Xinkong Guanglian Hollow-Core Fiber Loss Cut to 0.043 dB/km

Recently, Xinkong Photonics (Hangzhou) Technology Co., Ltd. achieved two major technical breakthroughs in hollow-core fiber. First, the company's self-developed hollow-core fiber records a loss of about 0.043 dB/km at the characteristic wavelength of 1550 nm within the communications window, placing it among the top tier of results publicly reported worldwide. Second, the company made key progress in interconnect technology between hollow-core fiber and standard single-mode fiber, successfully developing a high-performance hollow-core fiber to single-mode fiber adapter. In a complete "single-mode fiber - hollow-core fiber - single-mode fiber" link, the adapter delivers an insertion loss below 0.5 dB and a return loss better than -50 dB, enabling stable, efficient, low-loss connections between hollow-core fiber and existing single-mode fiber systems. The core technologies behind both achievements are independently controlled by the company, with overall performance reaching internationally advanced levels.

Loss is the key metric determining whether hollow-core fiber can be commercialized at scale. The breakthrough in ultra-low loss means longer unrepeated transmission distances and fewer amplification stages, directly cutting system power consumption and network build-out costs. The connector, meanwhile, solves the industry-wide mode-field mismatch problem between hollow-core fiber and existing single-mode fiber systems, giving hollow-core fiber true plug-in capability for current networks. Together, the dual breakthroughs in fiber and connector provide complete technical support for the large-scale commercial deployment of hollow-core fiber in scenarios such as AI data centers and long-haul backbone networks. The products are now ready for volume delivery.

This technology upgrade marks an important R&D milestone for the company, signifying that the company has taken a solid step forward in hollow-core fiber technology R&D and product deployment.

Looking ahead, Xinkong Photonics will continue to deepen its focus on microstructured optical fibers, persist in technological innovation, continuously optimize product performance, and empower high-quality development of the high-end optics industry.

Company Profile

Xinkong Guanglian (Hangzhou) Technology Co., Ltd.

The company was incubated by the Hangzhou Institute of Optics and Mechanics – Russell Advanced Center for Lightwave Science (Russell Center), which was founded and is led by Professor Philip Russell, the inventor of hollow-core fiber, a Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (2023) and a Fellow of the Royal Society (2005), together with his core team from the former Max Planck Institute. Drawing on the team's world-class research expertise, the company has built a complete and mature integrated technology system spanning theory, R&D, production and testing, with a focus on innovative R&D of high-end specialty fibers. To date, it has launched more than ten types of specialty fiber products, including hollow-core anti-resonant fiber, nonlinear photonic crystal fiber and large-mode-area solid-core photonic crystal fiber, covering application fields such as communications, power delivery, imaging and fiber lasers. It also offers customized fiber R&D and end-to-end solution services tailored to customer needs.