INTRODUCTION
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t the core of today’s electronic Information Age is an insatiable demand for data processing power. Under our oceans, vast lines of fiber optic cabling already connect us, revolutionizing the way we interact, communicate and conduct business across continents. Every year, new contracts are awarded for even more data lines, yet more than 50 percent of the world’s population remains without Internet connectivity. As new data hungry technologies come online including virtual and augmented reality, 4K and 8K televisions, and the expansion of the Internet of Things, demand for increased data transmission capabilities will only increase. In anticipation, we must evaluate our existing infrastructure. Will it support the rapid speeds and bandwidth needed for future data transmission? Right now, current submarine cables use fiber made from silica material. This material has been the industry standard for several decades with fiber achieving better results year over year. However, the material properties for silica have drawbacks which can hinder the use of the cable overall. Limited range for transmission wavelength, high attenuation and use of repeaters for underwater cable to amplify the light source are all opportunities for improvement in long telecommunications cables. By using specialized fiber optic cables for long haul telecommunications, an increase in the data rate and data capacity could remedy the looming prospect of reaching capacity within today’s current cable infrastructure.
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OVERVIEW OF ZBLAN OPTICAL FIBER Exotic optical fiber, such as the fluoride-based fiber ZBLAN, theoretically provides ten to one hundred times better attenuation and significantly broader transmission spectrum, compared to traditional silica fiber (Figure 1). Such attributes enable high performance fiber lasers, more capable medical equipment such as laser scalpels and endoscopes, supercontinuum light sourc-
es, more sensitive sensors for the aerospace and defense industries, and significantly higher bandwidth long-haul telecommunications connections. If ZBLAN is produced in commercial quantities, this form of fiber could be used to replace large existing markets for silica fiber due to the enhanced material properties and intrinsic benefits. ZBLAN is terrestrially, commercially produced in small quantities today (<100 kg/yr) but the full potential of this material has not been
Figure 1 – Comparison Chart of Silica and ZBLAN Fibers
THE CASE FOR