Localized biosensing with Topas microstructured polymer optical fiber

We present what is believed to be the first microstructured polymer optical fiber (mPOF) fabricated from Topas cyclic olefin copolymer, which has attractive material and biochemical properties. This polymer allows for a novel type of fiber-optic biosensor, where localized sensor layers may be activated on the inner side of the air holes in a predetermined section of the mPOF. The concept is demonstrated using a fluorescence-based method for selective detection of fluorophore-labeled antibodies.     

Guiding mode in elliptical core microstructured polymer optical fiber

A kind of microstructured polymer optical fiber with elliptical core has been fabricated by adopting insitu chemical polymerization technology and the secondary sleeving draw-stretching technique. Microscope photography demonstrates the clear hole-structure retained in the fiber. Though the holes distortion is visible, initial laser experiment indicates that light can be strongly confined in the elliptical core region,and the mode field is split obviously and presents the multi-mode characteristic. Numerical modeling is carried out for the real fiber with the measured parameters, including the external diameter of 150μm, the average holes diameter of 3.3μm, and the averageole spacing of .3μm by using full-vector plane wave method. The guided mode fields of the numerical simulation are consistent with the experiment result.This fiber shows the strong multi-mode and weak birefringence in the visible and near-infrared band, and has possibility for achieving the fiber mode convertors, mode selective couplers and so on.     

微结构聚合物光纤中高双折射可调效应研究

通过在纤芯附近引入两个直径较大的空气孔诱导纤芯局部双折射,在包层减小x方向的孔间隔诱导包层双折射,设计实现了一种高双折射随波长可调效应的微结构光纤.采用全矢量平面波方法,以聚合物甲基丙烯酸甲酯为基材,对其偏振特性和基模模场进行了研究.结果发现,该光纤基模双折射在光通信波段呈现两个最大值,且最大双折射大小和位置随光纤结构和波长的变化可以进行调节.通过调节光纤结构参数,模拟得到了该光纤具有高双折射和零偏振模色散的最佳设计参数. 关键词： 导波与光纤光学 双折射可调 聚合物 全矢量平面波法     

Cellulose acetate polymer film modified microstructured polymer optical fiber towards a nitrite optical probe

A novel microstructured polymer optical fiber (MPOF) probe for nitrites (NO₂⁻) detection was made by forming rhodamine 6G (Rh 6G)-doped cellulose acetate (CA) on the side wall of array holes in a MPOF. It was found that the MPOF probe only have a response to nitrites in a certain concentration of sulfuric acid solution. The calibration graph of fluorescence intensity versus nitrites concentration was linear in the range of 2.0 × 10^− 4 g/ml-5.0 × 10^− 3 g/ml. The method possesses ease of chemical modification, low cost design, and potential for direct integration with existing instrumentation, and has been applied to the determination of nitrites in real samples with satisfactory results.     

新型光学聚合物——Topas环烯烃共聚物微结构光纤的设计及特性分析

以新型光学聚合物Topas 环烯烃共聚物（折射率为1.53）为基质,设计了四种微结构聚合物光纤.应用有限元方法对各种光纤在波长0.5—2.0 μm范围内的基模有效折射率、模场面积和数值孔径进行了计算.研究了结构参数对模场分布、单模特性和色散特性的影响.得出了具有极大/小模场面积、无限单模传输和平坦近零色散的光纤结构参数.与石英、聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯基质的微结构光纤相比,该光纤具有更大的数值孔径和较宽的平坦近零色散范围.为光纤的制备提供了理论指导. 关键词： 微结构聚合物光纤 有限元方法 传输特性 Topas 环烯烃共聚物     

Oxygen gas optrode based on microstructured polymer optical fiber segment

In this article, we first propose a novel type of oxygen gas optrode by forming fluorophore doped sensing film in the array microholes with the characteristics of microstructured optical fiber (MOF) segment. Comparing with the conventional O₂ detecting method, this slender shaped optrode shows potential in trace amount of O₂ sensing and online O₂ monitoring. Organical silicate gel or plastified cellulose acetate are chosen as sensing films and tris (4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenathroline) ruthenium(II) dichloride ([Ru(dpp)₃]Cl₂) or meso-tetraphenylporphyin (TPP) as quenching fluorophores. From the experimental results, we find [Ru(dpp)₃]²⁺-Gel-MOF optrode has favorable sensing characteristics, and the Stern-Volmer plots are linear in the full concentration range of O₂ (0-100% v/v). The ratio of I₀/I₁₀₀, where I₀ and I₁₀₀ respectively represents the fluorescence intensities of the optrode exposed to 100% N₂ and 100% O₂, as a sensitivity of the optrode is 10.8. Simultaneously, the optrode can make a quick response within 50 ms.     

