EP3701186A1 - Fibres optiques de diffusion de lumière servant à guider et diffuser une lumière ultraviolette - Google Patents

Fibres optiques de diffusion de lumière servant à guider et diffuser une lumière ultraviolette

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Publication number
EP3701186A1
EP3701186A1 EP18797502.4A EP18797502A EP3701186A1 EP 3701186 A1 EP3701186 A1 EP 3701186A1 EP 18797502 A EP18797502 A EP 18797502A EP 3701186 A1 EP3701186 A1 EP 3701186A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
optical fiber
light
diffusing optical
light diffusing
core
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP18797502.4A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Trista Nicole Hesch
Stephan Lvovich Logunov
Manuela Ocampo
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Corning Inc
Original Assignee
Corning Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Corning Inc filed Critical Corning Inc
Publication of EP3701186A1 publication Critical patent/EP3701186A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/0001—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings specially adapted for lighting devices or systems
    • G02B6/0005—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings specially adapted for lighting devices or systems the light guides being of the fibre type
    • G02B6/001—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings specially adapted for lighting devices or systems the light guides being of the fibre type the light being emitted along at least a portion of the lateral surface of the fibre

Definitions

  • the present disclosure relates to light diffusing optical fibers. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to light diffusing optical fibers for guiding and scattering ultraviolet light propagating along the light diffusing optical fiber.
  • a light diffusing optical fiber includes a first end, a second end opposite the first end, a core, a cladding surrounding the core, an outer surface, a plurality of scattering structures positioned within the core, the cladding, or both the core and the cladding, and a thermoplastic polymer coating layer surrounding and contacting the cladding.
  • the plurality of scattering structures are configured to scatter guided light toward the outer surface of the light diffusing optical fiber such that a portion of the guided light diffuses through the outer surface along a diffusion length of the light diffusing optical fiber.
  • the core includes glass doped with 300 ppm or more of a hydroxyl material.
  • the cladding includes glass doped with 300 ppm or more of a hydroxyl material.
  • the thermoplastic polymer coating layer is doped with a plurality of scattering particles.
  • a light diffusing optical fiber in another embodiment, includes a first end, a second end opposite the first end, a core, a cladding surrounding the core, an outer surface, a plurality of scattering structures positioned within the core, the cladding, or both the core and the cladding, a primary coating layer surrounding the cladding, and a thermoplastic polymer coating layer surrounding the primary coating layer such that the primary coating layer is disposed between the cladding and the thermoplastic polymer coating layer.
  • the plurality of scattering structures are configured to scatter guided light toward the outer surface of the light diffusing optical fiber such that a portion of the guided light diffuses through the outer surface along a diffusion length of the light diffusing optical fiber.
  • the core includes glass doped with 300 ppm or more of a hydroxyl material.
  • the cladding includes glass doped with 300 ppm or more of a hydroxyl material.
  • the primary coating layer includes a cycloaliphatic epoxy having an absorbance of about 0.04 or less per 100 ⁇ of layer thickness at a wavelength of about 250 nm or more. Further, the primary coating layer includes a plurality of scattering particles doped within the cycloaliphatic epoxy.
  • a light diffusing optical fiber includes a first end, a second end opposite the first end, a core, a cladding surrounding the core, an outer surface, a plurality of scattering structures positioned within the core, the cladding, or both the core and the cladding, and a coating layer surrounding the cladding.
  • the plurality of scattering structures are configured to scatter guided light toward the outer surface of the light diffusing optical fiber such that when guided light propagates along the core, a portion of the guided light diffuses through the outer surface along a diffusion length of the light diffusing optical fiber.
  • the core includes glass doped with 300 ppm or more of a hydroxyl material.
  • the cladding includes glass doped with 300 ppm or more of a hydroxyl material.
  • the coating layer is doped with a plurality of scattering particles. Further, when guided light having a wavelength of about 250 nm or greater propagates along the core and a portion of the guided light diffuses through the outer surface, the light diffusing optical fiber comprises a scattering efficiency of from about 0.4 or greater.
  • FIG. 1 schematically depicts an illumination system comprising a light output device and a light diffusing optical fiber, according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
  • FIG. 2A schematically depicts a cross section of a light diffusing optical fiber, according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
  • FIG. 2B schematically depicts a cross section of the light diffusing optical fiber of Fig. 2A, according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
  • FIG. 3 A schematically depicts a cross section of another embodiment of a light diffusing optical fiber, according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
  • Fig. 3B schematically depicts a cross section of the light diffusing optical fiber of Fig. 3A, according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
  • FIG. 4A schematically depicts a cross section of another embodiment of a light diffusing optical fiber, according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
  • FIG. 4B schematically depicts a cross section of the light diffusing optical fiber of Fig. 4A, according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
  • Fig. 5 graphically depicts the absorbance of ultraviolet light for various polymer materials, according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
  • Fig. 6 graphically depicts the scattering efficiency of ultraviolet light for various embodiments of light diffusing optical fibers, according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
  • Fig. 7A is an image of a light diffusing fiber light delivery system, according to one or more embodiments; and [0018] Fig. 7B. is a graph showing the efficacy of a known light diffusing fiber (un- bolded line) and the efficacy of a light diffusing fiber according to one or more embodiments (bold line).
  • an illumination system 100 comprises a light diffusing optical fiber 110 optically coupled to a light output device 102 that includes a light source 152.
  • the light diffusing optical fiber 110 comprises a first end 112, a second end 114 opposite the first end 112.
  • Cross sections of embodiments of the light diffusing optical fiber are depicted in Figs. 2A-4C.
  • Figs. 2A and 2B depict cross sections of the light diffusing optical fiber 110
  • Figs. 3A and 3B depict cross sections of a light diffusing optical fiber 210
  • Figs. 4A and 4B depict cross sections of a light diffusing optical fiber 310.
  • Each light diffusing optical fiber 110, 210, 310 described herein comprises a core 120, 220, 320, a cladding 122, 222, 322 surrounding the core 120, 220, 320, an outer surface 128, 228, 328, and a plurality of scattering structures 125, 225, 325 positioned within the core 120, 220, 320, the cladding 122, 222, 322, or both the core 120, 220, 320 and the cladding 122, 222, 322.
  • the "outer surface” 128, 228, 328 refers to the outermost surface of the light diffusing optical fiber 110, 210, 310.
  • the outer surface 128 is a surface of a secondary polymer coating layer 132
  • the outer surface 228 is a surface of a thermoplastic polymer coating layer 23
  • the outer surface 328 is a surface of a thermoplastic polymer coating layer 334.
  • the plurality of scattering structures 125, 225, 325 are configured to scatter guided light (e.g., light output by the light output device 102 that is propagating along the light diffusing optical fiber 110, 210, 310) toward the outer surface 128, 228, 328 of the light diffusing optical fiber 110, 210, 310 such that a portion of the guided light diffuses through the outer surface 128 along a diffusion length of the light diffusing optical fiber 110, 210, 310.
  • guided light e.g., light output by the light output device 102 that is propagating along the light diffusing optical fiber 110, 210, 310
  • the outer surface 128, 228, 328 of the light diffusing optical fiber 110, 210, 310 such that a portion of the guided light diffuses through the outer surface 128 along a diffusion length of the light diffusing optical fiber 110, 210, 310.
