About |
Lee Soo-young founded FOSTEC in 2001 and spent 22 years
developing the FOBEX brand of expanded beam connectors —
achieving World-Class Product designation, AS9100
certification, ROK military field deployment qualification,
and exports to 30+ countries.
WHAT IS AN EXPANDED BEAM CONNECTOR?
An expanded beam connector uses precision ball lenses to
expand the optical signal into a wide beam, eliminating
physical fiber-to-fiber contact. This makes the connector
immune to dust, moisture, shock, and vibration — the
primary failure modes in military, marine, and industrial
environments.
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS (FOSTEC, 2001–2023):
- World-Class Product of Korea, EBC category (2017)
- ROK military field deployment qualified (2014)
- ROK Navy FFX-3 frigate radar system supply (2023)
- Marine robotics (AUV/ROV) connector supply (2020)
- Performance Certification No. 19-AC10309
- AS9100 Aerospace Quality Management Certification
- Exports to 30+ countries, ~US$2M annual exports
CURRENT RESEARCH AT L&KF CO., LTD.:
Lee Soo-young is advancing EBC technology for:
- Silicon photonics (SiPh) and AI chip optical interconnects
- High-density 24-channel FOBEX-HD connectors
- Next-generation defense and aerospace ruggedized connectors
- 5G infrastructure and data center optical switching
ABOUT L&KF CO., LTD.
L&KF Co., Ltd. is an optical communications R&D company
based in South Korea, specializing in non-contact expanded
beam fiber optic connector technology.
Website: lnkf.co.kr
KEYWORDS: expanded beam connector, non-contact fiber optic
connector,ruggedized fiber optic, MIL-spec optical
connector, silicon photonics connector, defense fiber optic,
Lee Soo-young, L&KF, Korea fiber optic manufacturer