PHOTONICS CHINA EXPO 2023

PHOTONICS CHINA EXPO 2023

The 14th PCE will be held in Beijing on 26-28 July, 2023. This year’s annual event will focus on 6 themes: Infrared Technology and Application, Laser and Intelligent Manufacturing, Optical Communication & Sensor & IOT, Optical Precision Machining, Optical Measuring & Controlling, R&D Innovation. As a domestic leading enterprise in special optical fibers, Yangtze Optical Electronic Co., Ltd. (referred to as YOEC, stock code: 688143) presented a brilliant display at booth T05-1, featuring a series of products and solutions, including optical fiber sensors, optical fiber lasers, new materials, high-end equipment, and special optical cables, attracting widespread attention.

At this Optoelectronics Expo, YOEC showcased a series of products related to fiber optic gyroscope, with a focus on skeleton-less fiber optic coils designed for gyroscopes. These products include diameters of 25mm, 50mm, 75mm, 98mm, and 120mm. They also presented a special exhibit of a 500mm super-large diameter fiber optic coil. The exhibition featured modules of fiber optic coils for gyroscopes and fiber optic gyroscopes devices. In addition, the company displayed a series of domestically produced panda-type polarization-maintaining optical fibers for fiber optic gyroscopes, as well as products for fiber optic lasers, such as fluorine-doped fibers, active and passive matching fibers for lasers, square-core optical fibers, photonic crystal fibers, and multicore fibers. These innovative products garnered significant interest from the attending professionals and visitors in the fiber optic gyroscope field.

At the 2023 China (Beijing) High-Precision Fiber Optic Sensing Technology and Application Conference held concurrently with the Optoelectronics Expo, Dr. Lian Zhenggang, the Technical Director of YOEC, delivered a presentation titled 'Development of Fine Special Optical Fibers for Optoelectronic Sensing Technology.' In the presentation, Dr. Lian Zhenggang comprehensively showcased the relevant achievements of YOEC in the field of fine polarization-maintaining optical fiber research and development in recent years.

YOEC's polarization-maintaining optical fiber, as a crucial component for transmitting polarized light, finds extensive applications in various sectors of the national economy, including aerospace, aviation, navigation, industrial manufacturing, and communication. Despite being previously included in Western developed countries' embargo lists against China, through long-term efforts, some domestic fiber optic manufacturing companies have successfully mastered the production process of polarization-maintaining optical fiber, achieving localization and replacing imported products.

In pursuit of continuous innovation, YOEC has introduced new products in the field of fine polarization-maintaining optical fiber. Compared to traditional polarization-maintaining optical fibers, the main feature of fine polarization-maintaining optical fibers lies in the reduced fiber diameter. Initially at 80/165 (cladding diameter/coating diameter in micrometers), it has been reduced to 80/135, 60/100, and the latest 40/80. Notably, the ultra-fine 60/100 polarization-maintaining optical fiber introduced by the company in 2017 has now entered the mass production stage. During the specialized presentation, YOEC showcased the new generation of high-performance, highly reliable, domestically produced 60/100 ultra-fine polarization-maintaining optical fiber. The fiber coils produced with this fiber demonstrate advantages such as high signal-to-noise ratio, minimal signal degradation due to adhesion, low signal fluctuation, high peak-to-peak stability, and the use of 100% domestically sourced raw materials. These features cater to the growing demands of today's high-precision and miniaturized fiber optic gyroscopes.

At the same time, YOEC has also launched the 40/80 extremely fine polarization-maintaining optical fiber that meets all technical requirements. Compared to the 60/100 ultra-fine polarization-maintaining optical fiber, the 40/80 extremely fine polarization-maintaining optical fiber offers an increase of over 50% in fiber coil length under the same fiber coil size. Additionally, the F50 coil (950m long) produced with this fiber achieves a minimum extinction ratio of 12dB over the full temperature range. This new product provides a fresh solution for high-precision, miniaturized, and cost-effective fiber optic gyroscopes, bringing forth greater possibilities for the industry.

In addition to the traditional fine polarization-maintaining optical fiber, the company has also introduced fine polarization-maintaining photonic crystal fibers. These fibers can achieve stronger birefringence, smaller pitch, and reduced coupling between different polarization states caused by bending.

During the presentation, Dr. Lian Zhenggang also showcased the company's latest achievements in the field of hollow-core polarization-maintaining optical fibers. YOEC successfully developed a 19-cell hollow-core polarization-maintaining photonic bandgap fiber with a loss of only 8dB/km at 1550nm wavelength and a pitch length of less than 12mm. This breakthrough achievement fundamentally addresses the environmental adaptability issues faced by traditional solid-core polarization-maintaining optical fibers in fiber optic gyroscopes, including temperature, magnetic fields, and radiation. It breaks through foreign technological barriers and holds significant importance and significance in promoting the field.

Since its establishment, YOEC has been actively exploring and innovating, rapidly rising in the field of special optical fibers. From "chasing" and "keeping up" to "leading," the company continuously provides new solutions for China's special optical fiber and sensing fields, leading the country's international status in the area of special optical fiber sensing technology. Looking towards the future, YOEC will continue to pursue innovation and excellence, contributing more brilliance to the bright future of the optoelectronic industry!