Optical fibers offer a convenient method for creating optical sensors, directing light to, and collecting light from, the measurement region, so called extrinsic sensors or using the fiber itself as the transducer, so called intrinsic sensor. For the past few decades, there has been a fast growing of new technologies in optical fibers pushing the fabrication of active fibers to the front stage for many research groups and industry. Performances of active optical fibers must be improved and it can be achieved by using glass-ceramics, which are rare-earth ions doped crystals in glass
Goal
In this proposal, we will lay the foundation for a sustainable technology using a completely new and innovative drawing tower. We plan to demonstrate that the tower can be used to draw silica fiber with same quality than fiber drawn from conventional drawing tower. We also plan to demonstrate that the same equipment can be used to draw not only soft glass but also glass-ceramics so new fibers with enhanced spectroscopic properties can be obtained using this unique drawing process.
Funding
Coordinating organisation
Nyfors (https://nyfors.com/)
Contact persons
laeticia.petit [at] tuni.fi