Photonics & Space

Sensing

Exail leverages years of development for the Fiber-Optic Gyroscope (FOG) technology, now a standard of the inertial sensing market. The technology relies on optical components that have proven their reliability in the most demanding environments. They are now available for the development of other types of sensors. Exail is also a world pioneer in quantum sensing, with its state-of-the-art quantum gravimeters.

A wide range of solutions for optical sensing applications

Exail is an expert in the design and manufacturing of state-of-the-art optical components. A solution exists for each of the many sensing applications based on photonics.

For any photonics-based sensor, Exail can deliver doped fiber, Fiber Bragg Gratings, DFBs and phase/intensity modulators for the design of the sensor light source. It can deliver fibers sensible to polarization and passive fibers as a transport medium to deport a measurement from harsh environments. Finally, Exail micro-optical benches are well suited for detection as soon as coherent detection is used.

Picture of the AQG in front of the craters prior to its installation in the Pizzi Deneri observatory (© iXblue)

Absolute Quantum Gravimeter (AQG)

Turn-key transportable quantum gravity sensor relying on cold-atom manipulation, for geoscience, geophysics and civil engineering.

Custom integrated micro-optical benches (iMOB) for LiDAR

Custom integrated micro-optical benches (iMOB) represent a ground-breaking approach to design, develop and integrate optical setups with industry-grade optical building blocks.

Er/Yb doped fibers for LiDAR

Exail erbium/ytterbium (Er/Yb) doped optical fibers address specific requirements for the assembly of high-power fiber amplifiers and lasers for lidar applications.

Phase lithium niobate (LiNbO3) electro optic modulator for LiDAR

Exail offers the most comprehensive range of commercial lithium niobate (LiNbO3) phase modulators

Intensity lithium niobate (LiNbO3) electro optic modulator for LiDAR

Exail offers the most comprehensive range of commercial lithium niobate (LiNbO3) intensity modulators

PM fiber for Fiber-Optic Current Sensor (FOCS)

Advanced performances polarization maintaining fibers specially designed for FOCS.

Spun fibers for FOCS

By spinning the preform during the fiber drawing, it is possible to preserve circular polarization on polarization maintaining optical fibers that are originally highly birefringent.

Polarizing fibers for FOCS

Polarizing (PZ) fiber is designed so that only one state of polarization is guided along the fiber.

Phase lithium niobate (LiNbO3) electro optic modulator for FOCS

Exail offers the most comprehensive range of commercial lithium niobate (LiNbO3) phase modulators

Intensity lithium niobate (LiNbO3) electro optic modulator for FOCS

Exail offers the most comprehensive range of commercial lithium niobate (LiNbO3) intensity modulators

PM gyro fibers

Polarization maintaining (PM) fibers that are specifically designed for integration into fiber-optic gyroscopes on or above the Earth.

PM Coils

Coils based on custom specifications, robust and adapted to space environment. Robustness was proven within Exail Astrix fiber optic gyroscope, which has been deployed in space radiative environment for more than 20 years.

Polarizing Fibers

Polarizing (PZ) fiber is designed so that only one state of polarization is guided along the fiber.

FBG sideband filter for Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS)

Exail narrow bandwidth transmission filter IXC-FBG-PS can be used as a narrow band transmission filter in sensing applications.

Radiation sensing fibers for DAS

Distributed dosimetry literally replaces potentially tens or hundreds of point detectors by a single radiation sensing optical fiber running through your facility.

Polarization switches & scramblers for DAS

High speed electro-optic polarization scramblers and polarization switches.

90 optical hybrids (COH) and custom micro-optical benches (iMOB) for DAS

Micro-optical benches (iMOB) such as 90 optical hybrids (COH 90°) represent a ground-breaking approach to design, develop and integrate optical setups with industry-grade optical building blocks.

Phase lithium niobate (LiNbO3) electro optic modulator for DAS

Exail offers the most comprehensive range of commercial lithium niobate (LiNbO3) phase modulators

Intensity lithium niobate (LiNbO3) electro optic modulator for DAS

Exail offers the most comprehensive range of commercial lithium niobate (LiNbO3) intensity modulators

Driver for DAS

Amplifier modules designed to drive lithium niobate (LiNbO3) optical modulators for pulse, analog or digital applications.