  • the light diffusing optical fiber 110, 210, 310 will may comprise a length (e.g., a length between the first end 1 12 and the second end 1 14) of from about 0.15 m to about 100 m, for example, about 100 m, 75 m, 50 m, 40 m, 30 m, 20 m, 10 m, 9 m, 8 m, 7 m, 6 m, 5 m, 4 m, 3 m, 2 m, 1 m, 0.75 m, 0.5 m, 0.25 m, 0.15 m, or 0.1 m.
  • a length e.g., a length between the first end 1 12 and the second end 1 14
  • diffusion length is the length of the light diffusing optical fiber
  • the diffusion length may be in a range from about 0.1 m to about 100 m, for example, from about 0.2 m to about 100 m, from about 0.25 m to about 100 m, from about 0.3 m to about 100 m, from about 0.35 m to about 100 m, from about 0.4 m to about 100 m, from about 0.5 m to about 100 m, from about 0.55 m to about 100 m, from about 0.6 m to about 100 m, from about 0.65 m to about 100 m, from about 0.7 m to about 100 m, from about 0.75 m to about 100 m, from about 0.8 m to about 100 m, from about 0.85 m to about 100 m, from about 0.9 m to about 100 m, from about 1
  • substantially continuous light emission or substantially continuous light scattering refers to spatial continuity.
  • uniform illumination refers to illumination along the length of the light diffusing optical fiber 1 10 in which the intensity of light emitted from the light diffusing optical fiber 110 does not vary by more than 25% over the specified length. It should be understood that the above definitions also apply to the light diffusing optical fibers 210, 310 of Figs. 2A-4B.
  • the light output device 102 is optically coupled to the first end 112 of the light diffusing optical fiber 110 (or in other embodiments, the light diffusing optical fibers 210 or 310) such that light output by the light source 152 of the light output device 102 may irradiate the end face 116 of the first end 1 12 of the light diffusing optical fiber 1 10 and enter the light diffusing optical fiber 110.
  • the light source 152 may comprise a light-emitting diode (LED), a laser diode, or the like.
  • the light source 152 may comprise a multimode laser diode, single mode laser diode, a SiP laser diode, a VCSEL laser diode, or another type of semiconductor laser diode. Further, the light source 152 may be configured to generate light in the 200 nm to 2000 nm wavelength range. [0023] In some embodiments, the light source 152 may be configured to generate or may generate light in the 200 nm to 2000 nm wavelength range.
  • the light source 152 may be an ultraviolet (UV) or near UV light source configured to emit light at a wavelength of from about 200 nm to about 500 nm, from about 200 nm to about 500 nm, from about 220 nm to about 500 nm, from about 240 nm to about 500 nm, from about 250 nm to about 500 nm, from about 260 nm to about 500 nm, from about 280 nm to about 500 nm, from about 300 nm to about 500 nm, from about 320 nm to about 500 nm, from about 340 nm to about 500 nm, from about 350 nm to about 500 nm, from about 360 nm to about 500 nm, from about 380 nm to about 500 nm, from about 400 nm to about 500 nm, from about 200 nm to about 480 nm, from about 200 nm to about 460 nm, from about 200 nm to about
  • the light source may be configured to generate or may generate light having a wavelength of, for example, about 225 nm, 250 nm, 275 nm, 300 nm, 325 nm, 350 nm, 375 nm, 400 nm, 405 nm, 415 nm, 425 nm, 435 nm, 445 nm, 450 nm, 475 nm, or the like, such as about 300 nm to about 460 nm.
  • the light output device 102 may further comprise additional optical components such a lens, an optical delivery fiber, or the like, positioned between and optically coupled to the light source 152 and the first end 1 12 of the light diffusing optical fiber 1 10 to facilitate the input of light into the light diffusing optical fiber 1 10.
  • additional optical components such as an optical delivery fiber, may allow the light source 152 to be spatially separated from the light diffusing optical fiber 1 10.
  • the light source 152 may be positioned at a location remote from the light diffusing optical fiber 1 10. Accordingly, any thermal heat generated by the light source 152 may be transferred away from the light source 152 to locations remote from both the light source 152 and the light diffusing optical fiber 1 10. Thus, the temperature of the light diffusing optical fiber 1 10 may remain substantially similar to the ambient temperature of the surrounding environment and the lighting unit may be described as a thermally "cool" lighting unit. Further, spatially separating the light diffusing optical fiber 110 and the light source 152 may provide additional design flexibility to the illumination system 100.
  • each of the light diffusing optical fibers 110, 210, 310 are configured to induce scattering through the outer surface 128, 228, 328 with a high scattering efficiency, in particular, when the guided light propagating along the length of the light diffusing optical fiber 110, 210, 310 comprise wavelengths in the ultraviolent range (e.g., from about 200 nm to about 500 run).
  • the guided light propagating along the length of the light diffusing optical fiber 110, 210, 310 comprise wavelengths in the ultraviolent range (e.g., from about 200 nm to about 500 run).
  • scattering efficiency refers to the percentage of light scattering outward from the core 120, 220, 320 of the light diffusing optical fiber 110, 210, 310 towards the outer surface 128, 228, 328 that in not absorbed, blocked, or otherwise lost, and in fact exits the outer surface 128, 228, 328. While not intending to be limited by theory, a percentage of light scattering from the core 120, 220, 320 may be absorbed by the one or more additional layers of the light diffusing optical fiber 1 10, 210, 310 surrounding the cladding 122, 222, 322. However, the light diffusing optical fibers 110, 210, 310 described herein limit absorption of UV light scattering through the outer surface 128, 228, 328 and facilitate high scattering efficiency at UV wavelengths.
  • the core 120, 220, 320 and the cladding 122, 222, 322 of each of the light diffusing optical fibers 110, 210, 310 may comprise a glass, such as silica glass, doped with a hydroxyl material (e.g., a hydroxyl doped glass core and a hydroxyl doped glass cladding).
  • a hydroxyl material e.g., a hydroxyl doped glass core and a hydroxyl doped glass cladding.
  • hydroxyl doped refers to a glass comprising 300 ppm or more of a hydroxyl material, for example hydroxyl ions (OH), excess oxygen (which may be added to the glass), or the like.
  • doping the core 120, 220, 320 and the cladding 122, 222, 322 with a hydroxyl material may be advantageous at UV wavelengths.
  • glass cores and claddings having a low hydroxyl content e.g., hydroxyl content of less than 300 ppm
  • have increased transmissivity at higher wavelengths e.g., wavelengths in the visible range, near infrared (NIR) range, and infrared range
  • oxygen deficiency center refers to formation of broken bonds of silica having an oxygen vacancy. While not intending to be limited by theory, oxygen deficiency centers in the core 120, 220, 320 and the cladding 122, 222, 322 absorb light comprising a wavelength in the UV range, which darkens the core 120, 220, 320 and the cladding 122, 222, 322 and reduces the percentage of light scattered outward from the core 120, 220, 320 by the scattering structures 125, 225, 325 that diffuses through the outer surface 128, 228, 328 of the light diffusing optical fiber 1 10, 210, 310.
  • the light diffusing optical fiber 1 10, 210, 310 may be hydroxyl doped by hydrogen loading the silica of the light diffusing optical fiber 1 10, 210, 310 with high pressure and temperature.
  • the cladding 122, 222, 322 comprises glass (e.g., hydroxyl doped glass).
  • each of the embodiments of the light diffusing optical fiber 1 10, 210, 310 described herein comprise at least one polymer layer surrounding the cladding 122, 222, 322, however, as described in more detail below, each of these polymer layers comprise low absorption of UV light.
  • the core 120 comprises a glass core (e.g., silica) doped with a hydroxyl material (e.g., silica comprising about 300 ppm or more of a hydroxyl material).
