Plastic wavelength shifting fiber and a method of making the same
A wavelength shifting fiber and method of making the same is disclosed. A wavelength shifting fiber can include a plastic core and a coating surrounding the plastic core. The numerical aperture for the wavelength shifting fiber can be at least about 0.53. A method of making a wavelength shifting fiber can include heating and drawing a plastic core precursor to form a plastic core, coating the plastic core with a liquid coating, and curing the liquid coating around the plastic core to form a wavelength shifting fiber.
1. A wavelength shifting fiber, comprising:
a plastic core; and
a cladding surrounding the plastic core, wherein a numerical aperture for the wavelength shifting fiber is at least about 0.53, wherein the cladding comprises glycerol ether acrylate, methacrylated polymer, fluoroacrylate, multifunctional acrylate, or a combination thereof and wherein the cladding surrounding the plastic core is a UV cured liquid cladding, wherein the cladding is in direct contact with the plastic core.
2. The wavelength shifting fiber of claim 1 , wherein the numerical aperture is defined by the formula NA=√{square root over ((n core ) 2 −(n clad ) 2 )}, wherein n core is a refractive index of the plastic core and n clad is a refractive index of the cladding.
3. The wavelength shifting fiber of claim 1 , wherein the numerical aperture for the wavelength shifting fiber is at least about 0.6.
4. The wavelength shifting fiber of claim 1 , wherein the numerical aperture for the wavelength shifting fiber is at least about 0.7.
5. The wavelength shifting fiber of claim 1 , wherein the cladding has a thickness of at least 3 μm.
6. The wavelength shifting fiber of claim 1 , wherein the cladding is in direct contact with the core without any intervening substances in between.
7. The wavelength shifting fiber of claim 1 , wherein the plastic core comprises a material selected from the group consisting of polystyrene (PS), polyvinyltoluene (PVT), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate, and any combination thereof.
8. The wavelength shifting fiber of claim 7 , wherein the plastic core comprises a fluorescent dopant.
9. The wavelength shifting fiber of claim 1 , wherein the cladding comprises an organic material.
10. The wavelength shifting fiber of claim 1 , wherein the plastic core has a diameter of at least about 0.01 mm and not greater than about 5 mm.
11. A wavelength shifting fiber, comprising:
a plastic core; and
a cladding surrounding the plastic core, wherein a numerical aperture for the wavelength shifting fiber is at least about 0.53, and wherein an optical attenuation length for the wavelength shifting fiber is at least 3 meters, wherein the cladding comprises glycerol ether acrylate, methacrylated polymer, fluoroacrylate, multifunctional acrylate, or a combination thereof and wherein the cladding surrounding the plastic core is a UV cured liquid cladding, wherein the cladding is in direct contact with the plastic core.
12. A method of making a wavelength shifting fiber, wherein the method comprises:
heating and drawing a plastic core precursor to form a plastic core;
coating the plastic core with a liquid coating; and
curing the liquid coating around the plastic core to form a wavelength shifting fiber, wherein the liquid coating around the plastic core is cured using ultra violet (UV) radiation, wherein the cladding is in direct contact with the plastic core.
13. The method of making the wavelength shifting fiber of claim 12 , wherein the wavelength shifting fiber comprises a numerical aperture at least about 0.53, wherein the numerical aperture is defined by the formula NA=√{square root over ((n core ) 2 −(n clad ) 2 )}, wherein n core is a refractive index of the plastic core and n clad is a refractive index of the coating.
14. The method of making the wavelength shifting fiber of claim 13 , wherein the numerical aperture for the wavelength shifting fiber is at least about 0.6.
15. The method of making the wavelength shifting fiber of claim 12 , wherein the plastic core comprises a material selected from the group consisting of polystyrene (PS), polyvinyltoluene (PVT), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate, and any combination thereof.
16. The method of making the wavelength shifting fiber of claim 12 , wherein the plastic core precursor is heated above 240° C.
17. The method of making the wavelength shifting fiber of claim 12 , wherein the method further comprises:
applying a second liquid coating on the liquid coating after the liquid coating has been cured; and
curing the second liquid coating.