When Performance Matters, It Has To Be Heraeus
When: January 20th - 22th
Where: Booth #1926 at Moscone Center (San Francisco, California, United States)
Through the decades, Heraeus has earned a reputation for expertise and material performance. With this experience, we can help you achieve the perfect match for your photonic application. Talk to our Heraeus experts on site to discuss your company's needs and the challenges you are facing.
Product Highlights at Photonics West
Fluosil® – High-Performance Fused Silica of Highest Purity
Discover how Heraeus Covantics is redefining fused silica production with our large-format Fluosil® preform. For the first time, manufacturers can process entire fiber batches from a single preform—while ensuring exceptional material quality across the full cross-section.
This breakthrough reduces setup costs, increases throughput, and lowers process expenses, enabling cost-efficient multimode high-performance fibers for medical technology, industrial material processing, and scientific research.
Benefits at a glance:
- Highest transmission from UV to IR
- High Power Damage Threshold
- Reliable High Level of Quality
Hollow-Core Fibers: Unlocking Unlimited Laser Power
We are also introducing next-generation hollow-core fibers for demanding specialty applications. Their microstructured design guides laser light through an air channel instead of glass, eliminating glass fatigue and minimizing nonlinear optical effects.
The result: virtually unlimited peak power handling, unlocking new possibilities for ultrafast laser technologies.
Presentations by our Experts
Enabling precision medicine: Use cases of specialty optical fiber in laser-based therapies
Presenter: Adriana Huerta Viga
17 January 2026 • 2:05 PM - 2:35 PM PST | Room 158
Specialty optical fibers based on Heraeus Covantics’ high-purity quartz materials are enabling safer and more effective laser-based medical procedures. This talk presents three industrial use cases that demonstrate how Heraeus materials support innovation in clinical applications. Phillips Medisize (a Molex company) uses dual-clad fibers for laser lithotripsy, offering flexibility and durability for minimally invasive kidney stone treatment. Fiberware GmbH manufactures Hollow Glass Waveguides (HGWs) from Heraeus F300® tubing, enabling mid-infrared laser delivery for soft tissue cutting and dermatological procedures. Lightguide applies stacked fiber bundle (SFB) technology using carbon-coated, hydrogen-loaded fibers drawn from Heraeus Fluosil® preforms, optimized for deep UV transmission in diagnostics and UV curing. These examples highlight the versatility and reliability of Heraeus Covantics’ specialty fiber materials in advancing precision medicine.
Innovative multi-mode step-index fibers for improved transmission of blue and green laser radiation
Presenter: Andreas Langner
20 January 2026 • 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM PST | Room 103
Multimode step-index fused silica fibers with an undoped silica core and fluorine-doped silica cladding are highly suitable for transmitting high-power laser radiation due to their all-silica design. We developed new preform types for these fibers, which show excellent transmission performance in the 300 to 850 nm wavelength range. These fibers are particularly effective for blue and green laser radiation, used in applications like copper and brass welding. High-power laser radiation, especially pulsed laser radiation, can damage the glass matrix in fibers, causing defects that lead to increased absorption and potential fiber failure. Therefore, it is crucial to develop fiber materials that can withstand high laser powers without degradation. This paper presents the optical transmission properties of these new materials and compares them with standard fibers. Initial tests with high-power nanosecond pulsed laser radiation at 355 nm showed no degradation, demonstrating the outstanding performance of these new fiber materials.
Characterization challenges, and trends in specialty optical fibers
Presenter: Andreas Langner
20 January 2026 • 1:30 PM - 2:00 PM PST | Room 205
The field of specialty optical fibers is extensive and technologically advanced. It includes all fiber types beyond standard single-mode and multimode fibers used in telecommunications. This ranges, for example, from passive transmission fibers with simple or complex claddings made from undoped and fluorine-doped silica, as well as laser-active fibers with complex cladding structures, photonic crystal fibers, and anti-resonant hollow-core fibers. The presentation briefly covers several key manufacturing processes such as plasma outside deposition (POD), which allows high fluorine content in the glass matrix, and inside tube deposition techniques like MCVD and PCVD, along with traditional sleeving techniques. These processes are essential for developing complex fiber designs. Over the years, there has been a trend towards increasingly complex fiber structures, posing major challenges for the metrology and characterization of raw materials, intermediates, and finished products. The presentation provides insights into these challenges and discusses possible solutions.
Investigation of ammonium chloride crystal formation in hollow-core fibers made of chlorine rich quartz glass
Presenter: Andreas Langner
22 January 2026 • 11:50 AM - 12:10 PM PST | Room 104
Recent advancements in anti-resonant hollow-core fibers have significantly advanced the field, achieving lower attenuation than all-solid fused silica fibers. Hollow-core fibers offer higher transmission speed, shorter latency, reduced nonlinear effects, and greater radiation resistance, making them ideal for high-power laser applications, such as ultrashort pulse lasers. Remaining challenges include integration into existing systems and environmental settings. Using F300 quartz glass can lead to undesirable ammonium chloride crystal formation on end faces, causing absorption, scattering, and fiber failure. This contribution investigates crystal growth, focusing on the fiber manufacturing process, handling, and process-influencing factors. A simple capillary fiber model was used for faster testing. Solutions were developed to prevent crystal growth, facilitating the use of F300 quartz glass or providing suitable material alternatives for hollow-core fibers in the specialty fiber sector.
Heraeus Covantics Optics - Together we can make it work!
No matter for which application or for which solution - we will find the best suited optical material for your application.
We offer:
- Excellent scientific & material knowledge
- Proficiency to tailor materials to your needs
- The ability to make the best suited geometry
Your benefit:
A tailored product with excellent performance and optimized cost of ownership!
Suprasil® SmartPlate 150-50
The smart way to plate-like ingot
We are excited to introduce Suprasil® SmartPlate 150 – our latest innovation, crafted through a cutting-edge production method for plate geometries. Made from synthetic fused silica with an ultra-low OH content of just ~150 ppm, this product is perfect for high-demand laser applications at 1064 nm.
Why Choose Suprasil® SmartPlate 150?
- Exceptional Performance: Ideal for precise laser applications such as cutting and welding.
- Versatile Sizes: Provides effective solutions for a wide range of geometries and applications, including large-size mirrors.
- Cost-Effective: High quality at an economical price.
Possible applications:
- Laser Cutting
- Laser Welding
- Large-Size Mirrors
