High Speed (11Gb/sec) Data Transmission Using Perfluorinated Graded-Index Polymer Optical Fibers for Short Interconnects (<100m)

Perfluorinated graded-index polymer optical fibers (GI-POF) have been developed that offer low losses (0.3GHz km) at data communications wavelengths (0.85 micron and 1.3 micron). Here we demonstrate for the first time that such fibers can support data rates up to 11Gbit/sec for 100m with low power penalty and large power margins. Although restricted launch was used, differential mode delay measurements of the fiber impulse response show that in a large central region of the fiber core (50% of the core diameter) very large bandwidths can be obtained with modest alignment requirements. These improved transmission characteristics (obtained using inexpensive, uncooled, unisolated 1.3 micron Fabry Perot sources and a simple pin detector) together with potential low cost connectorization and small fiber bend-radius make perfluorinated GI-POF a candidate for premise networks and short reach telecom and computer interconnections.