Development of optical fibers and glasses for fibers Evolution of optical fiber glasses from multicomponent to pure silica

Abstract

Optical communication fibers are one of the most important inventions of the glass product industry. These fibers are the only product made of glass to which the Nobel prize has been awarded. As an anniversary review for the International Year of Glass, we examine the evolution of communication fiber materials including multicomponent glasses, which were expected to replace silica glass. Owing to the difficulties in manufacturing low-loss fibers, multicomponent glasses, except fluoride glass, were dropped as the candidates for the core material. Pure silica glass is currently used as the core material for long-haul optical communication. As research on loss-reduction seems to have been stagnant for almost 40 years, a new method on loss reduction using hot compression is welcomed. While summarizing the history of glasses investigated for optical fibers, expectations for breakthroughs are discussed.