Optoelectronics Research Centre to sell advanced optical fiber commercially
The Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) at the University of Southampton (Southampton, England) is making its next-generation optical fiber available for purchase by systems engineers and researchers. These optical fibers have not been commercially available, and include rare-earth-doped fibers with ultra-high dopant concentrations, large mode area fibers, high bend radius fibers, multi-trench fibers, and novel compositions with extreme aluminium or germanium concentrations. Applications include high-power lasers and laser delivery, high bandwidth communications, and visible and infrared sensing.
“At the moment the only way to get fiber from the ORC is as part of a full commercial or academic collaboration,” said Prof. Sir David Payne, Director of the ORC. “We wanted to enable any organization to get hold of small quantities of a fiber that the ORC has already made or can easily make. As the ORC can now routinely make fiber that far exceeds the capability of fiber commercially available, this service gives external organizations access to usable samples of those fibers quickly and easily.”
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As part of the new service, the ORC will hold a small range of research-grade fibers in stock for immediate delivery with the range continually adjusted over time to include cutting-edge fibers not commercially available. These fibers will be supplied for engineering development and research only. Once an application requires volume supply and the market demand is established, the ORC will work with commercial fiber manufacturers to transfer the fiber to production.
Source: Optoelectronics Research Centre
Conard Holton
Conard Holton has 25 years of science and technology editing and writing experience. He was formerly a staff member and consultant for government agencies such as the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the International Atomic Energy Agency, and engineering companies such as Bechtel. He joined Laser Focus World in 1997 as senior editor, becoming editor in chief of WDM Solutions, which he founded in 1999. In 2003 he joined Vision Systems Design as editor in chief, while continuing as contributing editor at Laser Focus World. Conard became editor in chief of Laser Focus World in August 2011, a role in which he served through August 2018. He then served as Editor at Large for Laser Focus World and Co-Chair of the Lasers & Photonics Marketplace Seminar from August 2018 through January 2022. He received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, with additional studies at the Colorado School of Mines and Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.