Continuously tunable modulator bias controller (MBC) for DAS

Automatic bias controllers specially designed to lock the operating point of lithium niobate (LiNbO3) Mach-Zehnder modulators and to ensure a stable operation over time and environmental conditions.

Phase lithium niobate (LiNbO3) electro optic modulator for Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS)

Exail offers the most comprehensive range of commercial lithium niobate (LiNbO3) phase modulators

Intensity lithium niobate (LiNbO3) electro optic modulator for DTS

Exail offers the most comprehensive range of commercial lithium niobate (LiNbO3) intensity modulators

Driver for DTS

Amplifier modules designed to drive lithium niobate (LiNbO3) optical modulators for pulse, analog or digital applications.

Continuously tunable modulator bias controller (MBC) for DTS

Automatic bias controllers specially designed to lock the operating point of lithium niobate (LiNbO3) Mach-Zehnder modulators and to ensure a stable operation over time and environmental conditions.

Custom micro-optical benches (iMOB) for DTS

Micro-optical benches (iMOB) such as 90 optical hybrids (COH 90°) represent a ground-breaking approach to design, develop and integrate optical setups with industry-grade optical building blocks.

Polarization switches & scramblers for DTS

High speed electro-optic polarization scramblers and polarization switches.

FBG sideband filter for DTS

Exail narrow bandwidth transmission filter IXC-FBG-PS can be used as a narrow band transmission filter in sensing applications.

Rad-hard fibers for DTS

Fibers with specific coating, for highly radiative environment. They can be used for data transmission, sensing or experiment monitoring.

Er/Yb doped fibers for LiDAR

Exail erbium/ytterbium (Er/Yb) doped optical fibers address specific requirements for the assembly of high-power fiber amplifiers and lasers for lidar applications.

Custom integrated micro-optical benches (iMOB) for LiDAR

Custom integrated micro-optical benches (iMOB) represent a ground-breaking approach to design, develop and integrate optical setups with industry-grade optical building blocks.

Phase lithium niobate (LiNbO3) electro optic modulator for LiDAR

Exail offers the most comprehensive range of commercial lithium niobate (LiNbO3) phase modulators.

Intensity lithium niobate (LiNbO3) electro optic modulator for LiDAR

Exail offers the most comprehensive range of commercial lithium niobate (LiNbO3) intensity modulators.

Phase lithium niobate (LiNbO3) electro optic modulator for laser trackers

Exail offers the most comprehensive range of commercial lithium niobate (LiNbO3) phase modulators

Intensity lithium niobate (LiNbO3) electro optic modulator for laser trackers

Exail offers the most comprehensive range of commercial lithium niobate (LiNbO3) intensity modulators

Custom integrated micro-optical benches (iMOB) for laser trackers

Custom integrated micro-optical benches (iMOB) represent a ground-breaking approach to design, develop and integrate optical setups with industry-grade optical building blocks.

Rad-hard fibers for harsh environments

Fibers for highly radiative environment

Radiation sensing fibers for dosimetry

Distributed dosimetry literally replaces potentially tens or hundreds of point detectors by a single radiation sensing optical fiber running through your facility.

Polyimide fibers

Fibers for nuclear environment and high energy physics

Aluminum coated fibers

Fibers for extreme temperature and radiation resistance

Quantum gravimeter

Exail Absolute Quantum Gravimeter (AQG) is an industry-grade quantum gravimeters currently operated worldwide by non-specialists, including the top of Mount Etna. Its accuracy relies on cold-atom manipulation thanks to the dedicated Intelligent Laser System (ILS). It is a concentration of Exail expertise in term of optical components and sub-components as it includes: low-noise electronic, integrated micro-optical benches (iMOB), doped fiber, modulators and PPLN.

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Gyro application

Exail manufactures in-house the sub-components integrated into its inertial navigation systems. The optical fibers dedicated to this application are now available for customers:

Lidar

Exail can deliver a wide range of optical components for the design of high-power laser sources (in pulsed regime) for lidar applications: windmills for wind speed measurements, autonomous vehicles for the mapping of their environment, and even lidars in space.

Lithium niobate (LiNbO₃) phase and intensity modulators and the latest generation of Er/Yb doped fibers are particularly optimized to enable higher efficiency with lidar laser sources. On the detection side, Exail customized micro-optical benches can be useful whether the lidar systems rely on “time-of-flight” measurement with scan capability (distance measurement) or is dedicated to measure wind speed.

