Presentations

New properties and potential applications of Photonics Polymer are explaining along with the basic studies on the relationship between photon lights and various polymer chains which create new properties. As results, we have come to an original discoveries such as Graded Index Plastic Optical Fiber with longer- distance transmission, less distorted transmission of ultra high-speed signals, more accurate control of polarization wave, more concentration, and more amplification.

In the field of LANs, transmission system based on a multimode silica fiber network is heading towards capacities of Gb/s. We have proposed a low-loss, high-bandwidth, and large-core graded-index plastic optical fiber (GI POF) in data-com. area. A serious problem of "modal noise" that exhibits in medium core of "multi-mode fiber" can be virtually eliminated by GI POF. Furthermore, advent of perfluorinated (PF) polymer based GI POF network can support high transmission than even silica fibers network because of the small material dispersion of PF polymer rather than silica material. The gigabit technology which we propose will bring us back to “Face-to-Face Communication.”

A GI-POF (Gated Index-Plastic Optical Fiber) optical LAN (Local Area Network) system has been developed for the communication system in condominium. We have demonstrated experiment of new types of several information technology services. The services are Giga-bit Internet, Channel on demand and Remote health counseling etc. The Giga-bit Internet affords us the connectivity that is higher than one gigabit per seconds. The Channel on demand is a new TV service where we can watch some TV programs that were televised a week before. This paper describes the characteristics of GI-POF and the results of the experimental remote health consulting service built with real time communication system.

We introduce the optimum design of the refractive index profile for high bandwidth plastic optical fiber. We propose a new index profile (multi g profile) that is optimized for laser or VCSEL based optical transmitters (restricted launch condition). For realizing a 10 Gbps optical link with GI POFs, the methodology for designing the optimum index profile is applied to a perfluorinated (PF) polymer with low material dispersion. We succeed in achieving an optical link with bandwidth of more than 10Gbps by utilizing the PF GI POF.

The history of POF development and the status of POF for Giga-bit network are reviewed, describing the advantage of using POF in short distance communication, compared to current copper cable and silica optical fiber. The concept of "Fiber to the Display" for real time face-to face communication is proposed.

これまで取り組んできたフォトニクスポリマーの内、複屈折を発現しないゼロ複屈折性光学ポリマーと、光を高効率に拡散・出射する光散乱ポリマーの最新動向について、その提案から応用まで詳細に解説する。

無機結晶を添加したハイブリッドポリマーにより、ゼロ複屈折性光学ポリマーを実現する方法を提案し、実証した。針状の結晶を用いることで、ポリマー分子の約１２倍高効率に結晶を配向させることができることを示した。

これまで当研究室にて研究開発してきたフォトニクスポリマーについて解説し、これらの現状と今後の展開について述べた。

ハードのブロードバンド化を達成しうる通信メディアとして近年注目されているPOFについて現状と展望を解説した。

In the field of LANs, transmission system based on a multimode silica fiber network is heading towards capacities of Gb/s. We have proposed a low-loss, high-bandwidth, and large-core graded-index plastic optical fiber (GI POF) in data-com. area. A serious problem of "modal noise" that exhibits in medium core of "multi-mode fiber" can be virtually eliminated by GI POF. Furthermore, advent of perfluorinated (PF) polymer based GI POF network can support high transmission than even silica fibers network because of the small material dispersion of PF polymer rather than silica material. The gigabit technology which we propose will bring us back to “Face-to-Face Communication.”

The concept of “Fiber to the Display” is reviewed, where the Graded-Index Plastic Optical Fiber (GI-POF) is connected to the display. The extrusion process of fabricating the GI-POF is proposed for the first time.

The photonics polymers for broadband society were reviewed, and a novel concept of “Fiber to the Display” was proposed. With changing the size of heterogeneities in refractive index, fundamentals of optical functions were tightly controlled. With this concept, we propose the GI-POF, which realized 12Gbps data transmission for 100m, the highly scattered optical transmission (HSOT) polymer for much brighter LCD backlight than that of conventional transparent one, and the zero-birefringent polymer for LCD films and optical devices such as pick-up lens and disc etc. Based on these above photonics polymers, the concept of “Fiber to the Display” can be achieved with an extremely low cost system, where the GI-POF is directly connected to the large-sized and high-quality flat panel display. This concept, we believe, will bring us back to “Face-to-Face communication”.

With the recent practical application of polymer optical fibers, the conventional assumption that polymers are less suitable as optical materials than inorganic glass is beginning to be break down gradually. Also, emergence of GI-POF suggests that polymers can be optical materials with properties that are not inferior to, and in some situation, might be superior to that of inorganic glass. The next generation photonics polymers requires such function as long distance transmission, less distorted transmission of ultra high-speed signals, more accurate control of polarized waves, more concentration, and more amplification. However, it has been thought that polymers cannot fully meet these requirements due to their inherent properties caused by complex systems of an aggregation of huge macro molecular chain. Is it really true? We analyze morecular structures of polymers as well as higher structures to conformation and configuration of polymer chains and try to create each of those required functions based on the fundamentals of “photonics polymer.”

高分子物質と光学の学問領域の壁を取り払い、光の偏波またはフォトンが、様々な高分子の鎖やその集合体、高次構造、さらに巨大な不均一構造とどのような関わりを有するかを、その起源までさかのぼって検討した結果を紹介する。そしてそれらの基礎研究を基に、これまでの研究成果の中から、代表的なものについて解説し、今まで無機ガラスの独壇場であった光通信などのフォトニクス分野における、新しい光機能をもったフォトニクスポリマーの現状について展望する。

フォトニクスポリマーと呼ばれる分野と、快適なネットワーク環境とのかかわりに関する最近の動向について詳しく解説した。

The concept of “Fiber to the Display” is reviewed, where the Graded-Index Plastic Optical Fiber (GI-POF) is connected to the display.

Novel photonics polymers are described, focusing on the high-speed GI-POF (Graded-Index Plastic Optical Fiber), the high-quality photonics polymer films for LCD, and the novel 100-inch sized projection screen. Based on these photonics polymer devices, the concept of "Fiber to the Display" is proposed.

高分子物質学と光学には隔たりがあり、本質的な議論が十分になされないまま、光学ポリマーが評価され、それが常識化されてきたように思われる。我々は高分子と光の相互作用をその起源までさかのぼって検討し、新しい光機能をもったフォトニクスポリマーの提案してきた。

これまで光学材料としてのプラスチックは、無機光学材料に比較して、低価格であるものの性能は劣ると思われてきた。しかしながら近年の材料開発により、無機材料の性能を凌駕しうるプラスチック材料が開発され、実際に光ファイバとしての用途展開がなされている。本稿ではプラスチック材料内に屈折率の分布を形成させることにより実現する、超高速GI型プラスチック光ファイバの開発過程とその特性並びに応用展開について講演する。

Novel photonics polymers are described, focusing on the high-speed GI-POF (Graded-Index Plastic Optical Fiber), the high-quality photonics polymer films for LCD, and the novel 100-inch sized projection screen. Based on these photonics polymer devices, the concept of "Fiber to the Display" is proposed, where the GI-POF is directly distributed to the display from main server in building or house. Therefore, the real-time face-to-face communication with HDTV quality becomes possible, that can not be achieved by current technologies. We believe that new innovative concepts of broadband society in 21st century will be realized by "the proposal from the material side".