The long term reliability of high silica glass fiber lightguides used in lightwave communications systems is a critical consideration for assuring necessary system performance over design lifetimes. Three important concerns have emerged: the long-term mechanical strength of glass fiber; radiation induced changes in optical attenuation; and hydrogen effects on optical loss. This paper will highlight the key aspects of such phenomena, with particular emphasis on current understanding of silica fiber lightguides used for telecommunications applications.

Date Published: 23 February 1987
PDF: 13 pages
Proc. SPIE 0717, Reliability Considerations in Fiber Optic Applications, (23 February 1987); doi: 10.1117/12.937473

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 0717:
Reliability Considerations in Fiber Optic Applications
Dilip K. Paul, Editor(s)