Cladding in optical fibers is one or more layers of materials of lower refractive index in intimate contact with a core material of higher refractive index.
The cladding causes light to be confined to the core of the fiber by total internal reflection at the boundary between the core and cladding.[1] Light propagation within the cladding is typically suppressed for most fibers. However, some fibers can support cladding modes in which light propagates through the cladding as well as the core. Depending upon the quantity of modes that are supported, they are referred to as multi-mode fibers and single-mode fibers.[2] Improving transmission through fibers by applying a cladding was discovered in 1953 by Dutch scientist Bram van Heel.[3]
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