Posts made in January 2018

January 12, 2018 – IRflex will begin a new Phase II contract with the Air Force on 15 January 2018: Robust Mid-IR Optical Fibers for Extreme Environments. We will develop robust optical fibers capable of low-loss light transport in the 2-5 micron spectral region in high-stress, high-vibration environments. The great progress and accomplishments demonstrated in the early prototyping Phase I effort are very exciting.  Phase II effort will continue the development of innovative materials science processes to produce ultra high purity materials and robust mid-infrared optical fibers for extreme environments.  At the end of Phase II, we will demonstrate production of long lengths mid-IR fiber for transport of high power (>100 W) laser output in the 2-5 um region with low loss <0.1dB/m.  Integration with active laser systems in a monolithic fashion will be developed.  Survivability of fibers under representative stress (such as applicable Mil-Specs) will be demonstrated.

The proposed robust mid-infrared optical fiber for extreme environments is targeted primarily for military applications and supports directly the advancement of IRCM systems and remote sensing of targets and threats.  IRflex will be in a unique position to develop and commercialize this innovative mid-infrared fiber for military (IRCM), chemical sensing (molecular spectroscopy), biomedical (laser surgery), and research and development applications.