Thermal Stability of Specialty Optical Fibers

Application of silica optical fibers at elevated temperatures is limited by the thermal stability of their polymer coatings, as thermal degradation in most polymer materials occurs at much lower temperatures than silica, which can result in degradation in the fiber performance. In this paper, we attempt to clarify the concept of thermal stability of specialty polymer-coated silica optical fibers and demonstrate a quantitative measurement method using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) in combination with methods for optical and strength measurement of optical fiber. Based on the results, long-term use temperatures for various specialty optical fibers are estimated.