Conference Overview

 

The 24th International Conference on Plastic Optical Fibers was organized by Polymer Optical Fiber – Application Center (POF-AC), Technische Hochschule Nürnberg in cooperation with Bayern Innovativ and ITG Sub Committee 5.4.1 „Polymer Optical Fibers“. The conference was held in Nuremberg on September 22-24, 2015 bringing together 148 participants from 16 countries. There were 57 oral presentations and 29 posters covering sensors and measurements, Datacom and networks, materials and fiber technologies. Traditionally the most papers were submitted by participants from Germany, Spain and Japan (see Fig. 1, 2). The number of scientific organizations and industrial companies presented at the conference was almost equal.

Fig. 1. Papers submitted to the conference
Fig. 2. Participants of the conference

The event was opened by the Conference Chair, Prof. Dr. Olaf Ziemann. During the plenary session Prof. Y. Koike (Keio University, Japan), Prof. O. Ziemann und Dr. G. Brüderl (OSRAM Opto Semiconductors, Deutschland) reported about the advances in 4K/8K ultra-high resolution TV-Signal transmission with graded-index POF, POF-AC development over 15 years und achievements in Green InGaN Laser Technology.

A noticeable trend towards special applications emerged at the conference during the last years. The most contributions were focused on sensor applications. Some of them related to aeronautical engine monitoring (Prof. Zubia, Spain), imaging of the real-time deformation exerted by human footsteps (Prof. Scully, UK), POF biosensors for specific bacteria detection (Prof. Werneck, Brasilien). The second important subject of the conference was an application of POF as a data transmission media. The specialists discussed home an industrial POF-based networks. The advances in multi-gigabit data transmission employing WDM-technology and optical rotary joints based on fluorescent fibers were reported. Moreover, novel cost-effective POF manufacturing processes were shown at the conference (Intellisiv Ltd., ITA Aachen, BAM Berlin). The scientific group of TU Braunschweig made a presentation about optical amplification in POF. The standardization activity related to Gigabit-POF-Interface (IEEE 802.3bv) were reported by Avago, Regensburg und KD-POF, Madrid.

In addition to the main event there were two workshops organized jointly before the conference. The keynotes were connected with POF modelling in non-data transmission context and polymer optical fiber grating sensors in the framework of TRIPOD Marie Curie Initial Training Network (www.tripod-itn.eu).

POF-Award winners in the middle Prof. Zubia (left) und Prof. Koike (right) surrounded by the President of Technische Hochschle Nürnberg, Prof. Braun (left) and the Director of POF-AC, Prof. Poisel (right)