Plastic Optical Fiber (POF) in Harsh Environment Applications

Plastic Optical Fiber (POF)              From the earliest days of glass fiber processed for communication use, synthetic fiber producers have chased the receding market target with alternative organic fibers.  Mitsubishi Rayon, in particular, has pushed their research on plastic optical fiber (POF) over the past two decades.  DuPont, Hoechst Celanese, Mitsubishi Chemical and several other major chemical-oriented firms also invested substantially in POF development.  The global optical fiber market, however, has been high-end focused; mainly single mode striving for ever-higher data rates over expanding hundreds of kilometers.  At the opposite end of the market, short reach/low data rate transmission, copper links vendors have fought the potential fiber intrusion by continuing advancements in data rate capability.  Copper links have remained low cost, not having to incorporate the relatively expensive fiber optic transmitter/receiver units required for fiber links.

Unshielded twisted pair (UTP) copper links, however, are vulnerable to electromagnetic and radio frequency interference (EM/RFI).  Adding shielding to copper cables drives up their cost and makes the cable larger and heavier.  Thus, even for short reach, low data rate communication links; there is continuing interest in fiber optic links.

As EMI-sensitive systems (such as GPS position-location systems and video and high fidelity sound systems) increasingly have been phased into automobiles and green-tech energy solutions (such as wind turbines); therefore, this has opened the POF market to volume applications.  This was aided by the rapidly falling cost of silicon semiconductor ICs, such as the driver and amplifier devices of fiber optic transmitter/receiver units.  In the short-reach, low data rate market, POF/LED based links can compete on price with shielded copper links.

Major research in the POF field is continuing, aimed at extending POF temperature limits upward, beyond 100 degrees Centigrade, to open further markets.   According to Asahi Kasei E-materials Corporation, POF softens at approximately 100 degree C, decomposes and emits flammable gas at approximately 200 degree C, and above 200 degree C may ignite and burn.  There also is argument that POF can better withstand severe shock and vibration than glass fiber; further development and qualification testing is expected to open military/aerospace low data rate, short reach applications to POF use.