Introductory Chapter: Optical Fibers

Abstract

With the invention of the laser it was possible to think about a fast and efficient way to make the information transmission, thus originating the first ideas of transmission through wave guides. This led to the invention of the optical fibers, for which scientific-technological research has been constantly developed in order to improve the efficiency of information transmission for different applications. Then, various techniques and materials used for the manufacture of optical fibers have been developed, which have been improved over the years, obtaining high efficiency in the transmission of information, as well as different types of optical fiber applications. This book intends to provide the reader a review of some different fiber optic applications as well as some ideas about the future of growing in this important technological area.