PAandE introduces fibre optic bulkhead feedthru

This lightweight interconnect solution allows engineers to take advantage of fibre optics in applications where the technology was once unworkable due to hermetic requirements.

It is said to deliver truly hermetic performance with up to 60 per cent weight savings when compared to stainless-steel alternatives.

This feedthru is suitable for defence, aerospace or any other applications where weight, electromagnetic interference (EMI) and performance are key considerations.

It features an insertion loss of 0.3dB per interface, a return loss of 20dB per interface and can be manufactured to support multi-mode 50, 62.5 /125 or 100/140um fibre types (PC-shaped ferrule).

The hermetic feedthru is available in either jam nut or laser weldable configurations.

It is compatible with aluminium, titanium and stainless steel, and is designed to mate with aluminium or composite ELIO contacts.

It has an operating temperature range of -55C to +125C and is available in one- or four-way configurations.

The feedthru is also compatible with the Airbus A380 Spec and the ARINC 801 Standard.

Glass is the traditional sealing material for many hermetic interconnect solutions, but in fibre optic applications, a glass sealing process is impractical because the temperatures required to create a glass seal are high enough to destroy optical fibre.

This interconnect solution uses PAandE's Kryoflex polycrystalline ceramic-to-metal sealing technology.

Seals are created at much lower temperatures so fibre optics remain intact while this feedthru achieves a leak rate of 1x10-9cc/sec at one atmospheric differential pressure.

Kryoflex seals provide a direct ceramic-to-metal bond by means of oxygen-pinned valence bonding.

This unchanging chemical and mechanical bond is enhanced by Kryoflex's randomly organised crystalline structure, which allows this material to relieve stresses from within itself.