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 (50dB/km) and high bandwidth (>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.