Abstract
(Englisch)
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The European market for fibre optic sensors has changed significantly since the last commercial market study in 1998. We have examined this evolution in terms of both sensor technological changes and market driven changes of the types of sensors and fields of applications.
The basic conclusions of 1998 remain largely valid. The commercial introduction of fibre optic sensors in new markets is largely dictated by technological evolution. There is a lack of end-user awareness of what is commercially available or could be developed to answer unfulfilled market requirements.
New end-user markets for fibre optic sensors have now become commercially significant, specially for distributed sensors embedded in large structures (buildings, dams, civil engineering structures). They are mainly based on Bragg grating technology.
Biochemical fibre optic sensors, which have the potential of being minimally invasive and of requiring minute quantities of reactants, have also experienced significant developments. In the medical field, the type of applications for fibre sensors has shifted significantly since 1998.
The telecommunication industry continues to deeply influence the development of fibre optic sensor markets, but by now the influence works both ways. Components originally developed for fibre sensor needs, such as polarization controllers, are now successfully used to adjust telecom fibre transmission parameters which need to be controlled in high speed (10 and 40 GHz) optical networks. Consequently, some fiber optic sensor firms have largely moved over to the telecom field (a good example being the managing partner of FOSEN, Protodel International Ltd.!).
The improved manufacturing techniques already developed, but mainly still under development, for telecom optical and fibre components, are likely to infiltrate the optical fiber sensor markets, as they offer the potential advantage of lower production costs. Since the extra price associated with fibre optic sensors has been a major barrier to the development of this industrial activity, these manufacturing techniques will improve the market potential of fibre optic sensors, so that some can realistically be considered for mass production after 2005.
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