  • a glass core e.g., silica
  • a hydroxyl material e.g., silica comprising about 300 ppm or more of a hydroxyl material
  • the cladding 122 comprises a glass cladding (e.g., F-doped silica or F(fluorine)/B(boron) co-doped silica having a lower refractive index than the refractive index of the core 120) doped with a hydroxyl material (e.g., F-doped silica or F(fluorine)/B(boron) co-doped silica comprising about 300 ppm or more of a hydroxyl material).
  • the light diffusing optical fiber 1 10 further comprises a primary polymer coating 130 surrounding the cladding 122 and the secondary polymer coating layer 132 surrounding the primary polymer coating 130.
  • the scattering structures 125 may occur throughout the core 120 (as depicted in Figs. 2A and 2B), or may occur near the interface of the core 120 and the cladding 122 (e.g., the core-cladding boundary), or may occur in an annular ring within the core 120.
  • the scattering structures 125 may comprise gas filled voids, scattering particles, such as ceramic materials, dopants, or the like.
  • the light diffusing optical fiber 110 may have a "roughened" core 120, where the irregularities on the surface of the core 120 at the core-cladding boundary causes light scatter.
  • Other types of light diffusing optical fibers may also be utilized.
  • the light diffusing optical fiber 110 may undergo scattering-induced attenuation (i.e., attenuation due to light lost through the outer surface 128 of the light diffusing optical fiber 110, not due to absorption of scattering particles within the light diffusing optical fiber 110) about 50 dB/km or greater, for example from about 100 dB/km to about 60000 dB/km at an illumination wavelength (e.g., the wavelength(s) of emitted radiation).
  • scattering-induced attenuation i.e., attenuation due to light lost through the outer surface 128 of the light diffusing optical fiber 110, not due to absorption of scattering particles within the light diffusing optical fiber 110
  • an illumination wavelength e.g., the wavelength(s) of emitted radiation
  • the gas filled voids may be arranged in a random or organized pattern and may run parallel to the length of the light diffusing optical fiber 110 or may be helical (i.e., rotating along the long axis of the light diffusing optical fiber 110). Further, the light diffusing optical fiber 110 may comprise a large number of gas filled voids, for example more than 50, more than 100, or more than 200 voids in the cross section of the fiber.
  • the gas filled voids may contain, for example, SO2, Kr, Ar, CO2, N2, O2, or mixtures thereof.
  • the average refractive index in region of the core 120, the cladding 122, or the core-cladding boundary that comprises the plurality of scattering structures 125 is lowered due to the presence of voids.
  • the plurality of scattering structures 125 such as voids can be randomly or non-periodically disposed in the core 120, the cladding 122, or the core-cladding boundary, however, in other embodiments the voids may be periodically disposed.
  • the cross-sectional size (e.g., diameter) of the voids, such as gas filled voids (or other scattering particles) may be from about 10 nm to about 10 ⁇ and the length may vary from about 1 ⁇ to about 50 m.
  • the cross sectional size of the voids is about 10 nm, 20 nm, 30 nm, 40 nm, 50 nm, 60 nm, 70 nm, 80 nm, 90 nm, 100 nm, 120 nm, 140 nm, 160 nm, 180 nm, 200 nm, 250 nm, 300 nm, 400 nm, 500 nm, 600 nm, 700 nm, 800 nm, 1 um, 2 um, 3 ⁇ , 4 um, 5 ⁇ , 6 ⁇ , 7 ⁇ , 8 um, 9 ⁇ , or 10 um.
  • the length of the voids is about 1 um, 2 um, 3 um, 4 ⁇ , 5 ⁇ , 6 ⁇ , 7 ⁇ m, 8 um, 9 ⁇ m, 10 ⁇ , 20 ⁇ m, 30 ⁇ m, 40 ⁇ , 50 ⁇ m, 60 ⁇ , 70 ⁇ m, 80 ⁇ m, 90 ⁇ , 100 ⁇ , 200 ⁇ , 300 ⁇ , 400 ⁇ , 500 ⁇ , 600 ⁇ , 700 ⁇ , 800 ⁇ , 900 ⁇ , 1000 ⁇ , 5 mm, 10 mm, 50 mm, 100 mm, 500 mm, 1 m, 5 m, 10 m, 20 m, or 50 m.
  • the primary polymer coating 130 may comprise a substantially clear layer surrounding the core 120 and cladding 122 for ease of mechanical handling, for example, a polymer coating.
  • the secondary polymer coating layer 132 may be positioned surrounding the core 120, the cladding 122, and the primary polymer coating 130.
  • the secondary polymer coating layer 132 operates as a scattering layer and comprises a base material (for example, a polymer) and a plurality of scattering particles 135 positioned in the base material.
  • the secondary polymer coating layer 132 may facilitate uniform angular scattering over a large angular range (e.g., 40 to 120°, or 30° to 130°, or 15 to 150°).
  • the light diffusing optical fiber 110 is configured to provide substantially uniform illumination due to scattering, such that the difference between the minimum and maximum scattering illumination intensity is less than 50% of the maximum scattering illumination intensity, for all viewing angles between 40 and 120 degrees.
  • the scattering particles 135 comprise a refractive index differential from the base material of the secondary polymer coating layer 132 (e.g. a base polymer having a refractive index of about 1.5) of more than 0.05 (e.g., the difference in refractive indices between the base material and each scattering particle 135 is greater than 0.05).
  • the difference in refractive indices between the base material and the each scattering particle 135 is at least 0.1. That is, the index of refraction of each scattering particle 135 may be at least 0.1 larger than the index of refraction of the base material (e.g., of the polymer or other matrix material) of the secondary polymer coating layer 132.
  • the scattering particles 135 comprise a material having low absorbance of UV light (e.g., low absorption scattering materials).
  • Example low absorption materials scattering materials having a refractive index greater than the base material include aluminum oxide (AI2O3) having a refractive index of about 1.77, barium sulfate (BaSO- having a refractive index of about 1.636, gas voids such as microbubbles with refractive index of about 1, or the like.
  • the scattering particles 135 may instead or in addition comprise gas voids or microbubbles.
  • the cross-sectional size of each scattering particle 135 within the secondary polymer coating layer 132 may comprise 0.1 ⁇ to 10 ⁇ , where ⁇ is the wavelength of light propagating through the light diffusing optical fiber 1 10. In some embodiments, the cross-sectional size of each scattering particle 135 is greater than 0.2 ⁇ and less than 5 ⁇ , for example, between 0.5 ⁇ and to 2 ⁇ .
  • the cross-sectional size of each scattering particle may comprise from about 20 nm to about 5 ⁇ , for example, about 50 nm, 75 nm, 100 nm, 150 nm, 200 nm, 350 nm, 400 nm, 450 nm, 500 nm, 550 nm, 600 nm, 650 nm, 700 nm, 750 nm, 800 nm, 850 nm, 900 nm, 950 nm, 1 ⁇ , 1.1 um, 1.2 ⁇ , 1.3 ⁇ , 1.4 ⁇ , 1.5 ⁇ , 1.6 ⁇ , 1.7 ⁇ , 1.8 ⁇ , 1.9 ⁇ , 2 ⁇ , 2.1 ⁇ , 2.2 ⁇ , 2.3 ⁇ , 2.4 ⁇ , 2.5 ⁇ , 2.6 ⁇ , 2.7 ⁇ , 2.8 ⁇ , 2.9 ⁇ , 3 ⁇ , 3.1 ⁇ , 3.2 ⁇ , 3.3 ⁇ , 3.4 ⁇ , 3.5 ⁇ , 3.6
  • the plurality of scattering particles 135 may be disposed within a sublayer of the secondary polymer coating layer 132.
