optical fibres Archives

Advancing connector technologies for multicore optical fibres

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Optical fibres play indispensable roles in modern communication technologies, as well as in remote sensing and power transmission. With the expansion of the domain of application of optical fibre communication to subscriber and customer premises, the focus of new optical fibre-based technologies has been shifting from performance improvement to miniaturisation and cost reduction. Optical connectors are crucial components of optical […]

How did the data propagate? Automated Optical Path Monitoring

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With the development of 5G, our world might seem more wireless than ever. However, lurking behind this and facilitating all high-speed data transfer are kilometres and kilometres of optical fibres. The backbone network for all communication, wireless or otherwise, is this sprawling network of fibres. For reliable communications and internet access, the world’s expanse of fibre optic cables must work […]

Monitoring photonic crystal fibre fabrication in real-time

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Photonic crystal fibres (PCFs) were first explored in the 1990s, and as conventional optical fibres have revealed their limits, interest in PCFs has only increased further. PCFs use a specific pattern of air-holes which stretch the length of the fibre to guide light. These delicate microstructures are functionally essential, but currently there is no way to monitor their production in […]

‘Mosquito method’ avoids crossed wires in optical circuitry

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Electric circuitry – energy-wasting and prone to interference – is overdue an overhaul. In several industries optical fibres allow faster data transfers, and ‘fibre’ is becoming synonymous with ‘faster internet’. As technologies like cloud storage drive a desire for ever-increasing data transfer speeds, optical fibres are expected to make their way inside computers. This requires a new set of manufacturing […]