Point-by-point femtosecond laser writing of filaments was used to open high aspect ratio nano-holes transversely through the core of a single-mode telecommunication fiber (SMF-28). On infiltration with nematic liquid crystal, the small 200 nm diameter holes induced strong capillary alignment to facilitate strong birefringence responses when the filament was aligned into second-order (~1 micrometer period) Bragg arrays. Geometric arrangement of the nano-hole arrays provided the unique opportunity of designing customized all-fiber polarization filter inside of traditional single-mode fiber, with properties tunable by device length, azimuthal and chiral orientation of the filament array, and thermo-optic responses.
A two-dimensional (2D), point-by-point writing technique of forming filament arrays with femtosecond laser pulses was applied inside of single-mode optical fiber to open new opportunities for 2D photonic bandgap engineering and highresolution spectroscopy. A small grating period of ~300 nm provided first-order diffraction externally to the fiber cladding, with spectral, blazing, and self-focusing properties tailored by varying the 1D and 2D grating design. The spectral properties of the lens-less, all-fiber spectrometer have been tuned with varying grating dimension, chirping rate, and blazing design that can meet wide ranging criteria for design of compact grating spectrometers in narrow to broad spectral ranges of the visible and telecommunication bands.
Beam shaping of femtosecond lasers was applied in the Kerr-lensing and aberration regime to enable high-aspect-ratio filament tracks to form uniformly through the silica cladding and core waveguide of single-mode fiber (SMF28/450). One- and two-dimensional filament arrays were embedded along the waveguide to form weak to strong photonic stopbands. The filament shape enhanced transverse light scattering into narrow azimuthal radiation zones. Tailoring of chirp and 2D patterns further facilitated high-resolution (~350 pm) spectral focusing onto a CCD camera, defining a compact “Spectrometer-in-fibre” over the visible spectrum. At higher exposure, the filaments opened into narrow nano-channels (200-400 nm diameter) presenting a novel Bragg grating for refractive index sensing of the ambient environment. This lab-in-fiber technology presents a robust, flexible, and ubiquitous communication platform for nano-scale sensing across expansive networks or into tightly confined, sinuous spaces.
Femtosecond laser irradiation was applied to single-mode optical fiber (SMF450), embedding a filament array through the silica cladding and guiding core cross-section to form chirped Bragg gratings. Unlike the standard plane-shape fiber Bragg grating structures, the filament shape facilitated radiation mode scattering of guided light transversely out of the fiber cladding, while the azimuthal radiation zone was narrowed by the filament geometry, the cylindrical cladding focus, and the photonic stop band design. Chirping of the grating period further provided spectral focusing in the near zone of the fiber, permitting recording of high resolution spectra (~350 pm) over the 400 to 650 nm band with a CCD camera. A comparison of second (Ʌ=364 nm) and fourth-order (Ʌ=728 nm) Bragg gratings is presented. Two-dimensional filament arrays permitted tailoring of photonic bandgap effects to redirect the -1st order grating light into the +1st order, increasing the overall spectrometer efficiency.
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