We have developed core/clad polycrystalline silver halide optical fibers with a loss of roughly 0.3 dB/m at 10.6 micrometers. Such fibers, with core diameters 0.3 - 0.6 mm and lengths of 1 to 2 meters are capable of continuously delivering output power densities as high as 14 KW/cm². The fibers were repetitively bent in the plastic and elastic regimes and the optical transmission monitored during bending. The mechanical properties of the core/clad fibers and of the core only fibers are similar. It was also demonstrated that the 'bending' properties of the core/clad fibers are determined by the cladding material. Our investigations suggest that proper design of the core/clad structure may give significant improvement in mechanical properties such as more cycles to optical failure. This will be very important especially for endoscopic laser surgery and other medical applications.

Date Published: 5 April 1996
PDF: 11 pages
Proc. SPIE 2677, Biomedical Fiber Optics, (5 April 1996); doi: 10.1117/12.237563

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 2677:
Biomedical Fiber Optics
Abraham Katzir; James A. Harrington, Editor(s)