ECE researcher Peter D. Dragic and his collaborator at Clemson University, John Ballato, have been researching optical fibers and the materials. While fiber structure has become increasingly complex in recent years, the materials used to construct them have been stuck in one section of the periodic table, within a few spaces of silicon (silica—SiO2—being the predominant fiber component). The materials are monochromatic. Dragic and Ballato are experimenting with fibers created with materials with different optical properties.
