PURPOSE: To position and held optical fibers in the textile material in a manner to maximize their optical efficiency.

CONSTITUTION: This material consists of fibers extending in both the warp and woof direction, the optical fibers are positioned in channels between the supporting fibers in the warp direction. The material is manufactured using conventional weaving equipment by positioning both the optical fibers 12A to 12F and the warp fibers 10A to 10D and then weaving the woof fibers into place without bending the optical fibers. The fibers are thusly woven so that the optical fibers have zero warp. The woven grid-like mat can be coated with a protective material that either enable it to form a flexible sheet of ribbon or rigid, hard, grid-like mat which has aligned zero warp optional fibers embedded therein. The material shown can be used to provide sensing, imaging or communications. It can be utilized for optical back-planes for optoelectronic systems or a housing for optoelectoronic component.