Reliability of Hard Plastic Clad Silica Fiber

New formulations of cladding materials have become available in recent times for Hard Plastic Clad Silica (HPCS) fibers, Initial data showed gains in some properties, particularly dynamic strength, especially for high numerical aperture (NA) fibers. A systematic study has been undertaken to determine the full strength and fatigue behavior of these HPCS fibers and to make comparisons to earlier HPCS fibers. Preliminary results, now confirmed, have shown improved median dynamic strength and higher Weibull slope. Full results are presented below including fatigue behavior and optical properties. These fibers have many applications and benefits in the high power delivery and medical laser uses as highlighted below. High power diode laser systems with their laser diode bars and arrays not only require special fibers to couple directly to the diode emitters, but also require special fibers to couple from the laser to application sites. These latter power delivery fibers are much larger than the internal fibers but still must be flexible, and have not only good strength but also good fatigue behavior. This particularly important industrial systems using robotic arms to apply the high power laser energy at a treatment site. The optical properties of HPCS fibers are well suited for the needs of the delivery of high power from diode laser bars and arrays to an application site. Benefits of strong median dynamic strengths and tighter flaw distributions in such cases will be discussed. Many medical applications, especially endoscopic ones, can benefit from the use of highly flexible, high NA, cost ffective, HPCS optical fibers. Benefits of high strength and good fatigue behavior for such fibers in endoscopic procedures, including laser surgery, are discussed briefly including implications for mechanical reliability in medical and industrial settings.