Optical Fibers for Harsh Environments

There is excitement at Fibercore as we prepare for the forthcoming FOHEC show in Swindon in a few days’ time.  This is the fourth FOHEC show concentrating on innovations, current applications and best practices in harsh environment applications and we are looking forward to sharing our expertise and discussing other innovations with our colleagues in these marketplaces.

Variants of our World-leading HiBi PM fibres have been specifically designed for operating in space for over a decade and can be found in applications from sensing satellites to the Mars Curiosity Rover.  During this time we have discovered what changes are necessary for our standard fibres to ensure that they are able to withstand the extra stresses, such as radiation, that the space environment presents.  Dr Andy Gillooly will be sharing our findings with his audience during his presentation, Radiation Tolerant Fibres for Harsh Environments, on Tuesday 20^th November 2012.

Harsh environments are not only restricted to outer space, as you know, but can be found in many situations back here on Earth.  During the 30 years that Fibercore has devoted to the design and innovations in optical fibre technology, we have investigated the benefits of smaller diameter fibres on life-time and bend insensitivity, and Dr Chris Emslie will be discussing these in his presentation, Low-Profile Optical Fibers in Harsh Environments, later in the same day.

Bend-Induced attenuation is especially important for fibres in sensing technology and our 80µm singlemode optical fibers have been designed to offer the optimum performance, with the advantage of a variety of NAs and MFDs to choose from to suit individual applications. The benefits of these fibres, when compared with standard telecommunication fibers, are considerable and José Maria Alvarez will be discussing these in his presentation, ‘Key Advantages of Bend-Insensitive Specialty Fibres vs Telecoms Fibres for Harsh Environment Applications’, on Wednesday 21 November.

Different environments present different problems, and Fibercore are constantly working on ways to overcome these.  FOHEC offers us the opportunity to discuss our solutions using higher temperature coatings, with polyimide and high-temperature acrylates, and radiation tolerant versions of our fibres, with other experts in the field.  If you are attending the show, come along to our tabletop in the GWR Steam Museum where we will available to discuss these problems and our solutions with you. 

After 30 years in business, there's a Lot More to Fibercore than just Gyro Fibers!

The results of a very recent telephone survey have indicated that many of you only know us for our HB-G Bow-Tie FOG Fibers - and with more than 1,300,000 m of HB800G and HB1500G shipped out of Fibercore House each and every month, the reasons for this impression are very clear indeed. Fibercore's dominant position within the FOG industry certainly confirms both the class-leading performance of our Bow-Tie PM Fiber in any Interferometric sensor (not just gyros) and our unmatched experience in the manufacture of complex Specialty Fiber to tight tolerances and in very high volumes - but we do an awful lot more than just gyro fibers.

A Wider Range of Polyimide Coated Fibers for Harsh Environment Applications
After many years of promise, fiber sensors designed to increase the productivity of oil wells, enhance the efficiency of extraction and even assist the discovery of new reserves are now starting to become accepted by the Industry and are being deployed commercially. Go to our website and you will find an expanded range of SM-P Polyimide Coated Fibers, designed for both 'Down-hole' and other Harsh Environment application. And remember, Fibercore SM-P fibers were originally designed and have evolved over our 30 year history, specifically for sensor application. Not only do they deliver exceptional resistance to bend-induced loss, but the '5.3' and '4.2' variants also offer significant intrinsic photosensitivity, greatly simplifying the inscription of the Fiber Bragg Grating upon which many sensor designs now depend.

Enhanced Efficiency IsoGain™ Erbium Doped Fiber
After the Telecoms crash, many people seem to have dismissed erbium doped fibers as mere commodities, undifferentiated and selected only on the basis of price. But in a high competitive marketplace, even the smallest changes can have a big impact - we have recently made improvements to increase the efficiency of our well-established IsoGain™ I-4 and I-6 fibers and head-to-head evaluations have shown enhanced conversion efficiency for these fibers, reconfirming IsoGain™'s class leading performance. The difference is small, but consistent and meaningful, enabling some users to use less costly pump diodes, or to under-run existing pumps to increase reliability - and confirmed by sales of IsoGain™ into China more than doubling!

Increased Interest in 'RGB' Applications
Whilst volume demand is nowhere near the levels that we see for most sensor fibers, interest in fibers capable of transmitting from the UV through to red, for use in diagnostic probes, continues to grow at a steady pace and R(ed)G(reen)B(lue) fibers will be the subject of a special Product Showcase, delivered by Fibercore's Dr Andy Gillooly at Photonics West in January 2012. The development of these fibers, and the extension of the silica-core technology to PM continues.

So after 30 years of Fibercore, what's new for 2012 - simple:
A wider range of Polyimide-Coated Fibers for Harsh Environments, Enhanced Efficiency IsoGain™ for more reliable and cost-effective EDFAs, SM300/SM400-SC for UV-Green Transmission - and more HB-G Bow-Tie used in more Gyros than ever before!

Dr Chris Emslie
Chief Executive Officer
December 2011

If you would like to know more, visit us at our booth 4926 at the Photonics West 2012 Exhibition in San Francisco during 24-26th January 2012, to discuss your requirements with us, or visit our website at http://www.fibercore.com/