*** Li 9804886 This Small Business Technology Transfer Phase II project is to conduct there search and development for a novel method of producing graded index, perfluorinated plastic optical fiber. This fiber will be able to transmit several Gigabits per second over one kilometer. At present, most local area networks (LAN's) are being installed at 100 Mb/sec. Within two years time, there will be a general shift of 1 Gigabit/sec for new installations. After the year 2000, it is anticipated that many LAN installations will routinely require several Gigabit/sec at distances up to 1000 m. Only glass or perfluorinated plastic fiber will meet this specification. There are three principal research objectives. Within a contractual research agreement with DuPont, that company will provide appropriate perfluorinated materials to Nanoptics, and the optimal choice of polymeric material will be decided upon. Secondly, a prototype facility for producing 10 kilometer lengths of fiber will be designed, built, and brought into operation at Nanoptics, Inc. Finally, the fiber will be fully characterized, and the production method will be optimized accordingly. Recently, Asahi Glass Co., has announced that it will introduce a similar polymeric product in the year 2000 for the multibillion dollar LAN market. The novel production method by Nanoptics should make the proposed product very cost competitive. The new international for digital products (TV, computer, audio, FAX, etc) for the home will require a 800 Mb/sec deliver system for the street into the home. The extreme chemical and moisture resistance, coupled with freedom from electromagnetic interference offered by the product should permit its broad acceptance into this potentially huge world wide market. ***
