New fiber optic faceplate glass systems development

Development of glasses for production of high numerical aperture (N.A.) fiber optic faceplates (FOFPs) has historically concentrated on achieving desired refractive indices at the expense of other physical properties. Consequently, the viscosity and stability of currently produced FOFP glasses makes production of high quality faceplates difficult and expensive. In response, a joint program was undertaken to develop a new high N.A. FOFP glass system with physical properties specifically tailored for optimized FOFP production. This program has yielded a new, highly stable, glass system which has been demonstrated to produce high n.a. FOFPs with higher intrinsic transmission than existing materials. In this paper we review the design process, glass system properties, and properties and performance of FOFPs from pilot scale production runs.