Optoelectronic fiber codrawn from conducting, semiconducting, and insulating materials

• US 7,295,734 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2004
• Issued: 11/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Joannopoulos, John D., Hart, Shandon D., Fink, Yoel, Bayindir, Mehmet, Hinczewski, Dursen Saygin, Sorin, Fabien
• Primary Examiner(s): Connelly-Cushwa; Michelle
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peace; Rhonda S.
• Application Number:
  US10/890,948
• Publication Number:
  US 20050053345A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,217 Days
• Field of Search: 385/101, 385/104, 385/105, 385/123
• US Class Current: 385/101
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00663 Production of light guides
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 2201/86 Chalcogenide glasses, i.e. S, Se or Te glasses
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 37/01222 for making preforms of multiple core optical fibres preforms of multifibres C03B37/01214
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 37/026 Drawing fibres reinforced with a metal wire or with other non-glass material
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 13/00 Fibre or filament compositions manufacture of fibres or filaments C03B37/00
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 13/003 Conducting or semi-conducting fibres
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/02 Optical fibres with cladding with or without a coating
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/02304 Core having lower refractive index than cladding, e.g. air filled, hollow core
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/02328 Hollow or gas filled core
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/02361 Longitudinal structures forming multiple layers around the core, e.g. arranged in multiple rings with each ring having longitudinal elements at substantially the same radial distance from the core, having rotational symmetry about the fibre axis
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/02366 Single ring of structures, e.g. "air clad"
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/02371 Cross section of longitudinal structures is non-circular
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/09 Devices sensitive to infrared, visible or ultraviolet radiation H01L31/101 takes precedence

Abstract

The invention provides techniques for drawing fibers that include conducting, semiconducting, and insulating materials in intimate contact and prescribed geometries. The resulting fiber exhibits engineered electrical and optical functionalities along extended fiber lengths. The invention provides corresponding processes for producing such fibers, including assembling a fiber preform of a plurality of distinct materials, e.g., of conducting, semiconducting, and insulating materials, and drawing the preform into a fiber.

Claims

1. A fiber comprising a conducting material, an insulating material, and a semiconducting material, each of the materials being characterized by a viscosity that is less than about 10⁶ Poise, while maintaining structural material integrity, at a common fiber draw temperature.

2. The fiber of claim 1 wherein the materials are disposed in a configuration of preselected optical and electronic functional elements.

3. The fiber of claim 1 wherein the materials are disposed in an all-solid fiber cross section.

4. The fiber of claim 1 wherein the materials comprise fiber elements that do not share a characteristic symmetry of a fiber outer perimeter.

5. The fiber of claim 1 wherein the materials comprise fiber elements that do not share a characteristic symmetry of a fiber inner perimeter.

6. The fiber of claim 1 wherein at least one of the conducting, insulating, and semiconducting materials comprises at least one fiber element having a perimeter that is a closed loop which does not contain a characteristic center of a cross section of the fiber.

7. The fiber of claim 1 wherein the fiber includes a fiber cross section that is characterized by cylindrical asymmetry.

8. The fiber of claim 1 characterized by a length that is greater than about 10 meters.

9. The fiber of claim 8 characterized by a length that is greater than about 20 meters.

10. The fiber of claim 9 characterized by a length that is greater than about 50 meters.

11. The fiber of claim 10 characterized by a length that is greater than about 100 meters.

12. The fiber of claim 1 wherein the insulating material comprises a polymeric insulating material.

13. The fiber of claim 12 wherein the polymeric insulating material comprises a high glass-transition-temperature material.

