Robert William Filas

Metallization of Silica Optical Fibers

A review is presented of metallization processes of silica optical fiber. Fiber strengths and fatigue data are summarized and compared for liquid metal freezing, chemical vapor deposition, sputtering, electroless and electrolytic coatings. Both continuous in-line and termination-only processes are considered. Details of an electroless Ni-P plating process are presented which can be used to prepare fiber ends for soldering into hermetic packages.

Novel fabrication methods and characteristics of organic complementary circuits

The success of organic circuits depends on the implementation of novel fabrication techniques, and circuit designs which utilize organic semiconductor characteristics. We present DC, transient, and noise measurements of discrete organic FETs, and use these characteristics in SPICE simulations of complementary MOS circuits ranging in complexity from inverters through shift registers. Source/drain contacts are fabricated using electroless Ni/Au electrode deposition, a method well suited for incorporation with other fabrication techniques such as screen printing and microcontact printing.

Silicone Optical Attenuators

Lucent Technologies manufactures and markets a family of SC and ST singlemode optical attenuator products which are low cost and easy to use. The attenuator elements are available in the attenuation range of 3 to 20 dB and are housed in buildout barrels which snap into companion buildout blocks to form complete optical couplings. The attenuator element is a 0.086-inch diameter thermoplastic material which, depending upon the attenuation level, has a thickness from 0.006 to 0.065 inches. In order to meet the full range of customer performance requirements, the attenuator element should not creep at temperatures up to 80°C and exhibit a reflection of less than -55 dB at optical telecommunication wavelengths. Commercially available thermoplastic materials cannot meet these requirements.