The Inventors of Glass Fiber Optics at the US Army Signal Corp
The following information was submitted by Richard Sturzebecher, it was
originally published in the Army Corp publication "Monmouth Message."
In 1958, at the US Army Signal Corps Labs in Fort Monmouth New Jersey, the
Manager of Copper Cable and Wire hated the signal transmission problems caused
by lightening and water. He encouraged the Manager of Materials Research, Sam
DiVita, to find a replacement for copper wire. Sam thought glass fiber and light
signals might work, but the engineers who worked for Sam told him a glass fiber
would break! In September 1959, Sam DiVita asked 2nd Lt. Richard Sturzebecher if
he knew how to write the formula for a glass fiber capable of transmitting light
signals. (Sam had learned that Richard, who was attending the Signal School, had
melted 3 triaxial glass systems, using SiO2, for his 1958 senior thesis at
Alfred University under Dr. Harold Simpson, Professor of Glass Technology.)
Richard knew the answer. While using a microscope to measuring the
index-of-refraction on SiO2 glasses, Richard developed a severe headache. The
60% and 70% SiO2 glass powders under the microscope allowed higher and higher
amounts of brilliant, white light to pass through the microscope slide into his
eyes. Remembering the headache and the brilliant white light from high SiO2
glass, Richard knew that the formula would be ultra pure SiO2. Richard also knew
that Corning made high purity SiO2 powder, by oxidizing pure SiCl4 into SiO2. He
suggested that Sam use his power to award a Federal Contract to Corning to
develop the fiber.
Sam DiVita had already worked with Corning research people. But he had to make
the idea public, because all research laboratories had a right to bid on a
Federal contract. So, in 1961 and 1962, the idea of using high purity SiO2 for a
glass fiber to transmit light was made public information in a bid solicitation
to all research laboratories. As expected, Sam awarded the contract to the
Corning Glass Works in Corning, New York in 1962. Federal funding for glass
fiber optics at Corning was about $1,000,000 between 1963 and 1970. Signal Corps
Federal funding of many research programs on fiber optics until 1985, thereby
seeding this industry and making today's multibillion dollar industry that
eliminates copper wire in communications a reality.
Today, at age 87, Sam DiVita still comes to work at the US Army Signal Corps
every day.
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