Optical fibers are used in a wide range of industries as a conduit to transmit light. Fibers comprising silicon offer a marriage of fiber optics with silicon photonics and opens the door to numerous opportunities in chemical sensing, thermal imaging, and related applications where infared light is used.
Application Stage of Development
Medical Applications: Imaging and remote sensing Technology is mature
Defense and Security: Infrared light sources and thermal imaging
Advantages
• New fabrication method results in a fiber that combines lower losses with smaller cores, making the technology suitable for infrared nonlinear optics
• Provides greater transparency and efficiencies compared to current semiconductor technology due to the use of scavengers to eliminate the oxide scattering centers
• Resulting fibers are mechanically strong and are fabricated using well-established silicon manufacturing processes, which reduces costs while increasing yield
Technical Summary
The Clemson technology is a type of optical fibers that incorporates an oxide glass cladding and crystalline silicon core. Oxide impurities that have been inadvertently introduced into the fiber core during drawing are eliminated by a chemical reaction from a scavenger prior to drawing resulting in lower loss and greater crystalline perfection.
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Inventor: Dr. John Ballato, Dr. Robert Rice
Patent Type: Non-Provisional
Serial Number: NA
Patent Number: 9,069,117 Related IP: 8,934,748
CURF Ref No: 2011-061