The Fibres and Communications department of the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) carries out research on novel fibres, fibre devices, and system concepts, as required for next generation telecommunication systems. It also investigates new applications of the technology in areas beyond telecommunications, including amongst others high power lasers, industrial materials processing, aerospace, biology, sensing, nonlinear optics and fundamental physics.
The department benefits from the exceptional fibre fabrication facilities of the ORC and a suite of fully equipped characterisation and applications labs. Our extensive cleanroom facilities include a 12-metre tall drawing tower, where our specialty fibres are fabricated. A variety of pulsed and continuous-wave lasers covering different parts of the near- and mid-infrared spectrum equip our laser labs. Our optical communication laboratories include equipment for the flexible generation and detection of signals, and their onward transmission.
We are active in research on hollow-core optical fibres and have demonstrated the lowest loss fibres of this type, guiding light over a wide range of wavelengths. We demonstrate the use of these fibres, not only in communications, but also in guidance and navigation systems, gas sensors and for the delivery of large amounts of optical power over km-long distances. We also have interests in other fibre types, such as multi-core fibres; we develop special components that are suited to this technology and expand its potential field of use.
We demonstrate communication systems that exploit a much wider part of the spectrum than was previously possible and develop techniques for optically manipulating communication signals, either within optical fibres or (nonlinear) optical waveguides. We are interested in manipulating the modal properties of waveguides and use them to control the guidance of optical waves. We develop fibre- based mid-infrared sources and use them for applications in biomedical imaging and laser surgery.
Our research has received funding from the UK Research Councils, the European Union, charities, such as the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering and the industry. We currently either lead or are integral parts of important national initiatives relating to research on future communication technologies and systems, as well as healthcare. Within these initiatives, we work closely with a wide range of partners, both from the academia and the industry. Our researchers have formed companies that spin off the technologies we develop here, with the most recent example being that of Lumenisity, the company that has brought the hollow-core fibre technology to the communications market.