2023 Industry Laureate Profile: Professor Heike Ebendorff-Heidepriem

Professor Heike Ebendorff-Heidepriem

Administering Organisation: The University of Adelaide

Fellowship Project Summary 

IL230100116 – Breaking through the manufacturing ‘glass ceiling’ for ZBLAN glass fibres

The increasing demand for faster internet and global connectivity is anticipated to outpace what can be achieved with current fibre optic cables made from silica glass. The shift to optical fibres made from the different glass called ZBLAN is predicted to overcome this bottleneck because these ZBLAN fibres have the potential to transport light over much longer distances than the best available optical fibres. A key challenge is that current ZBLAN fibres have impurities that limit their full potential. This fellowship aims to overcome this challenge by working with industry partner Flawless Photonics to develop efficient purification methods to produce ZBLAN fibres without impurities. To allow production at scale, the project includes automation of ZBLAN fibre manufacture, which will be the first for any ZBLAN glass fibre in the world. These ZBLAN fibres will be commercialised for use in numerous industries (defence, mining, medical devices, data communications) through partnering with Flawless Photonics. The new ZBLAN fibre products will transform communication, mineral exploration and improve laser surgery.

Australian Research Council funding: $3,359,464

Industry Partners: Flawless Photonics Pty Ltd, Flawless Photonics Inc, Flawless Photonics S.a.r.l.

To find out more about Professor Ebendorff-Heidepriem, please visit her profile page here.

For further information about this funding scheme, please visit the Industry Laureate Fellowships page.