Hermetic Metal-Coated Optical Fibers for Precision Alignment and Other Applications

The proposed SBIR program will accelerate the development and commercialization of ferromagnetic metal-coated optical fiber and its use in magnetic field-controlled systems for precision fiber alignment. Fiber and Sensor Technologies, Inc. (F&S) proposes to modify and transition labratory cylindrical magnetron sputtering methods that it has already demonstrated for the fabrication of metal fiber coatings, to a practical on-line fiber manufacturing system, allowing the fabrication of high-quality hermetically-coated optical fiber during draw at high speed. Such coatings will be demonstrated to implement robust magnetic field-controlled winding and payout systems for fiber-guided vehicles, interconnection devices based on fiber motion, and prototype modulation devices based on magneto-optic effects. This work builds directly on current F&S-ARPA TRP Phase II SBIR and F&S-NASA Phase I SBIR programs involving the fabrication of hemetic non-magnetic metal fiber coatings for high-temperature instrumentation and dual-use applications. It also builds upon closely related work by our very experienced subcontractors, the Fiber& Electro-Optics Research Center (FEORC) at Virginia Tech, 3M and Honeywell, and assistance from International Nickel. Non-Federal funds for the commercialization of magnetic coated fiber is pledged by indusrty.