X-ray tomography for structural analysis of microstructured and multimaterial optical fibers and preforms

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Optical Engineering
• Physics

Background:

• Specialty optical fibers, including microstructured and multi-material types, possess intricate geometries and compositions.
• Their fabrication is less developed than conventional fibers, necessitating advanced characterization methods.
• Conventional techniques like refractometry and microscopy are insufficient for these complex structures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and demonstrate X-ray computed tomography (CT) as a primary method for structural and material investigation of specialty optical fibers.
• To overcome the limitations of conventional characterization techniques for complex fiber designs.
• To validate the utility of X-ray CT on challenging specialty optical fiber examples.

Main Methods:

• Application of advanced X-ray computed tomography (CT) techniques.
• Non-destructive examination of optical fibers and their preforms.
• Sub-micron resolution imaging of complex fiber structures.

Main Results:

• Successfully performed nondestructive structural and material investigation of challenging specialty optical fibers and preforms.
• Analyzed hollow core photonic band gap fibers, fusion-spliced joints, multi-element fibers, and metal-incorporated dual suspended-core fibers.
• Demonstrated the capability of X-ray CT to provide detailed insights not achievable with other methods.

Conclusions:

• X-ray computed tomography (CT) is a powerful, non-destructive tool for characterizing specialty optical fibers and their preforms.
• This technique is essential for optimizing the fabrication of complex optical fiber designs.
• The application of X-ray CT can be broadly extended to various types of optical fibers, preforms, and devices.