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Infrared (IR) optical fibers may be defined as fiber optics transmitting radiation with wavelengths greater than approximately 2 mm. The first IR fibers for Mid IR were fabricated in the mid-1960s from Chalcogenide IR-glasses (CIR-fibers) – such as As-S-glasses with attenuation >10 dB/m.1 During the mid-1970’s, the interest in developing an efficient and reliable IR fiber for short-haul applications increased partly in response to the need for a fiber to link broadband, long wavelength radiation to remote photodetectors in military sensor applications. In addition, there was an ever increasing need for a flexible fiber delivery system for transmitting CO2 laser radiation in surgical applications.
SPIE Technical Symposium on Infrared Fibers in 1981 was the 1st one dedicated to this topic - describing all three flexible Mid IR-solutions: glass and crystalline fibers, plus hollow waveguides. Since that time there was good progress reached in each category, and this presentation will review the key milestones - complimented by the latest results achieved in IR-fiber technology and in the promising areas of advanced applications. Prof. James A. Harrington, former SPIE president has passed away in June 2018 after his life devoted to the development of crystalline IR-fibers and hollow waveguides – and we devote this conference and this review talk to his memory.
Jim Harrington has died too early because of cancer – while IR-fiber systems can help to fight with this killer disease. Present review will highlight the latest fiber solutions used to detect tumor margins and to enable intraoperative optical control of several therapy methods - realizing the "theranostic" fusion.
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