Southampton University's £6.1 million project to develop next-generation fiber optic technology

The Optoelectronics Research Center (ORC) at the University of Southampton has said it will lead a £6.1 million ($7.3 million) project funded by the Engineering and Physics Research Council (EPSRC) to develop next-generation fiber technology.

The AirGuide Photonics project brings together 25 research institutes and industry partners to transform the future of fiber optic networks and, through space exploration, create tremendous potential for a wide range of applications from fast-responding Internet to laser-based manufacturing and bioengineering.

The new program will investigate and explore the performance limits of air-core fiber technology. In addition, the project will develop innovative manufacturing methods and reliable methods for interconnecting new fibers with other more conventional fiber types and other optical components such as lasers.

To maximize the results of this research, the program will also develop and demonstrate custom application-specific fiber based on project partner specific interests, and will work with partners to demonstrate the practical use of the technology to demonstrate its unique and beneficial characteristic.