Design Considerations in Reduced-Diameter Single-Mode Optical Fibers.

摘要

A literature survey was performed to determine design considerations associated with the use of reduced-diameter (down to 40-micro m) optical fibers. Decreasing fiber diameter did not have a direct effect on cutoff frequency or numerical aperture. Bending loss is expected to increase due to the evanescent field escaping from the cladding. A possible solution to this issue is to use a depressed cladding fiber. Glass fiber tensile strength increased with fiber diameters less than 100 micro m. Several in-line methods and procedures are proposed to proof test the reduced-diameter fiber. However, fundamental limitations currently prohibit reliable quantitative lifetime predictions. Fiber optic components will need to be modified in order to accommodate reduced-diameter designs.