A polymer optical fiber is provided which shows improved hydrolytic stability. This fiber comprises a polymeric optical core and cladding layer, surrounded by a polymeric overcladding layer which comprises a miscible blend of one or more hydrolytically stable amorphous polymers. By varying the ratios of the component polymers in the overcladding blend, the glass transition temperature and the coefficient of thermal expansion of the overcladding layer may be tuned to optimize the attenuation and bandwidth of the plastic optical fiber.

Various example embodiments relate to active optical fibers and devices using active optical fibers. An active optical fiber may comprise a central part surrounded by an annular active core. The fiber may have a tapered longitudinal profile such that the fiber comprises a single-mode portion and a multimode portion. The annular core may have low birefringence, obtained for example by rotating (spinning) the fiber preform during manufacture of the fiber. Refractive index of the annular core may be higher than the refractive indices of the central part and cladding layer(s) surrounding the annular core. The active optical fiber enables selective generation or amplification of light modes with orbital angular momentum (OAM). Furthermore, the fiber has a large mode field diameter (MFD) and it is not sensitive to internal heating or environmental influences.

A light distribution structure 10 and a related element 100, such as a light guide, are provided. The structure 10 is preferably an optically functional layer comprising an at least one feature pattern 11, 11A established in a light-transmitting carrier by a plurality of three-dimensional optical features variable in terms of at least one of the cross-sectional profile, dimensions, periodicity, orientation and disposition thereof within the feature pattern. In some instances, the optical features are embodied as internal optical cavities 12 capable to establish the total internal reflection (TIR) function at a horizontal surface and at an essentially vertical surface thereof. A method for manufacturing the light distribution structure is further provided.

An optoelectronic device includes a photonic component. The photonic component includes an active side, a second side different from the active side, and an optical channel extending from the active side to the second side of the photonic component. The optical channel includes a non-gaseous material configured to transmit light.

A robotic arm system comprising an artificial intelligence (AI) processor system, a transceiver electrically coupled to the AI processor system, and a robotic arm having an optical data communication network that communicates with the transceiver. The robotic arm further comprises a transmitter, a plurality of sensors electrically coupled to the transmitter, a receiver, and a plurality of motion actuators electrically coupled to the receiver. The optical data communication network comprises gigabit plastic optical fiber (GbPOF) having a graded-index core made of a transparent carbon-hydrogen bond-free perfluorinated polymer with dopant. In one embodiment, one GbPOF optically couples the transmitter to the transceiver and another GbPOF optically couples the transceiver to the receiver. The flexible high-data-rate GbPOF enables robotic arm control using artificial intelligence.

A method for manufacturing a light distribution structure in the form of an optically functional layer includes at least one three-dimensional feature pattern established in a light-transmitting carrier by a plurality of three-dimensional optical features. The method also includes manufacturing a patterned master tool for the at least one three-dimensional feature pattern by a piezoelectric cutting method selected from a fast tool servo method and a stylus engraving method, or by a laser engraving method, and transferring the at least one three-dimensional feature pattern onto the light-transmitting carrier.

An optical fiber heating device includes a heat producing fiber wrapped around a cell which is filled with an atom vapor.

The glass-based THz optical waveguides (10) disclosed herein are used to guide optical signals having a THz frequency in the range from 0.1 THz to (10) THz and include a core (20) surrounded by a cladding (30). The core has a diameter D1 in the range from (30) μm to 10 mm and is made of fused silica glass having a refractive index n.sub.1. The cladding is made of either a polymer or a glass or glass soot and has a refractive index n.sub.2<n.sub.1 and an outer diameter D2 in the range from 100 μm to 12 mm. The THz optical waveguides can be formed using processes that are extensions of either fiber, ceramic and soot-based technologies. In an example, the THz waveguides have a dielectric loss D.sub.f<0.005 at 100 GHz.

Disclosed is a multi-core optical fiber including a plurality of cores extending parallelly along a central axis of the multi-core optical fiber, and defining a plurality of spatial paths such that each core of the plurality of cores has a refractive index profile having a predefined core alpha value in a range from about 5 to about 9. A core pitch between each pair of cores of the plurality of cores is in a range from about 35 micrometres to about 45 micrometres. Further, at least one core of the plurality of cores has (i) a refractive index profile different from other cores of the plurality of cores, and (ii) a core diameter different from the other cores of the plurality of cores.

An optical fiber rod (30) according to the present invention includes a center region (35), an outer region (31) formed around the center region (35), and an intermediate region (33) formed between the center region (35) and the outer region (31), and satisfies nA>nB>nC where nA is the refractive index of a material A produced by polymerization of a monomer ma, nB is the refractive index of a material B produced by polymerization of a monomer mb, and nC is the refractive index of a material C produced by polymerization of a monomer mc. The center region (35) is made of a material produced by polymerization of a monomer mixture containing the monomer ma, the outer region (31) is made of a material produced by polymerization of a monomer mixture containing the monomer mc, and the intermediate region (33) is made of a material produced by polymerization of a monomer mixture containing the monomer mb. The refractive index decreases in the order: the center region (35)>the intermediate region (33)>the outer region (31).