Photonics Insights, Volume. 3, Issue 1, R02(2024)
Optical microfiber or nanofiber: a miniature fiber-optic platform for nanophotonics Story Video , Author Presentation
Fig. 1. Overall description of optical MNFs in terms of characteristics and applications.
Fig. 2. (a) Structural diagram of a biconical optical MNF. SMF, single-mode fiber;
Fig. 3. Typical flame-heated taper-drawing fabrication system. (a) Photograph of a flame-heated taper-drawing system for fabricating silica MNFs. Inset: close-up image of the flame nozzle. (b) Schematic (upper, not to scale) and experimentally measured (bottom) fiber diameter evolution of a biconical drawn silica MNF along the fiber length[54]. The MNF has a diameter of about 930 nm and a uniform length of 9 cm. The diameter evolution of the tapering region (red circles) was measured by an optical microscope (upper insets), while that of the MNF (blue circles) was measured by a scanning electron microscope (bottom inset).
Fig. 4. Structural characterization of silica MNFs. (a) Optical microscope image of a 550-nm-diameter silica MNF. SEM images of (b) self-supporting bundle of MNFs assembled with silica MNFs with diameters of 140, 510, and 30 nm[97], (c) 790-nm-diameter silica MNF with a smooth surface, (d) coiled 260-nm-diameter silica MNF with a total length of about 4 mm[29], and (e) 360-nm-diameter silica MNF with a bending radius of 3 µm[95]. (f) TEM image of the surface of a 330-nm-diameter silica MNF[29]. Inset: electron diffraction pattern of the MNF.
Fig. 5. Typical electric heaters in fiber-drawing systems. Photographs of (a) a ceramic heater for drawing silica MNFs (NTT-AT, CMH-7022) and (b) a self-designed U-type copper heater for drawing soft-glass MNFs.
Fig. 6. Schematic diagram of the diameter-control technique in the fabrication of a silica MNF based on the mode-cutoff feedback[39].
Fig. 7. Calculation of waveguiding modes in optical MNFs. (a) SEM image of a 400-nm-diameter tellurite glass MNF with a circular cross section[56]. (b) Calculated propagation constant (
Fig. 8. Optical waveguiding properties of silica MNFs. (a)
Fig. 9. Optical losses and absorption of optical MNFs. (a) Roughness-induced radiation losses in air-clad MNFs versus the perturbation period[223]. The amplitude of the surface roughness is assumed to be 0.2 nm and the wavelength of the input light is 1550 nm. (b) Mathematical simulation model of a circular 90° bent MNF[188]. Inset: topography profile of the bent MNF. (c) Electric-field intensity distributions in the
Fig. 12. High-power CW optical waveguiding in subwavelength-diameter silica MNFs[54]. (a) High-power optical transmittance of a 1.1-μm-diameter MNF around 1550-nm wavelength, with a CW waveguided power from 0 to 13 W. (b) Calculated diameter-dependent maximum power density in the MNFs at a waveguided power of 1 W. Insets: cross-sectional power density distribution of 0.5-μm-diameter and 1.1-μm-diameter silica MNFs.
Fig. 13. Encapsulation of optical MNFs. (a) Schematic of an MNF embedded in a PDMS film on a glass substrate[247]. Inset: photograph of an MNF-embedded PDMS patch attached to a human hand. (b) Photograph of an optical MNF sealed in an airtight 3D-printed acrylic box, filled with high-purity nitrogen gas[54]. (c) Long-term optical transmission of the MNF presented in (b) around 1550-nm wavelength. The waveguided power of the MNF is 12 W. (d) Photograph of an as-fabricated MNF mounted on a U-shaped bracket, with two standard fiber pigtails fixed on both sides of the bracket through the glue. (e) Photograph of an MNF sealed in an air-tight box.
Fig. 14. Nonlinear optical properties of optical MNFs. (a) Wavelength dependence of the GVD with different MNF diameters. (b) Nonlinear coefficient of silica MNFs versus the fiber diameter at 532-nm wavelength. Spectra of the (c) SHG and (d) THG in a silica MNF (779 nm in diameter, 7 cm in length) pumped by a 5-W-power CW light[54]. The optimal phase matching of the SHG and THG is achieved at wavelengths of 1558.2 and 1572.5 nm, respectively. SH, second harmonic; TH, third harmonic. Insets of (c) and (d) show optical microscope images of output spots of the SH and TH signals at the output end of the standard fiber connected with the MNF, respectively. (e) Supercontinuum generation in a silica MNF pumped by 532-nm-wavelength ns pulses[31], with output far-field patterns from the MNF at (I) low and (II) maximum powers. The pattern in (II) was passed through 10-nm bandpass filters at the center wavelengths of (III) 633, (IV) 589, and (V) 450 nm.
