Lightera Showcases Industry Leadership at SPIE Photonics West 2026

Lightera, a leading innovator and manufacturer of advanced fiber optic solutions, will demonstrate its technical expertise and industry leadership through a series of technical presentations and live product demonstrations at SPIE Photonics West and BiOS 2026. The event will take place at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California, from January 17 through January 22, 2026, with the BiOS Expo running January 17–18. 

With six technical conference presentations and three live product demonstrations, Lightera research scientists and technical experts will highlight advancements in distributed fiber sensing, biomedical fiber optics for OCT imaging, multicore fiber designs for medical imaging and sensing, and next-generation polarization-maintaining fiber laser and amplifier performance. 

“At Lightera, we’re committed to advancing fiber technologies that help our customers push the limits of performance and reliability,” said Steve Allen, Director of Specialty Marketing at Lightera. “From high-power polarization-maintaining amplification to distributed sensing architectures and biomedical imaging probes, our Photonics West and BiOS presentations reflect our commitment to delivering practical innovations that enable real-world impact.” 

Lightera invites conference attendees to visit Booth #8430 at BiOS Expo and #4505 at Photonics West, and attend our product demonstrations, and connect with our experts to learn more about the latest advancements in fiber optics and how Lightera is shaping the future of photonics technology. 

Conference Presentations: 

Paper: 13842-69 
Title: A hybrid cable platform with enhanced-backscatter fibers for versatile distributed fiber optic sensing 
Summary: Lightera presents a modular hybrid cable concept that combines bend-optimized single-mode fiber with telecom-compatible enhanced-backscatter fiber to support versatile distributed sensing. The talk covers design considerations and verification workflows aimed at robust performance from manufacturing through field deployment. 
Presenter: Ping Lu, Lightera R&D Scientist 
Date and Time: Saturday, 17 January 2026, 4:10 PM – 4:25 PM PST 
Location: Moscone South, Room 158 (Upper Mezzanine) 

Paper: 13860-7 
Title: Temperature sensing for medical phototherapy in shape sensing endoscope fiber 
Summary: Lightera shares new results showing how a shape-sensing endoscope fiber platform can add temperature sensing at biologically relevant ranges, enabling better monitoring and control for fiber-delivered phototherapy in minimally invasive procedures. 
Presenter: Erin S. Lamb, Lightera R&D Scientist 
Date and Time: Sunday, 18 January 2026, 11:50 AM – 12:10 PM PST 
Location: Moscone South, Room 307 (Level 3) 

Paper: 13842-34 
Title: Long-working-distance fiber optics probes with large diameter GRIN fibers for OCT imaging 
Summary: For OCT applications that demand longer working distances, Lightera evaluates probe designs using larger-diameter GRIN fiber lenses. The presentation compares modeling and measured beam profiles to guide probe design for imaging larger anatomical targets. 
Presenter: Xiaoguang Sun, Lightera Senior R&D Scientist 
Date and Time: Sunday, 18 January 2026, 4:50 PM – 5:05 PM PST 
Location: Moscone South, Room 158 (Upper Mezzanine) 

Paper: 13905-19 (Invited Paper) 
Title: Erbium doped fibers for broad band amplification 
Summary: In this invited talk, Lightera reviews how erbium-doped fiber designs are evolving to support broader-band amplification needs for modern optical communications, including expanded gain spectra and higher power handling across wider operating bands. 
Presenter: Bera Pálsdóttir, Lightera Senior Manager for R&D and Product Development 
Date and Time: Tuesday, 20 January 2026, 11:10 AM – 11:40 AM PST 
Location: Moscone South, Room 212 (Level 2) 

Paper: 13874-23 
Title: Millijoule pulse energy, kilowatt average power from a polarization maintaining, large mode area fiber amplifier 
Summary: Lightera reports progress in nanosecond pulse amplification using polarization-maintaining, large-mode-area ytterbium-doped fiber designs aimed at achieving millijoule-class pulse energies and kilowatt-class average powers while maintaining high polarization extinction and stable beam performance. 
Presenter: Erin S. Lamb, Lightera R&D Scientist 
Date and Time: Tuesday, 20 January 2026, 2:00 PM – 2:20 PM PST 
Location: Moscone South, Room 205 (Level 2) 

Paper: 13874-56 
Title: Polarization-maintaining, large-mode-area erbium-ytterbium co-doped fiber amplifier with high beam quality 
Summary: Lightera presents a polarization-maintaining erbium-ytterbium co-doped large-mode-area fiber amplifier concept designed for efficient power scaling while preserving beam quality and polarization performance, highlighting measured efficiency and M² behavior. 
Presenter: Venkatapuram S. Sudarshanam, Lightera Senior R&D Scientist 
Date and Time: Thursday, 22 January 2026, 11:40 AM – 12:00 PM PST 
Location: Moscone South, Room 205 (Level 2) 

Product Demonstrations: 

Title: Lightera Multicore Optical Fiber: Advancing Medical Imaging and Sensing 
Description: A live demonstration highlighting how multicore optical fiber (MCF) can enable higher-resolution imaging and precise sensing in medical technologies. 
Presenter: Charles Golub, Lightera Medical Market Manager 
Date and Time: Sunday, 18 January 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM PST 
Location: BiOS Expo Demo Area (Moscone Center) 

Title: Smart Infrastructure Monitoring with Advanced Fiber Technologies 
Description: Discover how distributed fiber sensing solutions support structural health monitoring for bridges, tunnels, pipelines, and other critical infrastructure. 
Presenter: Nicolai Hagelund, Lightera Industrial Sensing Market Manager 
Date and Time: Tuesday, 20 January 2026, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM PST 
Location: Demo Area 2 (Hall D) 

Title: Advanced Fiber Solutions for Aerospace and Defense Applications 
Description: Learn how specialty optical fibers enable reliable performance in aerospace, avionics, directed energy, and defense environments. 
Presenter: Derek Angel, Lightera Aerospace and Defense Market Manager 
Date and Time: Tuesday, 20 January 2026, 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM PST 
Location: Demo Area 2 (Hall D) 

About Lightera 
Lightera is a global leader in optical fiber and connectivity solutions. Built on a legacy of expertise in optical science, we provide high-performance solutions that enable faster, more reliable, and sustainable connections for businesses, communities, and industries worldwide.

With operational headquarters in Norcross, Georgia, U.S.A., Lightera serves customers across telecommunications, enterprise, industrial, generative AI, data centers, 5G/6G, utilities, medical, aerospace, defense, and sensing markets.

Lightera is part of Furukawa Electric Group, a pioneer in advancing the next generation of infrastructure through integrated solutions in information, energy, and mobility, to create a safe, peaceful, and sustainable world.

###