Radiation hard fiber optics. Final technical report 24 Apr 78-24 Apr 80

A study of radiation-inducted absorption in low-loss optical waveguides is reported. Step-index optical fibers were prepared from preforms fabricated by the CVD method. The germanium silicate core glass in the fibers was doped with varying amounts of antimony, cerium, boron, phosphorus and hydroxyl groups. The effects of such variations in the glass chemistry on the radiation inducted attenuation of the fibers was evaluated. The transient, steady-state, and temperature-dependent response to radiation was measured. The behavior of fibers containing cerium and antimony indicate that multivalent dopants can be used to modify favorably the radiation response of optical waveguides.