Fig. 15. Mechanical properties of optical MNFs. (a) Dependence of fracture strengths of silica MNFs on the MNF radius
Fig. 16. Near-field optical coupling with 1D micro/nanowaveguides using silica MNFs. (a) Optical microscope image of optical coupling of a 633-nm-wavelength light between two tellurite glass MNFs with diameters of 350 (top arm) and 450 nm (bottom arm), respectively[56]. Optical microscope images of a silica fiber taper coupled with a (b) 200-nm-diameter silver nanowire[324], (c) 450-nm-diameter polyacrylamide MNF doped with fluorescein sodium salt (FSS-PAM MNF)[110], (d) 170-nm-diameter CdS nanowire[330], and (e) 4.4-μm-diameter ice MNF[126]. The wavelength of the light launched from the left side in (b)–(e) is 633, 355, 473, and 500 nm, respectively. In particular, an obvious PL signal around the 550-nm wavelength of the FSS-PAM MNF is observed in (d). (f) Schematic of an MNF-coupled SNSPD for NIR wavelengths[332]. (g) Optical microscope image of an SU8 capped tapered fiber placed on the fork silicon-nitride-waveguide (SiN WG) coupler for low-loss, high-bandwidth fiber-to-chip coupling[337]. (h) Optical microscope image of a fiber-nanowire-silicon-waveguide cascade structure for efficient fiber-to-chip coupling[338]. The operation wavelength ranges from 1520 to 1640 nm.
Fig. 19. MNF-based photonic components. Optical microscopic images of MNF-based passive optical components including (a) loop[366], (b) knot[54], and (c) ring[378] resonators. (d) Optical microscopic image of an MZI assembled with two 1-μm-diameter silica MNFs[395]. (e) SEM image of a Bragg grating inscribed on a 1.8-μm-diameter silica MNF[401]. (f) SEM image of a plasmonic-photonic cavity with several Au nanorods deposited on a 2.2-μm-diameter silica MNF[413].
Fig. 20. Typical MNF-based photonic sensors. (a) Schematic illustration of a single NP detection system, where a pair of identical MNFs is used (upper panel)[439]. A diode laser with a wavelength of 680 nm is employed as the probe light. The transmitted light is finally detected by a 125-MHz photodetector and monitored by an oscilloscope. Typical optical transmission of an MNF during a time interval of 10 s when the PS NPs are binding to the surface of the MNF one-by-one (lower panel). Each data point is the average of 250 values of measured transmitted power during 20 ms, and the red curve is for guiding the eyes. (b) Schematic illustration of a microchannel-supported polymer-MNF-based gas sensor[112]. A laser with a wavelength of 532 nm is coupled into a 250-nm-diameter PANI/PS MNF with fiber tapers. The time-dependent absorbance of the sensor to cyclic
Fig. 21. Optical MNF optomechanical systems. (a) Schematic illustration of the light-control-light process in an MNF nano-optomechanical system[91]. The evanescent-field coupling of the pump light (at a wavelength of
Fig. 22. Optical MNF-based fiber lasers. (a) Single-longitudinal-mode laser emission in an
Fig. 23. MNF-based atom optics. (a) Schematic of the MNF-based atom trapping in the evanescent field (upper panel)[559]. Fluorescence image of a trapped ensemble of cesium atoms (lower panel). (b) Transmission spectrum of a probe beam waveguided along the MNF after loading the trap (black squares)[559]. Green line: the measured spectrum of a magneto-optical trap (MOT) cloud. Red line: theoretical fit. (c) Schematic of storage of MNF-guided light based on the EIT in an evanescent-field configuration[573]. An ensemble of cold cesium atoms is spatially overlapped with a silica MNF (400 nm in diameter). The signal pulse to be stored is waveguided inside the MNF while the control light propagates outside the MNF with an angle of
Get Citation
Copy Citation Text
Jianbin Zhang, Hubiao Fang, Pan Wang, Wei Fang, Lei Zhang, Xin Guo, Limin Tong, "Optical microfiber or nanofiber: a miniature fiber-optic platform for nanophotonics," Photon. Insights 3, R02 (2024)
Category: Review Articles
Received: Dec. 5, 2023
Accepted: Feb. 8, 2024
Published Online: Mar. 11, 2024
The Author Email: Guo Xin (guoxin@zju.edu.cn), Tong Limin (phytong@zju.edu.cn)
CSTR:32396.14.PI.2024.R02