Development and Drawing of Multifunctional, Multimaterial Fiber Devices

ISN research in optoelectronic fiber devices provides the foundation for Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA). A related transition is the Defense Fabric Discovery Center (DFDC) — founded as a collaboration between AFFOA, MIT Lincoln Lab, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and DEVCOM SC — which features equipment and personnel devoted to the advancement of fiber and fabric technology for defense applications.
A small sample of spent preforms from which thermally drawn optoelectronic fiber devices have been made.

Samples of materials that have been made into fibers. The initial material is made into a 'preform,' in the lower portion, which is then heated and drawn out like taffy into a fiber from the top, preserving the arrangement of materials within the structure. (Photo: Greg Hren)

Unique ISN research pioneered by MIT Prof. Yoel Fink on thermally drawn Optoelectronic Fiber Devices — functional fibers that start as macroscale preforms containing all the ingredients of modern electronics (insulators, metals, semiconductors, and the like) that are then thermally drawn into microscale fibers with internal features and components that are on the nanoscale — provides the foundation for Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA). This multimillion dollar DOD-sponsored Manufacturing USA Institute has been formed to strengthen and modernize the US as a global hub for the development and manufacturing of advanced fiber-based items.

AFFOA was jointly founded with input and contributions from the US Department of Defense, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and MIT, and counts more than 140 member organizations from across academia, industry, and the non-profit sector.

A related transition is the Defense Fabric Discovery Center (DFDC) — founded as a collaboration between AFFOA, MIT Lincoln Lab, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and US Army DEVCOM SC — which features equipment and personnel devoted to the advancement of fiber and fabric technology for defense applications.