Plastic optical fiber is a step-index multimode optical fiber, composed of a cylindrical "core" surrounded by a "clad" layer. The light refraction index of the core is higher than that of the clad. Both the fiber core and the cladding consist of polymers, not only some buffer coatings and jackets. PMMA, polystyrene, and polycarbonates are common in budget fiber-optic applications. Perfluorinated polymers. To produce a step-index multimode fiber, a core material of silica (either pure or doped) is clad with a lower index material (doped silica, hard plastic, plastic) to form a waveguide, as illustrated in Fig. Larger core diameters make Plastic Optical Fibers allow for mechanically robust coupling of light sources into the fiber.
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