  • the sublayer may have a thickness of about 1 ⁇ to about 5 ⁇ .
  • the thickness of the particle sublayer and/or the concentration of the scattering particles 135 in the secondary polymer coating layer 132 may be varied along the axial length of the light diffusing optical fiber 110 so as to provide more uniform variation in the intensity of light scattered from the light diffusing optical fiber 1 10 at large angles (i.e., angles greater than about 15 degrees).
  • the angular illumination for all viewing angles between 40 and 120 degrees is within 50% of maximum illumination, and in some embodiments within 30%. In some embodiments, the angular illumination for all viewing angles between 40 and 120 degrees is within 30% of maximum illumination, and in some embodiments within 25%.
  • thermoplastic polymer coating layer 234 surrounding and contacting the cladding
  • the core 220 comprises a glass core (e.g., silica) doped with a hydroxyl material (e.g., silica comprising about 300 ppm or more of a hydroxyl material).
  • the cladding 222 comprises a glass cladding (e.g., F-doped silica or F(fluorine)/B(boron) co- doped silica having a lower refractive index than the refractive index of the core 220) doped with a hydroxyl material (e.g., doped silica or F(fluorine)/B (boron) co-doped silica comprising about 300 ppm or more of a hydroxyl material).
  • the scattering structures 225 may occur throughout the core 220 (as depicted in Figs. 3A and 3B), or may occur near the interface of the core 220 and the cladding 222 (e.g., the core-cladding boundary), or may occur in an annular ring within the core 220.
  • the scattering structures 225 may comprise any of the scattering structures 125 described above with respect to the light diffusing optical fiber 110, for example, gas filled voids, scattering particles, such as ceramic materials, dopants, or the like.
  • the thermoplastic polymer coating layer 234 comprises a fluorinated polymer material such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), such as TeflonTM, ethylene- tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), such as TefeelTM, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), perfluoroalkoxy alkane (PFA), PEEK (polyetheretherketone), Nylon, and any other fluorinated extrudable polymer.
  • PTFE polytetrafluoroethylene
  • ETFE ethylene- tetrafluoroethylene
  • TefeelTM polyethylene terephthalate
  • FEP fluorinated ethylene propylene
  • PFA perfluoroalkoxy alkane
  • PEEK polyetheretherketone
  • thermoplastic polymer coating layer 234 is in direct contact with the cladding 222 and thus, no intervening layers are positioned between the cladding 222 and the thermoplastic polymer coating layer 234, limiting the amount of UV light scattering outward from the core 220 towards the outer surface 228 that is absorbed, blocked or otherwise prevented from exiting the outer surface 228.
  • scattering particles 235 are disposed in the thermoplastic polymer coating layer 234.
  • the scattering particles 235 disposed within the thermoplastic polymer coating layer 234 may comprise any of the scattering particles 135 described above with respect to the light diffusing optical fiber 110.
  • the thermoplastic polymer coating layer 234 may comprise a refractive index of from about 1.30 to about 1.35.
  • the scattering particles 235 may comprise low absorption scattering materials having a refractive index greater than the refractive index of the thermoplastic polymer coating layer 234, for example, AI2O3 having a refractive index of about 1.77, BaS04 having a refractive index of about 1.636, silicon dioxide (S1O2) having a refractive index of about 1.46, or the like. Note that because the thermoplastic polymer coating layer 234 comprises a refractive index that is lower than the secondary polymer coating layer 132, materials may be used as scattering particles 235 that are not available as scattering particles 135.
  • S1O2 may be used as a material of scattering particles 235, which may be advantageous because S1O2 is transparent to light having a wavelength of about 200 nm and greater, thereby reducing absorption loss caused by the scattering particles 235 in the UV range.
  • the scattering particles 235 may instead or in addition comprise gas voids or microbubbles.
  • the thermoplastic polymer coating layer 234 may be applied directly to the cladding 222 of the light diffusing optical fiber 210 during a fiber draw process.
  • the core 220 and the cladding 222 may be drawn from an optical fiber preform, though a draw furnace, which heats the optical fiber preform, and a fiber coating unit, which applies the thermoplastic polymer coating layer 234 to the cladding 222 of the light diffusing optical fiber 210.
  • the light diffusing optical fiber 210 reaches a fiber collection unit, which may comprise one or more drawing mechanisms and tensioning pulleys to provide tension to the light diffusing optical fiber 210 and facilitate winding the light diffusing optical fiber 310 onto a fiber storage spool.
  • a fiber collection unit which may comprise one or more drawing mechanisms and tensioning pulleys to provide tension to the light diffusing optical fiber 210 and facilitate winding the light diffusing optical fiber 310 onto a fiber storage spool.
  • thermoplastic polymer coating layer 234 Before the light diffusing optical fiber 210 reaches the fiber collection unit prevent mechanical contact between the cladding 222 and the one or more drawing mechanisms of the fiber collection unit, which may prevent damage to the glass of the cladding 222.
  • the thermoplastic polymer coating layer 234 is applied to the light diffusing optical fiber 210 after the light diffusing optical fiber 210 is drawn, for example, using off-draw equipment, such as conventional extruding equipment.
  • thermoplastic polymer coating layer 234 it may be desirable to apply a coating layer onto the cladding 222 during the draw process to prevent damage to the glass of the cladding 122 caused by the drawing mechanisms and tensioning pulleys of the fiber collection unit.
  • An example light diffusing optical fiber having a polymer layer between a cladding and a thermoplastic polymer coating layer is the light diffusing optical fiber 310, described below.
  • the core 320 comprises a glass core (e.g., silica) doped with a hydroxyl material (e.g., silica comprising about 300 ppm or more of a hydroxyl material).
  • the cladding 322 comprises a glass cladding (e.g., F-doped silica or F(fluorine)/B(boron) co- doped silica having a lower refractive index than the refractive index of the core 320) doped with a hydroxyl material (e.g., doped silica or F(fluorine)/B (boron) co-doped silica comprising about 300 ppm or more of a hydroxyl material).
  • the scattering structures 325 may occur throughout the core 320 (as depicted in Figs.
  • the scattering structures 325 may comprise any of the scattering structures 125 described above with respect to the light diffusing optical fiber 1 10, for example, gas filled voids, scattering particles, such as ceramic materials, dopants, or the like.
  • the thermoplastic polymer coating layer 334 may comprise any of the fluorinated polymer materials of the thermoplastic polymer coating layer 234, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), such as TeflonTM, ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), such as TefeelTM, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), perfluoroalkoxy alkane (PFA), PEEK (polyetheretherketone), Nylon, and any other fluorinated extrudable polymer.
  • PTFE polytetrafluoroethylene
  • ETFE ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene
  • TefeelTM polyethylene terephthalate
  • FEP fluorinated ethylene propylene
  • PFA perfluoroalkoxy alkane
  • PEEK polyetheretherketone
  • the primary coating layer 330 comprises a UV curable coating layer, such as cycloaliphatic epoxy. While cycloaliphatic epoxy is UV curable, the photo-initiator used to cure the cycloaliphatic epoxy is UV absorptive but is removable after the cycloaliphatic epoxy is cured, for example, by bleaching the cycloaliphatic epoxy, and the resultant cured cycloaliphatic epoxy comprises low absorbance of UV light, as described in more detail below with respect to graph 50 of Fig. 5 , below.
