Polyimide Coated High Germania Specialty Singlemode Optical Fibers

 Intrinsically Photosensitive for Grating Fabrication Beyond the 'Telecoms Revolution', Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBGs) are a key enabling technology for distributed strain and temperature sensors. These sensor systems are typically used for structural health monitoring of building, bridges, wind turbine blades, sub-sea umbilical cords, downhole applications and unstable hillsides. These high germania singlemode fibers give a significantly higher photosensitivity than standard singlemode fibers without the high attenuation of a boron-germania co-doped fiber, allowing long arrays to be written with or without hydrogen loading. The introduction of polyimide-coated versions of these fibers provide the added benefit of fibers able to withstand short-term temperatures as high as 400°C (or 300°C continuous), enabling their use in oil and gas exploration and other industries working in similarly highly challenging environments