Advance of Plastic Optical Fibers

Plastic optical fibers (so called POF) are already in wide use in a large number of fields. This paper gives an overview of the field including the advantages of plastic optical fibers, the various types of fibers and the materials in them. Then, the properties of three types of fibers which have recently been developed, are discussed. The first is fibers with a poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA) core, which have a low transmission loss. Another is heat resistant fibers for use in automobiles. And the third is the multi-fiber type for image guides. And finally, the applications of these fibers and their future prospect are discussed.