  • a UV curable coating layer such as cycloaliphatic epoxy. While cycloaliphatic epoxy is UV curable, the photo-initiator used to cure the cycloaliphatic epoxy is UV absorptive but is removable after the cycloaliphatic epoxy is cured, for example, by bleaching the cycloaliphatic epoxy, and the resultant cured cycloaliphatic epoxy comprises low absorbance of UV light, as described in more detail below with respect to graph
  • the photo -initiator comprises (p-isopropylphenyl)(p-methylphenyl)iodonium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate.
  • the primary coating layer 330 may comprise a thickness of from about 5 ⁇ to about 20 ⁇ , for example, from about 10 ⁇ to about 15 ⁇ . It may be advantageous for the primary coating layer 330 to be thin because some UV may still be absorbed by the primary coating layer 330 and a thinner layer minimizes this absorption.
  • the primary coating layer 330 is doped with a plurality of scattering particles 335, which may comprise any of the scattering particles 135 described above with respect to the light diffusing optical fiber 110.
  • the scattering particles 335 may comprise low absorption scattering materials having a refractive index greater than the cycloaliphatic epoxy of the primary coating layer 330 (which comprises a refractive index of about 1.41), for example, AI2O3 having a refractive index of about 1.77, BaS04 having a refractive index of about 1.636, particles made from thermoplastic polymer such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), such as TeflonTM, ethylene- tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), such as TefeelTM, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), perfluoroalkoxy alkane (PFA), PEEK (polyetheretherketone), Nylon,
  • PTFE polytetrafluoroethylene
  • ETFE
  • the scattering particles 335 may instead or in addition comprise gas voids or microbubbles.
  • unscattered, guided light (such as UV light output by the light source 152 of the light output device 102) propagates along the light diffusing optical fiber 110, 210, 310 in the direction shown by arrow 10.
  • Scattered light is shown exiting the light diffusing optical fiber 110, 210, 310 in the direction shown by arrow 12 at a scattering angle 0s, which is the angular difference between the propagation direction 10 of guided light propagating along the light diffusing optical fiber 110, 210, 310 and the direction 12 of the scattered light when it leaves light diffusing optical fiber 110.
  • the intensities of the spectra when the scattering angle 0s is between 15° and 150°, or 30° and 130° are within ⁇ 50%, ⁇ 30%, ⁇ 25%, ⁇ 20%, ⁇ 15%, ⁇ 10%, or ⁇ 5% as measured at the peak wavelength. In some embodiments, the intensities of the spectra when the scattering angle 0s is between all angles within 30° and 130°, or 40° and 120° are at least within ⁇ 50%, for example ⁇ 30%, ⁇ 25%, ⁇ 20%, ⁇ 15%, ⁇ 10%, or ⁇ 5% as measured at the peak wavelength.
  • each light diffusing optical fiber 110, 210, 310 is configured to provide substantially uniform illumination due to scattering, such that the difference between the minimum and maximum scattering illumination intensity is less than 50% of the maximum scattering illumination intensity, for all viewing angles between at least 40 degrees and 1 10 degrees, for example for all viewing angles between 40 degrees and 120 degrees. According to some embodiments, the difference between the minimum and maximum scattering illumination intensity is not greater than 30% of the maximum scattering illumination intensity.
  • each light diffusing optical fiber 110, 210, 310 may have a scattering induced attenuation loss of greater than about 0.2 dB/m at a wavelength of 550 nm.
  • the scattering induced attenuation loss may be greater than about 0.5 dB/m, 0.6 dB/m, 0.7 dB/m, 0.8 dB/m, 0.9 dB/m, 1 dB/m, 1.2 dB/m, 1.4 dB/m, 1.6 dB/m, 1.8 dB/m, 2.0 dB/m, 2.5 dB/m, 3.0 dB/m, 3.5 dB/m, or 4 dB/m, 5 dB/m, 6 dB/m, 7 dB/m, 8 dB/m, 9 dB/m, 10 dB/m, 20 dB/m, 30 dB/m, 40 dB/m, or 50 dB/m at 550 nm.
  • the average scattering loss of the light diffusing optical fiber 1 10, 210, 310 is greater than 50 dB/km, and the scattering loss does not vary more than 20% (i.e., the scattering loss is within ⁇ 20% of the average scattering loss, for example within ⁇ 15%, or within ⁇ 10%) over any given fiber segment of the light diffusing optical fiber 110.
  • the average scattering loss of the light diffusing optical fiber 1 10, 210, 310 is greater than 50 dB/km, and the scattering loss does not vary more than 20% (i.e., the scattering loss is within ⁇ 20% of the average scattering loss, for example within ⁇ 15 %, or even within ⁇ 10%) over any given fiber segment of the light diffusing optical fiber 1 10, 210, 310 of from about 0.2 m to about 50 m, for example, 0.5 m, 1 m, 2 m, 5 m, 10 m, 15 m, 20 m, 25 m, 30 m, 35 m, 40 m, 45 m, or the like.
  • a graph 50 depicts the absorbance of UV light from 200 nm to 400 nm in sample material layers comprising a thickness of about 100 um.
  • One sample material layer is a cycloaliphatic epoxy comprising a thickness of about 100 ⁇ , such as the cycloaliphatic epoxy of the primary coating layer 330 of the light diffusing optical fiber 310, which is represented by line 52.
  • Another sample material layer comprising a thickness of about 100 ⁇ is PTFE, such as the thermoplastic polymer coating layer 234 of light diffusing optical fiber 210 and the thermoplastic polymer coating layer 334 of the light diffusing optical fiber 310, which is represented by line 54.
  • the cycloaliphatic epoxy comprises an absorbance per 100 ⁇ of thickness of about 0.0005 at 400 nm, about 0.001 at 375 nm, about 0.002 at 350 nm, about 0.004 at 325 nm, about 0.012 at 300 nm, about 0.025 at 275 nm, and about 0.035 at 250 nm.
  • the PTFE comprises an absorbance per 100 ⁇ of thickness of about 0.003 at 400 nm, about 0.004 at 375 nm, about 0.006 at 350 nm, about 0.008 at 325 nm, about 0.01 at 300 nm, about 0.013 at 275 nm, about 0.0175 at 250 nm, about 0.024 at 225 nm, and about 0.032 at 200 nm.
  • the cycloaliphatic epoxy (line 52) comprises an absorbance per 100 ⁇ of thickness of about 0.01 or less for light comprising a wavelength of about 310 nm or more.
  • the cycloaliphatic epoxy (line 52) comprises an absorbance per 100 ⁇ of thickness of about 0.02 or less for light comprising a wavelength of about 250 nm or more.
  • the cycloaliphatic epoxy (line 52) comprises an absorbance per 100 ⁇ of thickness of about 0.03 or less for light comprising a wavelength of about 270 nm or more.
  • the cycloaliphatic epoxy (line 52) comprises an absorbance per 100 ⁇ of thickness of about 0.04 or less for light comprising a wavelength of about 245 nm or more.
  • the PTFE (line 54) comprises an absorbance per 100 ⁇ of thickness of about 0.01 or less for light comprising a wavelength of about 300 nm or more.
  • the PTFE (line 54) comprises an absorbance per 100 ⁇ of thickness of about 0.02 or less for light comprising a wavelength of about 240 nm or more.
  • the PTFE (line 54) comprises an absorbance per 100 ⁇ of thickness of about 0.03 or less for light comprising a wavelength of about 205 nm or more.
