Fibres & Components

Specialty Optical Fibres and Components

As a technology platform, Photonics Bretagne develops high-quality specialty optical fibres and components, either from its catalogue or custom-made (specific orders or R&D projects) for cutting-edge applications. The entire value chain is mastered in-house, the legacy of 20 years’ work in this field.

Design

Modelling, sizing studies, prediction of curvature sensitivity.

Manufacturing

Development of preform recipes, fibre drawing and functionalisation operations.

Characterisation

Measurement of geometry and of the optical and mechanical parameters.

Services

Our technical services range from preliminary feasibility studies to production and optical characterisation in the laboratory.

Our Perfos® Product Range

We have designed and manufactured a whole range of products marketed under our Perfos® brand with the ambition of competing with the world’s best R&D centres in the fibre optics sector. We offer microstructured solid-core or hollow-core fibres (supercontinuum, endlessly single-mode, anti-resonant, etc.), active fibres (bismuth, erbium, VLMA, ytterbium), multicore fibres, cable, metal coated fibres, components (draw tower Bragg gratings, boron stress rods, capillaries, tapers, etc.).

R&D Projects

For many years, we have been involved in a range of collaborative projects. They range from the very local to the European level; we have initiated some or were in charge of the technical and financial set-up. We partner with laboratories and companies of all sizes, so our projects cover a wide range of applications. Thanks to all these collaborations, we deepen our expertise in the design of special fibres and in the fine characterisation of their optical properties.

High-Tech Equipments

Our experienced team and latest-generation equipment have enabled us to position ourselves as a world benchmark in the field of specialty optical fibres. Photonics Bretagne also acts as a link between fundamental research and industry, with a view to facilitating technology transfer.

Design Studies

  • High-performance computing station for accurate modelling.

Fibre and Preform Fabrication

  • MCVD lathe with rare earth vapor phase deposition system,
  • Glass-working lathe,
  • Two 12-metre-tall drawing towers,
  • Capillary and rod drawing bench,
  • Acrylate, polyimide, metal and carbon coating capability while drawing.

Component Fabrication

  • Bragg Gratings photo-inscription setup (UV laser) during fibre drawing,
  • 8-metre-tall stretching draw tower for rods and capillaries,
  • Glass processing by filament fusion, plasma advanced control or CO2 laser splicers.
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Characterisation

  • Preform analyser (RIP-PK),
  • Interferometric fibre analyser (IFA),
  • Scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectrometer (MEB-EDS)
  • Optical fibre rewinder with proof-testing capabilities,
  • Tensile test machine (Weibull test),
  • Spectral attenuation measuring system (Bentham, OTDR, custom in-house setups),
  • Optical Backscatter Reflectometer (OFDR-OBR),
  • Dispersion measuring system (400-2400 nm),
  • Supercontinuum sources,
  • Spectrometers (UV-Visible-IR and Raman),
  • Laser test benches.

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Photonics Bretagne

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Fibres & Components

Biophotonics

Optical Fibres

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