Abstract
Zirconia ferrules for optical connectors were examined after aging at 85°C and 95% relative humidity. Two degradation mechanisms were the roughening and the deformation of the zirconia ferrule surface. Raman microscopy revealed that this relatively low-temperature degradation of zirconia ferrules is caused by the tetragonal to monoclinic transformation of zirconia, and is accelerated by stress relief during polishing. The surface upheavals associated with low-temperature aging may significantly degrade the performance of optical connectors over time.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2731-2733 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Journal of the American Ceramic Society |
| Volume | 84 |
| Issue number | 11 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 2001 |