Effect of Cold Hydrogen Plasma on Optical Parameters of an Optical Fiber

TL;DR

This study investigates how cold hydrogen plasma treatment affects the optical properties of plastic optical fibers, revealing measurable increases in core index and potential implications for fiber communication performance.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis of plasma-induced changes in optical fiber parameters using interference fringe analysis and custom Matlab processing.

Findings

Core index increased by 1.5839 after plasma exposure

Interference fringe analysis enabled precise measurement of optical parameter changes

Plasma treatment can modify optical fiber properties for communication applications

Abstract

Cold plasma of power 13W has been applied on step index plastic optical fibers. It is used to study the ability for any variations in the optical parameters that are effective in communication. The effect of plasma on the optical parameters, such as core index profile, cladding index and the numerical aperture, has been studied by multiple beam interference fringes. The interference fringes have been processed using a homemade Matlab written program to get more accurate measurements. It is found that there is an increase of 1.5839 in core index, at core-clad interface, with a plasma exposure time of 150 sec.