目前正在研制超纯氟化物光纤,以供长途通信之用。然而,因短程应用对衰减要求不高,现在提供的市售氟化物光纤,可用于远程红外光谱测定、非接触低温测量技术、红外成象、激光功率传递、焦面分解和远程光纤传感器。法国Le Verre Fluore公司提供标准的或常规的氟化物玻璃光纤,这些光纤由锆或铪四氟化物以各种比例掺加碱氟化物、土碱、稀土和其它金属制成预制件,再由这些预制件拉成各种光纤。由纤芯折射率和包层折射率之间的绝对差构成波导结构。因为纤芯和包层材料属于相同的玻璃系列,所以它们的界面非常光滑,从而达到足够低的衰减等级。预制件有二种形式,一种是在包层管内浇注进纤芯玻璃制成的;另一种是实心棒的形式。预制棒的直径 Ultrafine fluoride fibers are currently being developed for long-distance communications. However, due to the low attenuation required for short-range applications, the now commercially available fluoride optical fibers are available for remote IR spectrometry, non-contact cryogenic measurement techniques, infrared imaging, laser power transfer, focal plane decomposition and remote fiber optic sensors. Le Verre Fluore, France, offers standard or conventional fluoride glass fibers made of zirconium or hafnium tetrafluoride in various proportions mixed with alkali fluorides, earth alkali, rare earths and other metals to make preforms, and then these Preform pulled into a variety of optical fiber. The waveguide structure is made up of the absolute difference between the refractive index of the core and the refractive index of the cladding. Because the core and cladding materials belong to the same glass family, their interface is very smooth, achieving a sufficiently low attenuation level. There are two types of preforms, one being made by casting core glass in a cladding tube and the other in the form of a solid rod. Preform diameter