofopticalfiberlightingissafeandcanachievetheidealartisticeffect.

(8)Flammableandexplosiveoccasions

Inoildepots,miningareasandotherdangerousplaceswherefireisstrictlyprohibited.Theapplicationofotherkindsoflightinghashiddendangersofopenflames.Ifyouarenotcareful,itwillleadtocatastrophe.Fromasafetypointofview,becauselightandelectricityareseparated,fiberopticlightingshouldbethemostideallighting.

(9)Utilizationofsunlight

Inourcommonsolarenergyutilization,sunlightisconvertedintoheatorelectricity,andopticalfibercandirectlyusesunlight.Itisusedtoimprovetheroomlighting.Fordarkbasementsandtunnels,fiberopticlightingisused,whichcanmaketheplaceswherethesunneverseeslightcanbeseenagain.

Militarycommunications

Inmilitarycommunications,POFisbeingdevelopedforhigh-speedtransmissionoflargeamountsofthird,confidentialinformation,suchastheuseofPOFlightweight,Ithasthecharacteristicsofgoodflexibility,fastconnection,andsuitableforwearingonthebody.Itisusedinalightweightcomputersystemwornbysoldiers.Itcanbeinsertedintothecommunicationnetworktodownload,store,send,andreceivemission-criticalinformation,anddisplayitonthehelmetdisplay.

Developmentprospects

Afteryearsofhardwork,Chinesescientistshavefinallyovercomethetechnicaldifficultiesofdirectlyproducingpolymethylmethacrylate(PMMA)mutantplasticopticalfibersfrombulkpolymerizationandhavemasteredBatchcontinuousproductionofplasticopticalfibertechnology.TheInstituteofPhysicsandChemistryoftheChineseAcademyofScienceshasproducedmillionsofmetersoflow-lossmutantplasticopticalfibers,breakingtheinternationalmonopolyofJapanesecompanies.

Theglobaldemandforplasticopticalfibershasincreasedrapidlyinrecentyears.In2005,theinternationalsalesofPMMAplasticopticalfibershavereachedbillionsofdollars.Thelow-lossPMMAplasticopticalfibersuitablefordatatransmissioniscurrentlyonlyproducedbyMitsubishiCorporationofJapan.Everyyear,mycountryimportsalargeamountofPMMAplasticopticalfiberfromJapan.

TheprojectleaderZhenZhenandResearcherLiuXinhousaidthattheInstituteofPhysicsandChemistryoftheChineseAcademyofScienceshasmasteredthecompletesetoftechnologiesforthepurificationofrawmaterialsanddirectfiberdrawingthroughbulkpolymerization.Itscoretechnologyisthepreparationtechnologyofhigh-purityfiber-gradePMMAopticalmoldingcompound(corematerial)andskinmaterial.Duringthedevelopmentprocess,theInstituteofPhysicsandChemistryoftheChineseAcademyofScienceshassuccessivelydevelopedanewtechnologyforpurificationofsingle-moleculediffusiontransferrawmaterialswithindependentintellectualpropertyrights,andthebulkpolymerizationofflat-pushthin-layertubularandtwin-screwcompositesystemstopreparehigh-purityfiber-gradePMMArawmaterialsandThematchingcladdingmaterialtechnologyhassuccessfullysolvedtherelatedproblemsofindustrialization.

Atpresent,theinstitutehassuccessfullydevelopedafullyautomaticassemblylinewithadailyproductionof100,000metersofPMMAplasticopticalfiber,andhasproducedPMMAopticalfiberswithanopticalattenuationof170-200dB/kmforseveralmonths.ThecumulativeproductionofPMMAfibersismillionsofmeters.Lossofplasticopticalfiberindicatesthatthisindustrializationtechnologyhasmatured.Atthesametime,theinstitutealsohasthepotentialformassproductionofstep-typePMMAfiberswithanopticalattenuationof150dB/km,andtheproducttechnicalindicatorshavereachedthebestlevelofsimilarproductsintheworld.Theadventoflow-attenuationPMMAfibercontinuousmassproductiontechnologymarksmycountry'srankamongtheworld'sadvancedinthisfield.

