Optical fiber

An optical fiber is a transparent thin fiber, usually made of glass or plastic, for transmitting light. Fiber optics is the branch of science and engineering concerned with such optical fibers.

History

Charles Kao's 1966 PhD thesis estimated that glass fibers need to have an optic signal attenuation of less than 20 dB per kilometer to be useful for long distance communication. The first useful optical fiber was invented in 1970 by researchers Maurer, Keck, Schultz, and Zimar working for American glass maker Corning Glass Works. They manufactured a fiber with 17 dB optic attenuation per kilometer by doping silica glass with titanium.

Related Topics:
Charles Kao - Attenuation - DB - 1970 - Corning Glass Works - Doping - Silica glass - Titanium

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The first transatlantic telephone cable to use optical fiber was TAT-8, which went into operation in 1988.

Related Topics:
Transatlantic telephone cable - TAT-8 - 1988

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Many optical fiber cables carrying internet traffic are buried under railroad rights of way in the United States.

Related Topics:
Internet - Railroad

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