Optical fibre sensors are ubiquitously used nowadays in hazardous and harsh environment and in a variety of industries. For most applications, the deployment of a new set of custom-made optical fibres known as “specialty fibres” - fibres that have their structure and material properties modified – are required in place of standard telecom fibres to meet the increasing sensing and reliability performance imposed by industry.

The objective of this one-day hands-on demonstration course is to provide a better understanding of how specialty optical fibres can enable new products and industrial applications. We will describe how one can change the properties of an optical fibre and demonstrate the added benefits of using specialty fibres for sensing through several real-life application examples and demonstrations on how an optimized; 1) coating material; 2) glass composition and; 3) modified fibre structure can make optical fibres more resistant to harsh conditions, improve their sensing performance and enable them to measure new sensing parameters.

Attendees will also benefit from a course in Photonics Metrology given by National Metrology Institute of Sweden to have an insight on technical quality, certifications and accreditations procedures for a product.