  • graph 70 depicts the scattering efficiency of various light diffusing optical fiber embodiments for light comprising a wavelength of from about 300 nm to about 500 nm.
  • scattering efficiency refers to the percentage of light scattering outward from the core 120, 220, 320 of the light diffusing optical fiber 110, 210, 310 towards the outer surface 128, 228, 328 that in not absorbed, blocked, or otherwise lost, and in fact exits the outer surface 128, 228, 328.
  • line 72 represents a previous embodiment of a light diffusing optical fiber
  • line 74 represents the light diffusing optical fiber 110
  • line 76 represents the light diffusing optical fiber 210
  • line 78 represents the light diffusing optical fiber 310.
  • the light diffusing optical fibers 110, 210, 310 described herein comprise higher scattering efficiencies of UV light than previous light diffusing optical fibers.
  • line 74 depicts that the light diffusing optical fiber 1 10 comprises a scattering efficiency of about 0.1 or more for light comprising a wavelength of about 350 nm or more, a scattering efficiency of about 0.4 or more for light comprising a wavelength of about 375 nm or more, a scattering efficiency of about 0.6 or more for light comprising a wavelength of about 400 nm or more, and a scattering efficiency of about 0.8 or more for light comprising a wavelength of about 425 nm or more.
  • Line 76 depicts that the light diffusing optical fiber 210 comprises a scattering efficiency of about 0.5 or more for light comprising a wavelength of about 300 nm or more, a scattering efficiency of about 0.65 or more for light comprising a wavelength of about 325 nm or more, a scattering efficiency of about 0.75 or more for light comprising a wavelength of about 350 nm or more, a scattering efficiency of about 0.8 or more for light comprising a wavelength of about 375 nm or more, and a scattering efficiency of about 0.9 or more for light comprising a wavelength of about 400 nm or more. Further, while not depicted in Fig.
  • light diffusing optical fiber 210 comprises a scattering efficiency of about 0.4 or more for light comprising a wavelength of about 250 nm or more, such as a scattering efficiency of about 0.5 or more.
  • line 78 depicts that the light diffusing optical fiber 310 comprises a scattering efficiency of about 0.3 or more for light comprising a wavelength of about 350 nm or more, a scattering efficiency of about 0.6 or more for light comprising a wavelength of about 375 nm or more, a scattering efficiency of about 0.8 or more for light comprising a wavelength of about 400 nm or more, and a scattering efficiency of about 0.9 or more for light comprising a wavelength of about 425 nm or more.
  • Bacteria were either dispensed as a spot (20 ⁇ volume) or spread (100 ⁇ volume) directly onto MH agar plates at final concentrations of 1 x 10 4 to 1 x 10 8 cells per plate. Once dry, plates were inverted and the surface was placed within 1 cm of the light diffusing fiber light delivery or illumination path. Plates were treated at fluence rates ranging from 5 mW/cm 2 to 25 mW/cm 2 for 2 to 6 h. Fluence rates were measured at the beginning of each test using an ILT 1400 Photometer and XSL340A detector (International Light Technologies; Peabody, MA).
  • Colonized surfaces were treated at 5 mW/cm 2 , 10 mW/cm 2 , or 25 mW/cm 2 for a total of 2, 4, or 6 hr.
  • Bacteria were collected from treated surfaces by vigorous pipetting with 1 mL of 0.9% saline, serially diluted, and the recoverable CFU were enumerated by plating.
  • the antimicrobial effects of each treatment regimen were determined by comparing the cell viability of each treatment to mock-treated cells. Additionally, two methods were used in parallel to ensure total viable bacterial recovery from each surface.
  • test surface was physically scraped using a spatula, transferred to a 96 well microtiter plate and the percent non-viable/viable organisms remaining was measured using a LIVE/DEAD stain at an excitation wavelength of 485 nm and emission wavelengths of 530 nm (SYTO 9; green) and 630 nm (propidium iodide; red) (Molecular Probes, Inc., Eugene, OR).
  • inoculated test surfaces were transferred to fresh culture medium after treatment, incubated for 16 h at 37°C on an orbital shaker and optical density (OD600nm) measured. All organisms were evaluated a total of three times on separate days for each abiotic material.
  • the light diffusing fiber (according to one or more embodiments of this disclosure) used in these studies was developed to maximize 405 nm light emission and antimicrobial potential.
  • the fiber is composed of 115 ⁇ high purity silica glass core with 0.05 - 0.3 ⁇ diameter gas filled voids randomly distributed throughout the core to increase light scattering.
  • the fiber core was double clad with a 25 ⁇ thick fluorine-doped (F-doped) silica and a 40 um cycloaliphatic polymer containing - 0.1 ⁇ diameter alumina particles, both of which increase angular light scattering (data not shown), whereas the outer surface of the light diffusing fiber is coated with ⁇ 70 ⁇ fluorinated polymer (Perfluoroalkoxy, PFA) to protect the fiber yet retain its flexibility.
  • Integrated sphere testing measures of the total light scattering across emission wavelengths revealed that the light diffusing fiber light delivery or illumination efficiency was improved in comparison to conventional visible light-diffusing fibers (unbolded line) and capable of greater than 90% emission at wavelengths >400 nm (Fig. 7B), suggesting that it may be ideal for antimicrobial 405 nm light delivery.
  • Light diffusing fiber 405 nm light delivery or illumination system exerts antimicrobial activity toward ESKAPE and other pathogens.
  • LED-delivered 405 nm light (133 J/cm 2 ) has been shown to effectively reduce the growth of both S. aureus and P. aeruginosa seeded onto agar plates by approximately 6-logio and 5.2-logio, respectively.
  • aeruginosa cells were challenged with various light intensities (5, 10, or 25 mW/cm 2 ) and exposure times (2, 4, or 6 hr). Each experiment was repeated at least three times, and the
  • mW/cm 2 treatment did not display antimicrobial activity toward the organism, 4 hr (144 J/m 2 ) and 6 hr (216 J/m 2 ) treatment inhibited growth of 10 4 and 10 6 CFUs, respectively.
  • S. aureus treatment with 5 mW/cm 2 did not exhibit detectable antimicrobial activity at 2 or 4 hr
  • faecium appeared to be the most 405 nm-tolerant organism tested, displaying a 4-log decrease in cell viability but only at the highest dosing conditions (25 mW for 6 hr; 540 J/cm 2 ). However, there was no significant reduction in the organism's survival at lower light exposures.
  • Table 2 also summarizes the radiant energy in J/cm 2 required to kill > 4-logio CFU of each test organism.
  • S. pyogenes appeared to be the most susceptible organism tested, demonstrating >4 log reduction in cell viability at 36 J/cm 2 .
  • P. aeruginosa was also highly susceptible to 405 nm light (72 J/cm 2 ), followed by S. aureus, S. epidermidis, K. pneumoniae and A. baumannii (144 J/cm 2 ).
  • C. albicans, E. coli and E. cloacae appeared somewhat more blue light-tolerant (360 J/cm 2 ), whereas E. faecium was the least susceptible, requiring 540 J/m 2 irradiation to achieve at least a 4 log reduction in CFU.
  • aeruginosa which are commonly acquired nosocomial pathogens prevalent in the hospital environment, and A. baumannii, an environmental organism that is notoriously tolerant to desiccation, and a prominent cause of wound infections.
