What are the main materials of optical fiber?

　　The main material of optical fiber is high-purity quartz glass, which is silica (SiO2). Here is a detailed explanation of the main materials of optical fiber:

　　First, the composition of optical fibers

　　Fiber optics, known as optical fibres, are fibres made of glass or plastic that can be used as light tranSMission tools. The typical structure of an optical fiber is a multilayer coaxial cylinder composed mainly of a core, a cladding, and a coating.

　　Core: Located in the center of the optical fiber, the composition is high-purity silica, doped with a very small amount of dopant. The refractive index of the core is slightly higher than that of the cladding, and the loss is lower than that of the cladding. The light energy is mainly transmitted in the core.

　　Cladding: Located around the core, its composition is also high-purity silica containing very little dopant. The cladding provides a reflective surface and light isolation for the transmission of light, and plays a certain mechanical protection role.

　　Coating layer: The outermost layer of an optical fiber, composed of materials such as acrylate, silicone rubber, and nylon, used to protect the fiber from water vapor erosion and mechanical abrasion.

　　Second, the characteristics of quartz glass

　　Quartz glass has excellent characteristics such as high light transmittance, high purity, and low loss, making it an ideal material for manufacturing optical fibers. Especially in the field of communication, optical fibers made of quartz glass have extremely low attenuation and extremely high transmission rates, which can meet the needs of modern communication networks for high-speed and large-capacity transmission.

　　III. Types and materials of optical fibers

　　In addition to quartz glass, optical fiber fabrication materials also include other types, such as multi-component glass, plastic, etc. However, these materials are relatively less used in the field of communication, mainly because their performance cannot match that of quartz glass. For example, although plastic optical fiber is inexpensive to manufacture, it has large attenuation and limited transmission distance, so it is mainly used for short-distance communication or special occasions.

　　Overall, the main material of optical fiber is high-purity quartz glass, and its excellent performance makes it an important part of modern communication networks.