Abstract

Coatings for optical fibers used for telecommunications are designed to provide mechanical isolation to the glass fiber. Initial development work in the early 1970s focused on a variety of coating materials aimed at strength preservation of the fiber. Since the development of dual or composite coating structures to improve resistance to microbending,¹ two main coating candidates have emerged. These are thermally cured silicone buffers with an extruded nylon coating and UV cured acrylate coatings. The silicone/nylon coatings have been primarily used in direct strand cable designs.

© 1988 Optical Society of America