  • Each abiotic surface was inoculated with 10 8 , 10 7 , or 10 6 CFU S. aureus, P. aeruginosa or A. baumannii, dried for 24 to 48 hr, and then treated at 0, 5, 10, or 25 mW/cm 2 for 2, 4, or 6 hr. Bacterial cells were recovered by washing and the number of viable cells remaining was enumerated by plating; care was taken to ensure that all viable organisms were recovered.
  • the light diffusing fiber illumination system displayed modest decolonization properties toward P. aeruginosa and limited activity toward S. aureus adhered to each substrate (Table 3). More specifically, in comparison to mock-treated cells (shielded from light), P. aeruginosa exhibited a dose response dependent effect when adhered to cloth and polystyrene resulting in a maximum of 2-logio and 5-logio decrease in viability following 4 hr and 6 hr 25 mW/cm 2 treatment, respectively. P. aeruginosa exhibited a 2-logio to 3-logio decrease in recoverable cells when adhered to all other surfaces, with the exception of silicone rubber. For S. aureus, 6 hr.
  • the light diffusing fiber illumination system may be amenable to decolonizing P. aeruginosa and, to a lesser extent, S. aureus colonizing many abiotic surfaces common to the hospital setting. Yet, effective
  • decolonization would likely require significantly higher blue light doses than investigated here using either higher power and/or longer exposure times. Conversely, A. baumannii decolonization is not likely to be achievable, which is consistent with the organism's well- established hardiness and ability to tolerate disinfectants and long-term desiccation.
  • S. pyogenes exhibited a complete loss of cell viability at all doses evaluated (> 31 J/cm 2 ), whereas both S. aureus and S. epidermidis showed a dose dependent antimicrobial effect with a maximum and complete loss of cell viability at 125.4 J/cm 2 , respectively.
  • the other organisms tested displayed no significant susceptibility toward 405 nm light during growth in liquid culture conditions.
  • Organism 31.3 ( ⁇ 8.8) 62.7 ( ⁇ 17.7) 125.4 ( ⁇ 35.4) 250.8 ( ⁇ 70.8)
  • S. aureus cells were transferred to individual wells of a microtiter plate containing either 100% human serum or lung surfactant, and exposed to ⁇ 144 J/m 2 405 nm light.
  • 405 nm light delivered via a light diffusing fiber light delivery or illumination system resulted in a dose-dependent reduction in S. aureus viability, resulting in a 1.65 log and 2 log reduction in recoverable CFU when irradiated at 62.7 J/cm 2 and 125 J/cm 2 , respectively.
  • High-intensity blue-violet light (having a wavelength range from about 405 nm to about 470 nm) has been demonstrated in the literature as an effective antimicrobial agent. Most of these studies use LEDs or other flood illumination sources. In these examples, the antimicrobial capabilities of 405 nm light delivered with a laser source and a light diffusing fiber of one or more embodiments. Since such light diffusing fibers deliver light radially along its length in a flexible and thin format, its geometric characteristics may be
  • the light diffusing fiber light delivery or illumination system and 405 nm light displayed significant antimicrobial activity toward the ESKAPE bacterial pathogens, as well as Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus pyogenes and the fungal pathogen Candida albicans.
  • Aspect (1) of this disclosure pertains to a light diffusing optical fiber comprising: a first end, a second end opposite the first end, a core, a cladding surrounding the core, an outer surface, a plurality of scattering structures positioned within the core, the cladding, or both the core and the cladding, and a thermoplastic polymer coating layer surrounding and contacting the cladding, wherein: the plurality of scattering structures are configured to scatter guided light toward the outer surface of the light diffusing optical fiber such that a portion of the guided light diffuses through the outer surface along a diffusion length of the light diffusing optical fiber; the core comprises glass doped with 300 ppm or more of a hydroxyl material; the cladding comprises glass doped with 300 ppm or more of a hydroxyl material; and the thermoplastic polymer coating layer is doped with a plurality of scattering particles.
  • Aspect (2) of this disclosure pertains to the light diffusing optical fiber of Aspect (1), wherein the thermoplastic polymer coating layer comprises a fluorinated polymer material.
  • Aspect (3) of this disclosure pertains to the light diffusing optical fiber of Aspect (2), wherein the fluorinated polymer material of the thermoplastic polymer coating layer comprises polytetrafluoroethylene, ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, fluorinated ethylene propylene, perfluoroalkoxy alkane, polyetheretherketone, or combinations thereof.
  • Aspect (4) of this disclosure pertains to the light diffusing optical fiber of any one of Aspects (1) through (3), wherein the plurality of scattering particles comprise A1203, BaS04, Si02, gas voids, or a combination thereof.
  • Aspect (5) of this disclosure pertains to the light diffusing optical fiber of any one of Aspects (1) through (4), wherein a cross-sectional size of each scattering particle of the plurality of scattering particles is from about 20 nm to about 5000 nm.
  • Aspect (6) of this disclosure pertains to the light diffusing optical fiber of any one of Aspects (1) through (5), wherein when guided light comprising a wavelength of about 250 nm or greater propagates along the core and a portion of the guided light diffuses through the outer surface, the light diffusing optical fiber comprises a scattering efficiency of from about 0.5 or greater.
  • Aspect (7) of this disclosure pertains to the light diffusing optical fiber of any one of Aspects (1) through (6), wherein the thermoplastic polymer coating layer comprises an absorbance of about 0.02 or less per 100 ⁇ of layer thickness at a wavelength of about 240 nm or more.
  • Aspect (8) of this disclosure pertains to the light diffusing optical fiber of any one of Aspects (1) through (7), wherein the glass of the core comprises silica glass and the glass of the cladding comprises F-doped silica glass.
  • Aspect (9) of this disclosure pertains to the light diffusing optical fiber of any one of Aspects (1) through (8), wherein the plurality of scattering structures are configured to scatter guided light toward the outer surface of the light diffusing optical fiber such that a portion of the guided light diffuses through the outer surface along the diffusion length of the light diffusing optical fiber to provide a scattering induced attenuation of about 50 dB/km or more.
  • Aspect (10) of this disclosure pertains to the light diffusing optical fiber of any one of Aspects (1) through (9), wherein the plurality of scattering particles of the thermoplastic polymer coating layer are configured such that a difference between the minimum and maximum scattering illumination intensity is less than 50% of the maximum scattering illumination intensity, for all viewing angles between 40 and 120 degrees.
  • Aspect (11) of this disclosure pertains to the light diffusing optical fiber of any one of Aspects (1) through (10), wherein the plurality of scattering structures comprise gas filled voids.
  • Aspect (12) of this disclosure pertains to a light diffusing optical fiber comprising: a first end, a second end opposite the first end, a core, a cladding surrounding the core, an outer surface, a plurality of scattering structures positioned within the core, the cladding, or both the core and the cladding, a primary coating layer surrounding the cladding, and a thermoplastic polymer coating layer surrounding the primary coating layer such that the primary coating layer is disposed between the cladding and the thermoplastic polymer coating layer
  • the plurality of scattering structures are configured to scatter guided light toward the outer surface of the light diffusing optical fiber such that a portion of the guided light diffuses through the outer surface along a diffusion length of the light diffusing optical fiber
  • the core comprises glass doped with 300 ppm or more of a hydroxyl material
  • the cladding comprises glass doped with 300 ppm or more of a hydroxyl material
  • the primary coating layer comprises a cycloaliphatic epoxy having an absorbance of about 0.04 or less per
  • Aspect (13) of this disclosure pertains to the light diffusing optical fiber of Aspect
  • thermoplastic polymer coating layer comprises a fluorinated polymer material
  • Aspect (14) of this disclosure pertains to the light diffusing optical fiber of Aspect
  • Aspect (15) of this disclosure pertains to the light diffusing optical fiber of any one of Aspects (12) through (14), wherein the plurality of scattering particles comprise, A1203, BaS04, silica, fluorinated polymer particles, gas voids, or a combination thereof.