Thedevelopmentoftoday'sinformationtechnologyurgentlyneedsopticalfibermaterialswithlargeinformationcapacity,andtherequirementsforcommunicationnetworkbandwidtharegettinghigherandhigher.Plasticopticalfiberhastheadvantagesoflargecorediameter,softtexture,easyconnection,lightweight,lowprice,andlargetransmissionbandwidth.Itisusedinbroadbandaccessnetworksystems,homeintelligentnetworksystems,datatransmissionsystems,automotiveintelligentsystems,industrialcontrolsystems,andtextiles.,Lighting,solarenergyutilizationsystemsandotheraspectsoftheapplicationmarketpotentialishuge.

Source

Theresearchonplasticopticalfiberbeganinthe1960s.In1968,DuPontoftheUnitedStatesusedpolymethylmethacrylateasthecorematerialtoprepareaplasticopticalfiber,buttheopticallosswasrelativelylarge.In1974,Japan'sMitsubishiRayonCompanydevelopedaplasticopticalfiberwithPMMAandpolystyreneasthecorematerialandlowrefractiveindexfluoroplasticasthecladding.Itsopticallosswas3500dB/km,whichwasdifficulttouseforcommunication.

Inthe1980s,somelargecompaniesanduniversitiesinJapanconductedalotofresearchonthepreparationoflow-lossplasticopticalfibers.In1980,MitsubishiCorporationpolymerizedPMMAwithhigh-purityMMAmonomertoreducethelossofplasticopticalfiberto100-200dB/km.In1983,NTTbegantoreplacetheHatomsinPMMAwithdeuterium,sothatthelowestlightlosscanreach20dB/km,anditcantransmitlightwavesfromnear-infraredtovisiblelight.

Inrecentyears,companiesinEurope,Japanandothercountrieshavemadeimportantprogressinthedevelopmentofplasticopticalfibers.Theopticallossrateoftheplasticopticalfiberdevelopedbythemhasdroppedto25-9decibels/km.Itsworkingwavelengthhasbeenextendedto870microns(nearinfraredlight),whichisclosetothepracticallevelofsilicaglassfiber.APFXplasticseriesopticalfiberdevelopedbytheUnitedStateshasexcellentradiationresistance.Inaddition,theOpti-GigaplasticopticalfiberdevelopedbytheBostonOpticalFiberCompanyinMassachusettsisevenmoreeye-catching.Itisnotonlylighter,moreflexibleandlowercostthanglass,butalsocantransmitdataataspeedof3megabitspersecondwithin100meters..Thiskindoffibercanalsousetherefractionoflightorthejumpingmodeoflightinthefibertoachievehighertransmissionspeed.NowtheUnitedStates,EuropeandJapanhaveusedplasticopticalfibersforshort-distancetransmission,suchasautomobiles,medicalequipment,andcopiers.

Intermsofthecurrentproductionofplasticopticalfibers,Japanistheworld'slargestproducerofplasticopticalfibers.However,itisEuropethatpromotesthedevelopmentofnewapplicationsofplasticopticalfibersandestablishesopticalfiberinspectionstandards.Thesecondhalfof2001wasanimportantstageinthedevelopmentoftheEuropeanplasticopticalfiberindustry.Duringthisperiod,anewdevelopmentpolicyforEuropeanplasticopticalfiberinspectionandmeasurementwasestablished.Theworld'sfirstdedicatedplasticopticalfiberapplicationcenter(POFAC)wascompletedinNuremberg,Germany.GermanyhassuccessfullydevelopedamultimediabussystemMOST(24Mbit/s)usingplasticopticalfibers,andseveralcarmanufacturershaveintroducedthissystemintotheirproducts.Germany'sBMWcompany(BMW)hassetarecordfortheuseof100mplasticopticalfibersinitsnew7seriesofproducts.TheEuropean2001PlasticOpticalFiberAcademicExchangeConferenceandtheEuropeanOpticalFiberCommunicationConferencewereheldinAmsterdam,theNetherlandsatthesametime.TheGermanautomobileindustrynotonlypromotedtheapplicationofplasticopticalfibers,butalsopromotedtheestablishmentofinspectionandmeasurementstandardsforplasticopticalfibers.

