Low-cost fibre fabrication

Abstract

Fabrication based on the vapour-phase reaction technique has proven to be the most cost-effective method for producing low-loss optical fibres. This is particularly true for silica-based materials and is now being investigated for fluoride-based glasses. The advantages accrue not only from the purity possible but from the flexibility of the process. This enables complex refractive-index structures to be fabricated that allow enhanced system performance. Advances toward low-cost fabrication have been made in all major processing techniques during the past few years. A review of the current status is presented.