Review on developments of novel specialty fibers: performance, application and process

Abstract

This paper reviews the development progress of optical fiber, the producing and application of the specialty optical fiber in the world. Finally it states the leading technology of optical fiber of the world. Specialty optical fibers are series of optical fiber which could satisfy special requirements. Recently, the rapidly growing need from fiber to the home (FTTH), sensors, active optical link, energy conversion and delivery and fiber laser attracts researchers and optical companies to explore more possibilities of optical fiber and some novel specialty optical fibers were invented for the efforts. Bending insensitive optical fiber with the ability of extreme 3 mm bending diameter makes it possible to use the optical fiber as the electric wire in some extremely compact devices. Higher power was achieved in the fiber laser field with the development of rare earth doped fiber. Nanomaterials such as Au particles and ZnO nanostructures were utilized to extend the application in sensors and energy conversion. Pure silica design was commercialized to improve the radiation resistance of sensors based on fiber optics.

Keywords

single mode optical fiber / bending-insensitive / rare earth doped fiber / nano technology

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Acknowledgement

This work was support by the National Basic Research Program of China (Nos. 2014CB340000 and 2014CB340100).

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2014 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg