Metal coating of fibers

摘要

Fibers are coated with a metal layer by applying onto the fiber a relatively high viscosity slurry comprising an alloy in the form of liquid and solid phases. This allows application of metal coatings on layers that do not "wet" with the liquid metal. For example, an optical fiber having a soft polymer layer to reduce microbending losses is coated with a metal to prevent moisture entry. An alloy of Bi-Sn or In-Sn, among others, allows coating at a relatively low temperature to prevent polymer degradation. Other fibers for various uses can also be advantageously coated with this technique.