Around the World in 80 Milliseconds

Internet traffic just keeps on growing, but it is slowly becoming overwhelmed by the enormous volume of data. DSL technology is already approaching its limits because the electrical signals in the copper wires are jamming each other. The solution is to have fiber optic cables, which are the technology of the future because they are faster. Their manufacture depends on important raw materials, chlorosilanes—or, better yet, SIRIDION® from Evonik.

Pic:Broadband Internet has already moved into many rural areas, too, thanks to radio towers, which are themselves connected in turn by fiber optic cables.

The Internet is enabling new, exciting, and useful applications, such as videoconferencing, live streaming, and online games—at a furious pace. The result is skyrocketing global data traffic. For this reason, many countries see an opportunity for economic growth in the expansion of broadband Internet. A wide choice of technologies such as satellite links, wireless networks, and DSL are available to realize this goal. Which is the best solution? "Fiber optic connector technologies are the ultimate in broadband technologies if the highest bandwidths are to satisfy stringent quality requirements," says a strategy paper of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. But the capital costs for providing a nationwide fiber optic infrastructure are high.

More than just a chemical

There are only about three dozen producers of fiber optic cables in the world—and almost all of them shop at Evonik. The Group is a global leader in the production of chlorosilanes, the most important raw material for manufacturing optical fibers. Evonik markets the chlorosilane silicon tetrachloride (STC) under the name SIRIDION® throughout the world. The clear, colorless liquid is produced from silicon and hydrogen chloride. The advantage here is that silicon is available in virtually unlimited quantities, unlike the copper that is required for DSL.

Visually indistinguishable from water, SIRIDION STC® has a remarkable attribute: Its purity exceeds 99.9999 percent, which is key for the quality and performance of optical fibers. Even the minutest amounts of impurities adversely affect the photoconductivity of the fibers and therefore the distance that light can travel within the fiber.

"SIRIDION® is more than just a chemical product," says Sebastian Wandel, a marketing assistant at Advanced Silanes. "Training our customers is an integral part of our services.”"Even the slightest exposure to air lead to severe rusting in transport containers and production plants. For this reason, only trained employees are allowed to arrange and dispatch transport. "And we're always working on new and improved types of SIRIDION. that optimize our customers' products," adds Wandel.