To reliably support many decades of revenue generating services the optical loss in fibers should not degrade with time. For some fibers, however, there is a significant risk that the optical loss could increase due to the chemical reactions between the atomic defects in fibers and the trace amounts of molecular hydrogen inevitably present in or around optical cables.
Selecting the right fibers made with the proper process and high purity silica material can guard against hydrogen aging loss increases and help ensure decades of reliable network service. There are basically three types of hydrogen aging losses that must be avoided in Ge-doped silica fibers to help ensure reliability in optical transmission over an expected service lifetime of 25 years or more. These hydrogen aging losses are caused by different types of atomic defects or impurities present in the silica fibers. The severity of hydrogen aging loss degradation is dependent on the fiber manufacturing process and the purity of the
silica material involved.
Replacing hydrogen with deuterium improves the function of the optical fibers by serving as a passivating agent at this interface.
References:
K. Chang, The Importance of Minimizing Hydrogen Aging Losses and Alkali Impurities OFS AllWave® Zero Water Peak (ZWP) Fiber.