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Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS)

DTS sensors are distributed sensors of temperature and strain in fiber cables installed along civil engineering structures and pipelines. Exail offers lithium niobate (LiNbO₃) electro-optic modulators and matching components (driver/modulation bias controller), but also polarization scrambler, FBG sideband filter and sensing fiber that can be integrated in a sensor for DTS. The micro-optical bench (i.e COH 90° or “90 optical hybrids”) is a solution as soon as coherent detection is used.

Exail optical components are particularly adapted to generate high contrast pulses for DTS using the Brillouin Optical Time Domain Analysis (BOTDA) technique.

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Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS)

Exail can deliver a wide range of optical components to develop fiber-optic sensors for structural health monitoring. By using the DAS technique, those sensors can be directly embedded into structures, to assess bridges’ health or to detect leakages in pipelines, for example.

Exail solutions for this application are lithium niobate (phase and intensity) electro-optic modulators and matching components (driver/modulation bias controller), but also polarization scrambler, FBG sideband filter, sensing fiber, and micro-optical benches (i.e COH 90° or “90 optical hybrids”) to minimize required photonics functionnalities.

Laser trackers

Laser trackers that fit in a single flight case offer precision shaping manufacturing capabilities. They can probe, scan and automatically inspect light objects in their surroundings.

Exail optical solutions, in particular lithium niobate (LiNbO₃) phase and intensity modulators and micro-optical benches, enable the development of accurate and high-speed laser trackers able to measure moving targets, for a wide variety of applications in aerospace, automotive and manufacturing.

Sensing in harsh environments

Exail offers specialty optical fibers with virtually unlimited design possibilities and optimization in terms of geometry, doping material, and coating. They can be used for sensing applications in harsh environments, meaning extreme temperature and/or radiation level.

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Dosimetry

Exail radiation sensing fibers are designed for radiation sensitive areas, such as high energy physics, nuclear power plants, space, medical labs. Radiation mapping through point or distributed measurement technology is possible. Distributed dosimetry literally replaces potentially tens or hundreds of point detectors by a single optical fiber cable running through your facility.

Exail has worked with leaders in the field (Hubert Curien Lab, CNES, CERN) to develop a fully integrated dosimeter. The prototype LUMINA is being tested on-board the International Space Station (ISS).

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Current sensing

Exail can help you build a robust and long-term reliable Fiber-Optic Current Sensor (FOCS) with a wide range of PM, polarizing and spun fibers, as well as phase and intensity modulators.

Measuring direct current with a FOCS rely on the magneto-optic Faraday effect: two circular polarizations are launched through the coil of a sensing fiber wound around the current conductor; the phase shift between these two polarizations is directly proportional to the DC current to measure.

See a schematic layout of optical current sensor (FOCS)

Why choose us?

Custom solutions

Exail, as a recognized manufacturer, can accommodate various customization requirements, in close collaboration with them. Exail optical components have already proven their relevance for very specific and demanding applications, including inertial fusion facilities, space and quantum technologies.

Robust in-house manufacturing capabilities

Exail high-end specialty fibers and components are produced in environmentally controlled production areas to ensure high proof strength, tight tolerances and a high-quality level. Manufacturing of lithium niobate optical modulators for fiber optic systems is carried out in an ISO 6 cleanroom facility featuring microelectronics technologies, employing advanced integration, packaging and test processes for optoelectronic components.

A ground-breaking approach to design setups with micro-optics

Exail expertise in the manufacturing of integrated micro-optics benches lies in the ultra-accurate assembly of optical elements on glass breadboards, using 6D positioning. Thanks to its know-how in assembly epoxies, it can provide stable and robust devices, built to be used in extreme environments.

Leveraging strong partnership with the best academic laboratories

Exail nurtures fruitful collaborations with leading research labs, which respond to both the needs of ambitious research and long-term industrial challenges. The LabH6 joint laboratory with Hubert Curien Laboratory (Jean Monnet Univ. St-Etienne / CNRS / IOGS) to develop optical fibers and optical fiber-based sensors for harsh environments. The iXAtom joint laboratory with Laboratoire Photonique Numérique et Nanosciences – LP2N lab (CNRS / Institut d’Optique Graduate School / Université de Bordeaux) to develop quantum technologies for high end Inertial Sensors.