OFS-21, 17th-18th May 2011, Ottawa Convention Centre

The OFS-21 Conference, combined with Photonics North, brought a good number of delegates to the Fibercore booth with a particularly strong turn out from Europe.

A wide range of technologies were discussed in the Technical Forums from Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensing techniques using photosensitive fibers such as our PS-range of fiber and our high germania fibers, scattering sensing methods, utilizing Rayleigh, Brillouin and Raman scattering, and polarization sensing techniques using both PM and SM fibers.

The rate of adoption of fiber optic sensors in industry has taken a slow but steady rise with a notable recent acceleration in the acceptance of such techniques for commercial use. As safety becomes a greater issue, companies become liable for any environmental damage and resources become more difficult and costly to extract, these sensor systems start to be viewed as a necessary requirement rather than just academic interest.

Acoustic, vibration, pressure and temperature sensors were all aimed at large industries, particularly the oil and gas, wind energy and security industries.

With OFS-22 based in Beijing, China, between 14th-19th October 2012, it will be exciting to see how some of these technologies have matured and we will hopefully get a strong turn out from the Asian market.

Fibercore to Showcase Specialty Singlemode Fibers for Sensor Manufacturers and Biomedical Applications at OFS-21

OFS-21 Conference, Booth: 39, 17^th – 18^th May 2011, Ottawa Convention Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Fibercore, a UK based global market leader in the design and manufacture of specialty optical fibers will showcase its range of singlemode fibers for sensor manufacturers and biomedical applications at OFS-21, which takes place on 17^th and 18^th May 2011, at the Ottawa Convention Centre in Ontario, Canada.

Visitors to booth 39 will learn how Fibercore’s high strength, high Germania, bend-insensitive singlemode fiber and their PS range of photosensitive products are ideally suited for distributed sensing applications including hydrophones and structural health monitoring, as well as ‘downhole’ sensors for oil wells. Also on show will be the company’s erbium-doped fibers, IsoGain™ and MetroGain™, which can be used in the sensors' ASE (Amplified Spontaneous Emission) light sources.

For delegates focused on biomedical applications the booth will feature Fibercore’s new all-silica SM-SC singlemode fibers. For use at shorter near-UV wavelengths these fibers deliver minimal photodarkening and provide a compelling alternative to conventional germanosilicate cored fibers. Meanwhile, specialists in confocal microscopy and optical coherence tomography will be interested in the benefits of the company’s high-performance 125µm HiBi fibers and HB-Z polarizing fiber.

Managing Director of Fibercore, Dr Chris Emslie comments: “OFS is a very natural venue for Fibercore to showcase its products. Fibercore’s Bow-Tie PM fiber, was originally conceived as a sensor fiber and now lies at the heart of most of the Fiber Optic Gyroscopes manufactured in the World today – more than 65,000,000 metres at last count. The innovations in Zing™ single-polarisation fiber, HB-C fused-coupler fiber and our IsoGain™ ASE fibers simply extend and support both FOG and other interferometric fiber sensor technologies. Add-in high-strength, truly bend-insensitive fibers for the growing fields of down-hole and acoustic sensing and OFS 2011 is shaping-up to be a very exciting place to be.”

OFS-21 is celebrating its 21^st International conference since its inception in 1983. The event embraces all research into guided wave optics for instrumentation, sensing and imaging, and its applications in physical, chemical and biological measurement. As a world-renowned and unique technical forum, the conference’s scope extends from relevant theory and fundamental science to the engineering realisation and commercial aspect.

OFS-21 takes place on 17^th and 18^th May at the Ottawa Convention Centre. For more information about the event visit: http://ofs21.org/.