Feature
FROM DISRUPTER TO LEADER Back in the ‘90s, fibre lasers were a disruptive technology of which engineers were just beginning to discover the potential. Fastforward 25 years and they have become totally indispensable.
“ I think there will be an increasing use of fibre laser technology in other fields, such as medicine and also general surgery. There are also strong prospects for fibre lasers in defence and LiDAR [Light Detection and Ranging, a remote sensing method]. The future, I think, will be about bringing the advantages of fibre lasers that have been demonstrated in industry into these and other fields.” Dr Mike Durkin
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Life without fibre lasers would be almost impossible today. They are used in manufacturing consumer electronics, and for cutting and welding in the car industry. They are used in medical procedures such as laser eye surgery. More recently, they are being used in battery manufacturing for electric vehicles. And, not least, they enable the internet. Things were very different when Dr Mike Durkin studied for his Master’s in Physics with Laser Science, followed by his PhD, in the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) at Southampton in the late ‘90s. “Telecommunications was a very hot topic back then,” he said. “It was a really exciting time to be working in telecommunications and fibre-related technology. Southampton and the ORC had already been pivotal in developing the Erbium Doped Fibre Amplifier – an optical amplifier – which allowed the transatlantic propagation of signals in optical fibres without converting them to electric signals in the middle. This, and the optical fibre roll out of telecommunications, was starting to facilitate the internet.
“The challenges were in addressing the amount of data that can go down one fibre, in particular by multiplexing different wavelengths of light. A lot of the research and breakthroughs were related to controlling and filtering and amplifying light to support the development of the internet. My PhD was looking at a small part of that.” When Mike completed his PhD in 1999, Southampton Photonics was in pre-startup mode, looking to commercialise the fibre laser research being developed at the ORC. It was the perfect timing, as Mike joined Southampton Photonics, bringing his expertise on Fibre Bragg Gratings (FBGs) with him. FBGs are components that are written into optical fibres using ultraviolet lasers that allow you to reflect certain wavelengths, or colours of light, in a very specific way. “I was responsible for transferring FBG technology from the University into Southampton Photonics, which later became SPI – Southampton Photonics Incorporated – Lasers,” he said.