14. The fiber of claim 12 wherein the polymeric insulating material comprises poly-ether imide.

15. The fiber of claim 12 wherein the polymeric insulating material comprises poly-ether sulfone.

16. The fiber of claim 12 wherein the polymeric insulating material comprises poly-methyl methacrylate.

17. The fiber of claim 12 wherein the polymeric insulating material comprises a polymeric rod.

18. The fiber of claim 12 wherein the polymeric insulating material comprises a polymeric tube.

19. The fiber of claim 12 wherein the polymeric insulating material comprises a polymeric layer.

20. The fiber of claim 12 wherein the polymeric insulating material comprises poly-sulfone.

21. The fiber of claim 1 wherein the conducting material comprises a metal.

22. The fiber of claim 21 wherein the metal comprises Sn.

23. The fiber of claim 21 wherein the metal comprises at least one metal strand.

24. The fiber of claim 21 wherein the metal comprises a metal layer.

25. The fiber of claim 1 wherein the conducting material comprises a metal alloy.

26. The fiber of claim 1 wherein the semiconducting material comprises a chalcogenide glass material.

27. The fiber of claim 26 wherein the semiconducting material comprises (As₄₀Se₆₀)₁₋

xSn_x.

28. The fiber of claim 26 wherein the chalcogenide glass comprises As₂Se₃.

29. The fiber of claim 1 wherein the semiconducting material comprises a semiconducting rod.

30. The fiber of claim 1 wherein the semiconducting material comprises a semiconducting layer.

31. The fiber of claim 1 wherein the semiconductor material comprises a glassy inorganic semiconducting material.

32. The fiber of claim 31 wherein the semiconducting material has a characteristic glass transition temperature.

33. The fiber of claim 1 wherein one of the conducting, insulating, and semiconducting materials is further characterized by a viscosity that is greater than about 10⁴ Poise.

34. The fiber of claim 1 wherein a one of the conducting, insulating, and semiconducting materials that constitutes a majority volume of material of the fiber is further characterized by a viscosity that is greater than about 10⁴ Poise.

35. A fiber comprising:

a conducting material;

an insulating material; and

a semiconducting material;

the conducting, insulating, and semiconducting materials being disposed in a geometric relationship corresponding to a drawing preform of the fiber.

36. The fiber of claim 35 wherein the conducting material comprises electrodes, disposed at fiber cross section locations, that can sustain an applied voltage bias between the electrodes.

37. The fiber of claim 35 wherein the insulating material comprises a polymeric insulating material.

38. The fiber of claim 35 wherein the insulating material comprises an optical transmission element.

39. The fiber of claim 35 wherein the insulating material comprises an optoelectronic device element adjacent to and in contact with an electrically conducting element.

40. The fiber of claim 35 wherein the conducting material comprises a metal.

41. The fiber of claim 35 wherein the conducting material comprises a metal alloy.

42. The fiber of claim 35 wherein the conducting material comprises an electrical transmission element.

43. The fiber of claim 35 wherein the conducting material comprises an optoelectronic device element adjacent to and in contact with a semiconducting element.

44. The fiber of claim 35 wherein the semiconducting material comprises a semiconducting chalcogenide glass.

45. The fiber of claim 35 wherein the semiconducting material comprises an optical transmission element.

46. The fiber of claim 35 wherein the semiconducting material is characterized by an amorphous material morphology that is a continuous atomic network having substantially no crystalline order.

47. A fiber comprising a conducting material, an insulating material, and a semiconducting material, each of the materials being characterized by a viscosity that is less than about 10⁶ Poise, while maintaining material properties, at a common fiber draw temperature.

48. A fiber drawing preform comprising:

a conducting material;

an insulating material; and

semiconducting material;

the conducting, insulating, and semiconducting materials being disposed in a preform assembly geometry arranged for drawing into a corresponding fiber of the conducting, semiconducting, and insulating materials.

49. A fiber drawing preform comprising:

a conducting material;

an insulating material; and

a semiconducting material;

the conducting, insulating, and semiconducting materials being disposed in a preform assembly geometry corresponding to a drawn fiber geometry of the conducting, semiconducting, and insulating materials.

50. The fiber drawing preform of claim 49 wherein the drawn fiber is characterized by a fiber length that is at least about 100 times greater than a characteristic preform length.

51. The fiber drawing preform of claim 49 wherein the drawn fiber is characterized by a fiber diameter that is at least about 10 times less than a characteristic preform diameter.