Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wollongong, 2006. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Michigan State University. Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Aug. 3, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p.129-132). Also issued in print.

Thesis (M.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 1995. / Typescript. Bibliography: leaves 107-114.

Thesis (Ph.D)--Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. / Committee Chair: Ralph, Stephen; Committee Member: Barry, John; Committee Member: Chang, G. K.; Committee Member: Cressler, John D.; Committee Member: Trebino. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

Recent progress in combing multiple materials with distinct optical, electronic, and thermomechanical properties monolithically in a kilometer-long fiber drawn from a preform offers unique multifunctionality at a low cost. A wide range of unique in-fiber devices have been developed in fiber form-factor using this strategy. Here, I summary my recent results in this nascent field of 'multimaterial fibers'. I will focus on my achievements in producing robust infrared optical fibers and in appropriating optical fiber production technology for applications in nanofabrication. The development of optical components suitable for the infrared (IR) is crucial for applications in this spectral range to reach the maturity level of their counterparts in the visible and near-infrared spectral regimes. A critical class of optical components that has yet to be fully developed is that of IR optical fibers. Here I will present several unique approaches that may result in low-cost, robust IR fibers that transmit light from 1.5 microns to 15 microns drawn from multimaterial preforms. These preforms are prepared exploiting the newly developed procedure of multimaterial coextrusion, which provides unprecedented flexibility in material choices and structure engineering in the extruded preform. I will present several different 'generations' of multimaterial extrusion that enable access to a variety of IR fibers. Examples of the IR fibers realized using this methodology include single mode IR fibers, large index-contrast IR fibers, IR imaging fiber bundles, IR photonic crystal and potentially photonic band-gap fibers. The complex structures produced in multimaterial fibers may also be used in the fabrication of micro- and nano-scale spherical particles by exploiting a recently discovered in-fiber Plateau-Rayleigh capillary instability. Such multimaterial structured particles have promising application in drug delivery, optical sensors, and nanobiotechnology. The benefits accrued from the multimaterial fiber methodology allow for the scalable fabrication of micro- and nano-scale particles having complex internal architectures, such as multi-shell particles, Janus-particles, and particles with combined control over the radial and azimuthal structure. Finally, I will summarize my views on the compatibility of a wide range of amorphous and crystalline materials with the traditional thermal fiber drawing process and with the more recent multimaterial fiber strategy.

No description available.

This dissertation reports the development of two new categories of optical fibers. These are the Random Hole Optical Fiber (RHOF) and the Crucible Technique Hybrid Fiber (CTF). The RHOF is a new class of microstructure fiber which possesses air holes which vary in diameter and location along the length of the fiber. Unlike all prior microstructure fibers, these RHOF do not have continuous air holes which extend throughout the fiber. The CTF is a method for incorporating glasses with vastly differing thermal properties into a single optical fiber. Each of these two classes of fiber brings a new set of optical characteristics into being. The RHOF exhibit many of the same guidance properties as the previously researched microstructure fibers, such as reduced mode counts in a large area core. CTF fibers show great promise for integrating core materials with extremely high levels of nonlinearity or gain. The initial goal of this work was to combine the two techniques to form a fiber with exceedingly high efficiency of nonlinear interactions. Numerous methods have been endeavored in the attempt to achieve the fabrication of the RHOF. Some of the methods include the use of sol-gel glass, microbubbles, various silica powders, and silica powders with the incorporation of gas producing agents. Through careful balancing of the competing forces of surface tension and internal pressure it has been possible to produce an optical fiber which guides light successfully. The optical loss of these fibers depends strongly on the geometrical arrangement of the air holes. Fibers with a higher number of smaller holes possess a markedly lower attenuation. RHOF also possess, to at least some degree the reduced mode number which has been extensively reported in the past for ordered hole fibers. Remarkably, the RHOF are also inherently pressure sensitive. When force is applied to an RHOF either isotropically, or on an axis perpendicular to the length of the fiber, a wavelength dependent loss is observed. This loss does not come with a corresponding response to temperature, rendering the RHOF highly anomalous in the area of fiber optic sensing techniques. Furthermore an ordered hole fiber was also tested to determine that this was not merely a hitherto undisclosed property of all microstructure fibers. Crucible technique fibers have also been fabricated by constructing an extremely thick walled silica tube, which is sealed at the bottom. A piece of the glass that is desired for the core (such as Lead Indium Phosphate) is inserted into the hole which is in the center of the tube. The preform is then drawn on an fiber draw tower, resulting in a fiber with a core consisting of a material which has a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) or a melting temperature (Tm) which is not commonly compatible with those of silica. / Ph. D.

Optical fibers provide the means for transmitting large amounts of data from one place to another and are used in high precision sensors. It is important to have a good understanding of the fundamental properties of these devices to continue to improve their applications. A specially type of optical fiber known as a W-fiber has some desirable properties and unique characteristics not found in matched-cladding fibers. A properly designed W- fiber supports a fundamental mode with a finite cutoff wavelength. At discrete wavelengths longer than cutoff, the fundamental mode experiences large amounts of loss. The mechanism for loss can be described in terms of interaction between the fiber's supermodes and the lossy interface at the fiber's surface. Experiments and computer simulations support this model of W-fibers. The property of a finite cutoff wavelength can be used to develop various fiber devices. Under consideration here is the fiber polarizer. The fiber polarizer produces an output that is linearly polarized along one of the fiber's principal axes. Some of the polarizer properties can be understood from the study of W-fibers. / Master of Science

As scientists learn more about disease pathologies and treat various medical conditions, the need to develop new tools grows rapidly. Multifunctional polymer fibers allow scientists to have a plethora of tools by fine tuning parameters to create affordable, unique, and adaptable devices for analyte sensing and disease treatment. The range of applications mutltifunctional fibers have in biomedical applications can be seen with sensing in wearable electronics or in neural probes due to their ability to easily integrate microfluidic systems, electrical, and optical means of sensing and stimulating. This thesis will demonstrate several ways fiber devices can be used in biomedicine and show the future direction of fiber based devices. / Master of Science / Everyday scientists face new challenges and seek to understand new aspects of many medical conditions in the effort to cure or treat diseases. The common goal of improving the quality of life people face prompts the need for innovative, individualized, and minimized systems for treating medical conditions. Whether the condition involves sensing sweat to maintain glucose levels, extracting small tumorous tissue in sensitive areas, or detecting seizures before they happen, multifunctional fiber devices show a promising future for many biomedical device needs. Their ability to be easily made in a quantity of hundreds of meters at a time, combined with their tunable parameters, allow for them to be used and catered to many different applications. This thesis demonstrates several ways fiber devices have been used and what areas they can expand into as the field progresses.

Deniers of treated and untreated fibers were determined and the „ results were used in calculations of tenacity and initial modulus. Tensile properties were measured on a constant—rate—of—extension machine. Shrinkage of treated and untreated fibers were measured after they were boiled in water for 15 min. The glass transition temperatures (Tg) were obtained by differential scanning calorimetry. The ratio of the intensities of the CN/CH stretching bands were found by infrared spectroscopy, using the KBr method / Ph. D. / incomplete_metadata