Plastic Optical Fibers

A special issue of Fibers (ISSN 2079-6439).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2018) | Viewed by 11335

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Communications Engineering, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Engineering School of Bilbao, Plaza Ingeniero Torres Quevedo, 1, E-48013 Bilbao, Spain
Interests: plastic optical fiber; optical sensors; multimode fiber; photonics
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Guest Editor
Polymer Optical Fiber Application Center (POF-AC), Technische Hochschule Nürnberg Georg Simon Ohm, Wassertorstr. 10, 90489 Nuremberg, Germany
Interests: fiber optic components and systems; fiber optic sensors; optical measurement technology; nonlinear fiber optics; photonics and laser technology; medical applications

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plastic optical fibers (POF) have emerged from laboratories to real-world applications during the last few decades. Examples are optical bus systems for automotive applications and avionics, as well as short-range optical communication links for industrial automation, data centers, and home networks. Optical sensors for mechanical quantities in structural health monitoring or sensors for biochemical analyses are hot research topics becoming mature for field-tests and future products. Finally, optical fibers and waveguides made out of polymers find widespread applications in ambient illumination and display systems. This success is supported by the development of new materials and manufacturing methods for plastic fibers, including micro-structured and doped fibers.

A series of dedicated conferences on plastic optical fibers (annual POF conference) during the last decades served as a great platform for both, the scientific community and commercial vendors, to discuss the state-of the-art and future development of this technology. This Special Issue presents an overview as well as in-depth information on latest achievements of POF technology to the interested community in an open-access journal. While submissions of updated and enhanced versions from contributions of participants of the last POF conferences are encouraged, original papers not yet presented at POF conferences are also highly welcome.  

Prof. Dr. Joseba Zubia Zaballa
Prof. Dr. Rainer Engelbrecht
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Active Devices and Cables
  • Industrial, Automotive & Aerospace Applications
  • Fiber and Materials Characterization
  • Connectors and Couplers
  • Data, RF and Video Transmission Technologies
  • Fibre and Cable Technologies
  • LAN and Home Networks
  • Illuminations & Signs
  • Medical Applications
  • Optical Transceivers
  • Passive Components
  • Sensor Devices and Systems
  • POF Tools & Wiring Technologies
  • WDM Components

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

8 pages, 2558 KiB  
Article
Characterization of a Y-Coupler and Its Impact on the Performance of Plastic Optical Fiber Links
by Alicia López, M. Ángeles Losada, Javier Mateo, N. Antoniades, Xin Jiang and Dwight Richards
Fibers 2018, 6(4), 96; https://doi.org/10.3390/fib6040096 - 10 Dec 2018
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 5338
Abstract
Couplers and splitters are common devices in single-mode and multi-mode glass fibers applications, where they perform a variety of functions. However, when switching to plastic optical fibers (POFs), there is a shortage of commercial devices, which are usually custom-made. The problem with these [...] Read more.
Couplers and splitters are common devices in single-mode and multi-mode glass fibers applications, where they perform a variety of functions. However, when switching to plastic optical fibers (POFs), there is a shortage of commercial devices, which are usually custom-made. The problem with these devices is that modal power distribution in POFs is easily modified by spatial disturbances that produce a localized strong power transfer between modes, thus changing their transmission properties. In this work, a commercial Y-coupler designed for POFs is experimentally characterized. Measurements of its spectral, spatial and temporal characteristics have been performed, including insertion loss as a function of wavelength, angular power distribution, and frequency response. The obtained results show that this device has an equalizing effect over the power spatial distribution that reduces the fiber bandwidth, demonstrating the importance of considering the impact of this type of devices on the transmission properties of any POF system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plastic Optical Fibers)
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28 pages, 730 KiB  
Article
Novel Model for the Angle and Skewness Dependent Transmission Behavior of Step-Index Polymer Optical Fiber
by Thomas Becker, Rainer Engelbrecht and Bernhard Schmauss
Fibers 2018, 6(3), 65; https://doi.org/10.3390/fib6030065 - 5 Sep 2018
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 5016
Abstract
Step-index polymer optical fibers (SI-POFs) are deployed in both sensing and data transmission systems. The optical transmission behavior of these fibers is complex and affected by intrinsic influences like modal dispersion, scattering and attenuation as well as extrinsic influences like the launching condition [...] Read more.
Step-index polymer optical fibers (SI-POFs) are deployed in both sensing and data transmission systems. The optical transmission behavior of these fibers is complex and affected by intrinsic influences like modal dispersion, scattering and attenuation as well as extrinsic influences like the launching condition and the angular sensitivity of the receiver. Since a proper modeling of the transmission behavior is important in order to evaluate the suitability of the fiber for a specific application, we present a novel model for step-index multi-mode fibers (SI-MMFs) which considers all the previously mentioned impacts. Furthermore, the model differentiates scattering and attenuation for propagating rays not only by their propagating angle θ z but also by the skewness θ ϕ . It is therefore possible to distinguish between guided, tunneling and refracted modes. The model uses scatter and attenuation data from previously published measurements of an SI-POF and computes the impulse response of the transmission system which is transferred to the frequency domain to derive the amplitude and phase response. A possible application for SI-POF is the length or strain measurement of the fiber by measuring the phase of a harmonically modulated signal. These sensors rely on a linear relation between the length of the fiber and the phase of the modulated signal. We demonstrate the application of the model by simulating the length measurement error that occurs for these sensors by obtaining the phase response for the corresponding optical transmission system. Furthermore, we will demonstrate the flexibility of the model by varying several influences including the excitation of different mode categories and evaluate the impact on the measurement error. Finally, we compare the simulated length error derived from the model to real data obtained from a cutback measurement. An implementation of the model, which was used for all simulations in this paper, is publicly available. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plastic Optical Fibers)
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