How are optical fibres developed?
There are 3 steps in making optical fibres:
1. Making a preform glass cylinder
2. Drawing the fibres from the preform
3. Testing the fibres
1. Making a preform glass cylinder
2. Drawing the fibres from the preform
3. Testing the fibres
Making the preform blank
The glass for the preform is made by a process called modified chemical vapour deposition (MCVD).
In MCVD, solutions of silicon and germanium react with oxygen to form silicon dioxide and germanium dioxide. A torch is then moved up and down the outside of the tube, and the extreme heat from the torch causes the silicon dioxide and germanium dioxide to combine together to form glass. This whole process takes several hours.
In MCVD, solutions of silicon and germanium react with oxygen to form silicon dioxide and germanium dioxide. A torch is then moved up and down the outside of the tube, and the extreme heat from the torch causes the silicon dioxide and germanium dioxide to combine together to form glass. This whole process takes several hours.
Drawing fibres for the preform blank
The blank gets put into a graphite furnace (1900 to 2200oC). When the tip melts, it drops, cools and forms a thread.
Afterwards, the thread goes through buffer coatings and ultraviolet light curing ovens onto a tractor-controlled spool. The spool slowly pulls the fibre from the heated preform blank and its diameter is measured. The finished product is then wound onto the spool. Spools can contain more than 2.2km of optical fibre.
Afterwards, the thread goes through buffer coatings and ultraviolet light curing ovens onto a tractor-controlled spool. The spool slowly pulls the fibre from the heated preform blank and its diameter is measured. The finished product is then wound onto the spool. Spools can contain more than 2.2km of optical fibre.
Testing the finished optical fibre
Optical fibres are tested for its bandwidth (number of signals that can be carried at one time [multi-mode fibres]), operating temperature range, ability to conduct light underwater and the extent that the light signals start to weaken over a distance.
Once the fibres have passed the quality control, they are sold to telephone companies, cable companies and network providers. Optical fibres have proved to become popular due to many companies replacing their old copper-wire-based systems to improve speed, capacity and clarity.
Here is a video detailing how fibre optics are made:
Once the fibres have passed the quality control, they are sold to telephone companies, cable companies and network providers. Optical fibres have proved to become popular due to many companies replacing their old copper-wire-based systems to improve speed, capacity and clarity.
Here is a video detailing how fibre optics are made: