Long life, deep UV transmission is made possible with Fiberguide's solarization resistant optical fibers, wherein the fiber core and clad are hydrogen doped at very high temperatures as the fiber exits the draw furnace and then hermetically sealed with an aluminum buffer/jacket during the fiber draw process.

This break-through, patented in-line process allow the use of fiber with a wide variety of UV laser sources, making Solarguide™ 193 the fiber best suited for deep UV (≤ 300nm) applications.

Irradiation of standard silica fibers with UV photons below 260nm generates defects in the standard silica structure, so-called "solarization". The solarization is the reason for the significant decrease in standard fiber transmission in UV wavelengths over time making fiber eventually useless in that application.

When present in the silica core, hydrogen combines with the defects generated and neutralizes them, preventing the UV photons from being absorbed and thereby lost. Although the effect of hydrogen in lowering the fiber solarization rates in silica is widely known, Solarguide™ 193 is the only fiber in the industry that has its own hydrogen supply which has been sealed in with a hermetic shroud (aluminum buffer) around the fiber, thereby making it available for keeping the fiber solarization resistant for significantly longer periods.

FEATURES

• High operating temperature.

• Cryogenic operating temperature.

• Stress corrosion resistant.

• Organic solvent resistant.

• Lowest loss and strongest fiber in the industry for deep ultraviolet applications.

• Laser damage resistance similar to other large silica core fibers.

• Core diameters from 100μm to 300μm.

• Sterilizable - ETO, steam, e-beam, gamma radiation.

• Radiation resistant.

• Available only in Standard OH.

APPLICATIONS

• Laser Surgery

• Medical Diagnostics

• Remote Spectroscopy for pollution analysis and chemical processing

• UV Photolithography

• Nuclear Plasma Diagnostics

• Photo initiated Chemistry

• UV curing

• Analytical instruments

• UV Illumination

• UV Raman Spectroscopy

• Excimer laser delivery systems