Silicon dioxide optical fibers

Silicon dioxide is the most widely used ceramic material in the semiconductor industry, and the majority of Si02 deposits in microelectronic circuits are formed by CVD. Silica layers are used as diffusion sources, intermetallic dielectrics, and dopant and etch barriers in the microelectronics industry. CVD of Si02 is also commonly used in manufacturing energy-efficient glass windows, surface coatings for fiber optics, and micromechanical applications. ... 

A fiber-optic oxygen sensor with the fluorescence decay time (rather than its intensity) as the information carrier has been described by two groups [119, 120]. In the former work, a ruthenium complex is immobilized in silicone-rubber, and quenching by oxygen is measured by either lifetime or intensity measurements. The 337-nm line of a nitrogen laser served as the excitation line, and the dye was dissolved in a silicone-rubber membrane placed in the fluorimeter. This sensing membrane is reported to be highly specific, and chlorine and sulfur dioxide were the only interferents. 

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