Japanhasalsoestablishedplasticopticalfiberstandards,butthesestandardsareinvalidfortheEuropeanCommunity.TheJapaneseIndustrialStandardonlyprovidesastandardforonetypeofplasticopticalfiberwithanumericalapertureof0.5andonlyonewavelengthat650nm.Thestandarddoesnotmentionthedifferentexcitationlightconditionsintheplasticopticalfiber,nordoesitstipulatethatabalancedmodedistributionmustbeformedintheplasticopticalfiber.

ThepreviouslyestablishedglassopticalfiberinspectionmethodisnotsuitableforinspectingplasticopticalfiberbecauseofRayleighscattering.NowthereisonlyoneinstrumentforinspectingplasticopticalfibersoldbythenewlyestablishedSwisscompanyLuciolInstruments.

TheGermanInstituteofEngineersandtheResearchGroupoftheInstituteofElectronicEngineeringhavespecifiedindetailthemeasurementmethodsofthenumericalaperture,attenuation,transmissionandmechanicalpropertiesofplasticopticalfibers,aswellastheenvironmentandlifetime.Theestablishmentofplasticopticalfiberinspectionmethodsandstandardswillcertainlypromotethedevelopmentofinternationalplasticopticalfibertradeandeliminatemisunderstandingsintrade.

Japanattachesgreatimportancetotheapplicationofplasticopticalfiber.Asearlyasafewyearsago,45opticalcommunicationandmultimediaproductmanufacturersincludingNEC,Fujitsu,andSumitomoElectricIndustriesPracticaluseofplasticopticalfibersuccessfullydevelopedinJapan.Thelowcostofplasticopticalfiberisconsideredtobethekeytechnologyforintroducingmultimediatothehome,andthensomemanufacturerssetouttoestablishproductionlines.

In1986,JapanFFujitsudevelopedtheSItypeheat-resistantPOFwithPCasthecorematerial,theheat-resistanttemperaturecanreach135degreesCelsius,andtheattenuationcanreach450dB/km;

1990In2004,AssistantProfessorKoikeofKeioUniversityinJapansuccessfullydevelopedagradedrefractiveindexplasticopticalfiber,thecorematerialisfluorine-containingPMMA,thecladdingisfluorinatedplastic,andtheinterfacegeltechnologyisused.Theplasticopticalfiberattenuationisbelow60db/km,thelightsourceis650-1300nm,the100mbandwidthis3GHz,andthetransmissionrateis10Gb/s.ItexceedstheGI-typequartzfiberandiswidelyregardedasanewopticalcommunicationmediumforfiber-to-the-homeinthehigh-speedmultimediaera;/p>

In1996,peoplesuggestedtobuildaverylow-costusernetworkATMphysicallayerbasedonplasticopticalfibers;in1997,JapanNECCorporationconducted155Mbit/sATMandLANtests.

Atthe2000OFCconference,ASAHIGLASSofJapanreportedthattheattenuationcoefficientoffluorinatedgradientplasticopticalfiber(GI-POF)was70dB/kmat850nm,33dB/kmat1300nm,andthebandwidthreached100mhz./km.Withthisfiber,a50m,2.5Gbit/shigh-speedtransmissiontestanda70°Clong-termthermalagingtesthavebeensuccessfullycarriedout.Theexperimentalconclusionisthatthefluorinatedgradientplasticopticalfibercanfullymeettherequirementsofshort-distancecommunication.

Marketprospects

Currently,plasticopticalfiberapplicationsinmycountryinclude:interiordecoration,waterscapelighting,cavelighting,flammableandexplosiveoccasions,andtheuseofsunlight.Inaddition,plasticopticalfibershavealsobeenwidelyusedinindustry,especiallyintheautomotiveindustry,agricultureandnationaldefenseconstruction.

Thereductionofnetworkcost,theimprovementofperformance,theintroductionofdigitalpropagationtechnology,thereductionofelectromagneticinterference,andtheformulationandimprovementofplasticopticalfiberstandardshavemadeplasticopticalfiberswidelyusedinindustry,agriculture,andnationaldefenseconstruction.Andpromotetheplasticopticalfiberindustrytograduallybecomethemainstreamindustryofopticalcommunications.Atpresent,plasticopticalfibersaremainlyusedinlow-speed,short-distancecommunicationtransmission.Becauseplasticopticalfiberhasthecharacteristicsoflargecommunicationcapacity,noelectromagneticnoise,andlightweight,itiswidelyusedintheautomobilemanufacturingindustry.BMWhasusedplasticopticalfibersinitslatestproductsforcommunicationinautomobilemanufacturingsystems.

