Basic Components and Fiber Optic Passive Components: Status and Trends in Japan

This paper reviews the status and trends of Japanese activities in fiber optic passive components. It covers the fiber manufacturing techniques (VAD method), several special fibers such as polarization-holding fibers, dispersion-shifted fibers, infrared fibers, metal coated fibers, and hydrogen-induced loss problems, as well as various kinds of fiber cables such as trunk communication cable, subscriber cable, submarine cable, and optical fiber composite overhead ground wire. The paper also discusses the problems of splicing, connecting, and coupling with respect to future trends and provides information on progress in Japan in the expanding field of communication technique.