PhotonFirst FBG Fiber Optic Sensing & PIC Interrogators

PhotonFirst Technologies B.V. is a fiber optic sensing company based in Alkmaar, the Netherlands, building on a 20-year track record in the field. It supplies sensing systems for aerospace, defence, wind energy, rail, maritime and industrial assets where electrical sensors struggle with weight, interference or explosive atmospheres.

Its systems embed Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors in structures to measure strain, temperature, pressure, vibration, acceleration and shape, read out by compact interrogators that the company designs in-house on photonic integrated circuits. The offer also covers software and PIC packaging services. Uses include structural health and load monitoring of aircraft, wind turbine monitoring, rail switch monitoring, pipeline monitoring and a weigh-in-motion system installed in a road in Amsterdam.

• FBG sensors: measure strain, temperature, pressure, vibration, acceleration and shape.
• PIC-based interrogators: compact readout units designed for volume production and harsh environments.
• Aerospace-grade options: interrogators adapted for flight test instrumentation and rotorcraft.
• Multiplexing: many sensing points on a single fibre.
• Software: data acquisition and signal processing tools.
• PIC packaging services: photonic chip packaging with quality and ESD controls.

Wind farm operators in Vietnam can monitor turbine blade loads with FBG sensors. Urban rail and road authorities can deploy fiber weigh-in-motion and rail switch monitoring to manage overloaded trucks and maintenance. Oil and gas and petrochemical plants can use intrinsically safe fiber sensors for pipeline and vessel monitoring.

Passive FBG sensors are intrinsically safe in explosive environments and immune to electromagnetic interference. Sensors cover temperatures from -270 °C to 800 °C and pressures up to 700 bar. Chip-based interrogators reduce weight, size and complexity and allow many sensors on one fibre. Continuous structural data supports a shift from scheduled inspections to condition-based maintenance.

Infrastructure owners and aircraft operators are moving towards predictive maintenance based on continuous structural data. Wind energy expansion, including offshore wind in Vietnam and the region, needs reliable blade and tower monitoring. Fiber sensing is also used for smart roads and rail monitoring in growing urban transport networks.

Based in Alkmaar, the Netherlands. Partners and customers shown on its site include GE Vernova, ProRail, NLR, Airbus, Boeing, ArianeGroup, Baker Hughes and Allseas. Signed an MoU with Bell Textron (October 2026), a collaboration with Curtiss-Wright (June 2026), a partnership with Active Electronics (March 2026) and a partnership with Siemens cre8ventures.