Optical fiber surface metalizing method

Abstract

The invention provides an optical fiber surface metalizing method. The method comprises the following steps: (1) forming an adhering layer on an optical fiber surface though magnetron sputtering; (2) forming a conductive layer on the surface of the adhering layer through the magnetron sputtering; and (3) forming a protective layer on the surface of the conductive layer by electroplating. According to the optical fiber surface metalizing method, the magnetron sputtering is carried out to form the adhering layer and the conductive layer on the optical fiber surface in sequence; the obtained film layers have high density, relatively few pin holes, high purity, high film thickness controllability, high repeatability, and good adhesiveness among optical fibers; and moreover, the magnetron sputtering is carried out in an non-water environment, and thus, the processes of roughing and sensitizing in chemical plating can be saved, and the optical fibers can be greatly prevented from damage; the electroplating is carried out for thickening after the magnetron sputtering, thus forming the protective layer which can effectively protect the optical fibers even at high temperature, and therefore, the mechanical reliability of the optical fibers is improved, and the service life of the optical fiber can be prolonged.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to a method for metallizing the surface of an optical fiber. Background technique [0002] Optical fiber is a light transmission tool that uses the principle of total reflection of light in fibers made of glass or plastic. It is mainly used in optical communications, light guides, display panels, signs, switch lighting adjustments, and optical sensors in industry. Wait. [0003] Since the surface of the bare optical fiber is prone to cracks in contact with external dust particles, and is easily eroded by water, the mechanical strength of the optical fiber is significantly reduced, and the surface must be protected by coating. The optical fiber coating can not only protect the mechanical strength of the optical fiber, but also provide microbending protection for the optical fiber in various environments, preventing stress concentration from causing the optical fiber to break. However, the existing optical fiber coating layer uses...

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Problems solved by technology

Casting and laser cladding methods require the melting point of the coating metal to be lower than the softening temperature of the optical fiber (about 1200 ° C), and the low melting point metal is difficult to meet the high temperature application requirements, and will generate a lot of thermal stress, which is easy to cause the optical fiber to break. And these two kinds of methods all can't guarantee to obtain the metal coating layer of uniform thickness along the axial direction on the optical fiber surface; Adopt the method of electroless plating, for example the Chinese patent that application number is 200410061378.9 discloses a kind of optical fiber sensitive element metallized package structure and Its method, the Chinese patent application number 200510020086.5 discloses a quartz fiber grating surface wet chemical metallization process, and the Chinese patent application number 201010504623.4 discloses a method for electroless plating on the surface of a quartz optical fiber; and adopts electroless plating and electroplating phase Combining methods, such as a metal-coated optical fiber disclosed in Chinese Patent Application No. 02816378.8 and a metal-coated optical fiber disclosed in Chinese Patent Application No. 03804115.4, have poor bonding between the coating obtained by electroless plating and the optical fiber , the uniformity of the coating is poor, the roughening and sensitization stage of the pretreatment will cause damage to the fiber surface, reduce the strength of the fiber, and because the chemical plating directly exposes the fiber to the plating solution containing water, acid and alkaline corrosives, it is also It will greatly reduce the strength of the optical fiber; the bonding force between the vacuum-evaporated coating and the substrate surface is relatively weak, it is difficult to make a vacuum coating with high melting point substances and low vapor pressure, and the crucible material used for evaporating substances will also evaporate and mix into the coating It becomes an impurity, and the method of vapor deposition cannot obtain a coating with a thickness sufficient to play a protective role

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