Adhesion enhancement of indium tin oxide (ITO) coated quartz optical fibers

Transparent conductive indium tin oxide (ITO) film was prepared on optical fiber through a multi-step sol–gel process. The influence of annealing temperature on the adhesion of ITO coated optical fibers was studied. Different surface treatments were applied to improve the adhesion between ITO film and quartz optical fiber. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), UV–vis spectrophotometer and Avometer were used to characterize the morphology, crystal structure and photo-electric properties. A thermal shock test was used to evaluate the adhesion. The result shows that the adhesion between ITO film and quartz optical fiber can be strongly influenced by the annealing process, and optimal adhesion can be acquired when annealing temperature is 500 °C. Surface treatments of ultrasonic cleaning and the application of surface-active agent have effectively enhanced the adhesion and photo-electric properties of indium tin oxide film coated quartz optical fiber.