Intheindustrialcontrolbussystem,throughtheconverter,theplasticopticalfibercanbeconnectedwithstandardprotocolinterfacessuchasRS232,RS422,100Mb/sEthernet,tokennetwork,etc.,soastobeusedintheharshindustrialmanufacturingenvironmentProvidesastableandreliablecommunicationroute,high-speedtransmissionofindustrialcontrolsignalsandinstructions,avoidingthedangerofcommunicationinterruptioncausedbyinterferencewithmetalcablelines.

Throughplasticopticalfiber,wecanrealizethenetworkingofsmarthomeappliances(homePCs,HDTVs,phones,digitalimagingequipment,airconditioners,refrigerators,audiosystems,kitchenappliances,etc.)toachievehomeautomationandremotecontrolmanagement,Improvethequalityoflife;throughplasticopticalfiber,wecanrealizethenetworkingofofficeequipment,suchascomputernetworkingcanrealizecomputerparallelprocessing,high-speeddatatransmissionbetweenofficeequipmentcangreatlyimproveworkefficiency,realizeremoteoffice,etc.Whenthedatarateofthelow-speedlocalareanetworkislessthan100Mb/S,thetransmissionintherangeof100mcanberealizedwithSItypeplasticopticalfiber;thetransmissionintherangeof150Mb/sand50mcanberealizedwiththesmallnumericalaperturePOF.POFcanbewidelyusedinthemanufacturingindustry.Throughtheconverter,POFcanbeconnectedwithstandardprotocolinterfacessuchasRS232,RS422,100Mb/SEthernet,tokennetwork,etc.,soastoprovideastableandreliablecommunicationlineintheharshworkingandmanufacturingenvironment.Itcantransmitindustrialcontrolsignalsandinstructionsathighspeed,avoidingthedangerofinterruptionofcommunicationtransmissioncausedbyelectromagneticinterferenceduetotheuseofmetalcablelines.

Asanidealtransmissionmediumforshort-distancecommunicationnetworks,plasticopticalfiberswillalsobewidelyusedinfuturehomeintelligenceandofficeautomation.InInternetservices,plasticopticalfiberisusedtoconnectthecommunicationnetworkandcontrolsystemofthevehicle-mountedmachineintoanetworkduetoitslightweightanddurability,andtoincorporateperipheralssuchasmicrocomputers,satellitenavigationequipment,mobilephones,andfaxesintotheoveralldesignofthelocomotive.,Passengerscanenjoymusic,movies,videogames,andshoppingintheirseatsthroughtheplasticopticalfibernetwork.Whenthetransmissiondistanceofplasticopticalfiberdoesnotexceed100m,itstransmissionratecanreach11Gb/s.Therefore,plasticopticalfibercanbeusedtoreplacetwistedpairandcoaxialcableintheshort-distancetransmissionoftheInternet,thusensuringthelargecapacityoftheshort-distanceInternet.Communication.

Inindividualcombatsystems,plasticopticalfiberswithlightweight,goodflexibilityandquickconnectionareusedinlightweightcomputersystemswornbysoldiers.Plasticopticalfibersarealsousedinthecontrolsystemsofhigh-techsmartweaponssuchasaircraft,battleships,andmissiles.

Withthedevelopmentofscienceandtechnology,theapplicationfieldofplasticopticalfiberisbecomingwiderandwider,andthedevelopmentofitsmarketwillbecomewiderandwider.Foreigncountrieshaveachievedgreatresultsintheapplicationanddevelopmentofplasticopticalfibers,andcontinuetoincreaseinvestmentinnewapplicationresearch.InSouthKorea,ChinaandTaiwanofmycountry,manufacturershavebeguntoinvestinR&Dandproduction.Therefore,theindustryshouldfocusonplasticopticalfibers.Paycloseattentiontotheresearchanddevelopmentofthecompany.