  • Aspect (16) of this disclosure pertains to the light diffusing optical fiber of any one of Aspects (12) through (15), wherein when guided light comprising a wavelength of about 375 nm or greater propagates along the core and a portion of the guided light diffuses through the outer surface, the light diffusing optical fiber comprises a scattering efficiency of from about 0.6 or greater.
  • Aspect (17) of this disclosure pertains to a light diffusing optical fiber comprising: a first end, a second end opposite the first end, a core, a cladding surrounding the core, an outer surface, a plurality of scattering structures positioned within the core, the cladding, or both the core and the cladding, and a coating layer surrounding the cladding wherein: the plurality of scattering structures are configured to scatter guided light toward the outer surface of the light diffusing optical fiber such that when guided light propagates along the core, a portion of the guided light diffuses through the outer surface along a diffusion length of the light diffusing optical fiber; the core comprises glass doped with 300 ppm or more of a hydroxyl material; the cladding comprises glass doped with 300 ppm or more of a hydroxyl material; the coating layer is doped with a plurality of scattering particles; and when guided light comprising a wavelength of about 250 nm or greater propagates along the core and a portion of the guided light diffuses through the outer surface,
  • Aspect (18) pertains to the light diffusing optical fiber of Aspect (17), wherein the plurality of scattering particles of the coating layer are configured such that a difference between the minimum and maximum scattering illumination intensity is less than 50% of the maximum scattering illumination intensity, for all viewing angles between 40 and 120 degrees.
  • Aspect (19) pertains to the light diffusing optical fiber of Aspect (17) or Aspect (18), wherein the plurality of scattering particles comprise, A1203, BaS04, Si02, fluorinated polymer particles, gas voids, or a combination thereof.
  • Aspect (20) pertains to the light diffusing optical fiber of any one of Aspects (17) through (19), wherein the coating layer doped with the plurality of scattering particles comprises a thermoplastic polymer coating layer.
  • Aspect (21) of this disclosure pertains to an illumination system comprising: a light diffusing optical fiber comprising a first end, a second end opposite the first end, a core, a cladding surrounding the core, an outer surface, a plurality of scattering structures positioned within the core, the cladding, or both the core and the cladding, and a thermoplastic polymer coating layer surrounding and contacting the cladding, wherein, the plurality of scattering structures are configured to scatter guided light toward the outer surface of the light diffusing optical fiber such that a portion of the guided light diffuses through the outer surface along a diffusion length of the light diffusing optical fiber, either one or both the core and the cladding comprises glass doped with a hydroxyl material; and the thermoplastic polymer coating layer is doped with a plurality of scattering particles; and a light output device configured to be coupled to either one of the first end or the second end of the light diffusing optical fiber, wherein the light output device comprises a light source that generates a light having a
  • Aspect (22) pertains to the illumination system of Aspect (21), wherein the light output device is coupled to the light diffusing optical fiber.
  • Aspect (23) pertains to an illumination system comprising: a light diffusing optical fiber comprising a first end, a second end opposite the first end, a core, a cladding surrounding the core, an outer surface, a plurality of scattering structures positioned within the core, the cladding, or both the core and the cladding, a primary coating layer surrounding the cladding, and a thermoplastic polymer coating layer surrounding the primary coating layer such that the primary coating layer is disposed between the cladding and the thermoplastic polymer coating layer wherein: the plurality of scattering structures are configured to scatter guided light toward the outer surface of the light diffusing optical fiber such that a portion of the guided light diffuses through the outer surface along a diffusion length of the light diffusing optical fiber; the core and the clad comprise glass; the primary coating layer comprises a cycloaliphatic epoxy having an absorbance of about 0.04 or less per
  • the primary coating layer comprises a plurality of scattering particles doped within the cycloaliphatic epoxy; and a light output device configured to be coupled to either one of the first end or the second end of the light diffusing optical fiber, wherein the light output device comprises a light source that generates a light having a wavelength range from about 200 nm to about 500 nm.
  • Aspect (24) pertains to the illumination system of Aspect (23), wherein the light output device is coupled to the light diffusing optical fiber.
  • Aspect (25) pertains to an illumination system comprising: a light diffusing optical fiber comprising a first end, a second end opposite the first end, a core, a cladding surrounding the core, an outer surface, a plurality of scattering structures positioned within the core, the cladding, or both the core and the cladding, and a coating layer surrounding the cladding wherein: the plurality of scattering structures are configured to scatter guided light toward the outer surface of the light diffusing optical fiber such that when guided light propagates along the core, a portion of the guided light diffuses through the outer surface along a diffusion length of the light diffusing optical fiber; either one of the core and the clad comprises glass doped with 300 ppm or more of a hydroxyl material; the coating layer is doped with a plurality of scattering particles; and when guided light comprising a wavelength of about 250 nm or greater propagates along the core and a portion of the guided light diffuses through the outer surface, the light diffusing optical fiber comprises a scattering efficiency of
  • Aspect (26) pertains to the illumination system of Aspect (25), wherein the light output device is coupled to the light diffusing optical fiber.
  • variable being a "function" of a parameter or another variable is not intended to denote that the variable is exclusively a function of the listed parameter or variable. Rather, reference herein to a variable that is a "function" of a listed parameter is intended to be open ended such that the variable may be a function of a single parameter or a plurality of parameters. [00100] It is also noted that recitations herein of "at least one" component, element, etc., should not be used to create an inference that the alternative use of the articles "a” or “an” should be limited to a single component, element, etc.

Abstract

La présente invention concerne une fibre optique de diffusion de lumière qui comprend une première extrémité, une seconde extrémité opposée à la première extrémité, une âme, une gaine entourant l'âme, une surface externe, une pluralité de structures de diffusion placées dans l'âme, dans la gaine, ou à la fois dans l'âme et la gaine, et une couche de revêtement polymère thermoplastique entourant et entrant en contact avec la gaine. La pluralité de structures de diffusion sont configurées de façon à diffuser une lumière guidée vers la surface externe de la fibre optique de diffusion de lumière de telle sorte qu'une partie de la lumière guidée se diffuse à travers la surface externe le long d'une longueur de diffusion de la fibre optique de diffusion de lumière. L'âme comprend du verre dopé à une valeur égale ou supérieure à 300 ppm d'un matériau hydroxyle. La gaine comprend du verre dopé à une valeur égale ou supérieure à 300 ppm d'un matériau hydroxyle. En outre, la couche de revêtement polymère thermoplastique est dopée avec une pluralité de particules de diffusion.
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WO2015080868A1 (fr) * 2013-11-26 2015-06-04 Corning Incorporated Système et procédé de distribution de lumière antibactérienne pour désinfecter une surface
US10156672B2 (en) * 2014-10-22 2018-12-18 Corning Incorporated Double clad light diffusing fiber, connector system and illuminaire
KR101497378B1 (ko) * 2014-10-24 2015-03-03 (주)에이치엔씨테크놀러지 측면 발광형 광섬유 조성물
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JP2021500623A (ja) 2021-01-07
CN111279124B (zh) 2022-10-14
WO2019083920A1 (fr) 2019-05-02
CN111279124A (zh) 2020-06-12

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