Open AccessAnalysis of material concentration in step-index fibers with alumina cores produced by means of the powder-in-tube technique
Author(s) -
Lingqiang Meng,
Jingxian Ji,
Christian Röhrer,
Götz Kleem,
Thomas Graf,
Marwan Abdou Ahmed
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.393198
Subject(s) - materials science , composite material , fiber , mixing (physics) , tube (container) , core (optical fiber) , diffusion , refractive index , physics , optoelectronics , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics
Step-index fibers (SIFs) with alumina cores were fabricated employing the powder-in-tube technique. The fabricated SIFs have alumina concentrations of up to 32 mol%, which is the highest value reported so far for fibers with core diameters smaller than 25 μm. The mixing mechanisms between alumina and silica during fiber drawing were revealed by energy dispersive X-ray analysis of the neck-down area of the preform. The results of the measurements and simulations indicate that besides diffusion, fluid dynamics between softened silica and alumina powder also play an important role in the resulting alumina and silica concentrations in the fiber. The influence of different drawing parameters on the alumina and silica concentrations of the fibers is also presented.