Small-core single-mode microstructured polymer optical fiber with large external diameter

A preform sleeving technique is demonstrated that allows the fabrication of single-mode polymer microstructured fiber with the smallest core and hole dimensions yet reported to our knowledge. For a fixed triangular hole pattern a range of fibers is produced by adjustment to the operating conditions of the draw tower. Numerical modeling is carried out for one of the fibers produced with a 570-microm external diameter, a core diameter of 2.23 microm, an average hole diameter of 0.53 microm, and an average hole spacing of 1.38 microm. This fiber was shown to be endlessly single mode.     

Transmission of terahertz radiation using a microstructured polymer optical fiber

A hollow-core microstructured polymer optical fiber was analyzed in the terahertz (THz) region. Spectral analysis of time domain data shows propagation of THz waves in both the hollow-core and the microstructured cladding with a time delay of approximately 20 ps. The frequency range and shift of the transmission bands between different sized waveguides suggested photonic bandgap or resonant guidance. Finite-difference time domain calculations agree relatively well to the experimental transmission results. Propagation losses were estimated to be as low as 0.9 dB/cm.     

热可调液晶填充微结构聚合物光纤设计及特性分析

通过在微结构聚合物光纤(mPOF)的包层空气孔中填充液晶材料获得了高度热可调的带隙型mPOF. 带隙随温度的增加发生显著的蓝移, 带隙上边界的温度灵敏度可达-5.5 nm/℃. 采用全矢量有限元方法对模场特性以及基模有效模场面积的分析结果表明, 该填充液晶的mPOF在带隙的中心波长附近具有大的有效模场面积, 和相同结构未填充液晶的mPOF连接时具有较高的功率耦合效率. 研究结论为mPOF在温度传感领域的应用及各种可调光纤器件的制备提供了理论参考.     

Polycarbonate hollow-core microstructured optical fiber

A hollow-core microstructured polymer optical fiber is fabricated from polycarbonate material and guidance by inhibited coupling in a two-layer structure is demonstrated in two strong transmission bands with minimum losses of 9.0 dB/m at 800 nm and 3.1 dB/m at 1550 nm. The latter corresponds to a loss well below the polycarbonate material loss at this wavelength, and to our knowledge it is the lowest loss hollow-core polymer fiber reported to date. The short-term operational temperature limit of the fiber is shown to be 135 degrees C, significantly higher than that of conventional polymer optical fibers made of other polymers.     

Extruded high-NA microstructured polymer optical fibre

We report on use of billet ram extrusion for the first time to fabricate microstructured polymer optical fiber preforms. The shape and relative size of the air holes in the preform are well preserved during fiber drawing. Extrusion conditions have been optimized to prevent issues such as die swell and thermal degradation of the polymer material.     

Cleaving of microstructured polymer optical fibres

The issue of how best to cleave PMMA microstructured polymer optical fibres (mPOF) is addressed. The impact of the following parameters on the cleaving process is considered: (i) temperature of the cutting blade, (ii) temperature of the platen holding the fibre, (iii) time allowed for thermal equilibration between fibre and platen, (iv) blade speed, and (v) blade condition. The strong influence of a temperature-dependent phase transition in the polymer on the cleaving process is established. Optically acceptable mPOF end-faces can be achieved but only over a limited range of cleavage conditions.     

Highly tunable birefringent microstructured optical fiber

We demonstrate a method for introducing and dynamically tuning birefringence in a microstructured optical fiber. Waveguide asymmetry in the fiber is obtained by selective filling of air holes with polymer, and tunability is achieved by temperature tuning of the polymer's index. The fiber is tapered such that the mode field expands into the cladding and efficiently overlaps the polymer that has been infused into the air holes, ensuring enhanced tunability and low splice loss. Experimental results are compared with numerical simulations made with the beam propagation method and confirm birefringence tuning that corresponds to a phase change of 6pi for a 1-cm length of fiber.     

Carbon dioxide gas sensor derived from a 547-hole microstructured polymer optical fiber preform

In this Letter, we report a carbon dioxide gas sensor having 547 pieces of thin-film modified capillaries, which are derived from a microstructured polymer optical fiber preform. Compared with the conventional absorption-based sensor, the monolithic polymer capillary waveguide arrays have better sensitivity, because the huge sensing surfaces, composed of 547 pieces of dye-indicator-doped porous ethyl cellulose layers, interact directly with the gas molecules. As far as we know, a gas sensor based on multichannel capillary waveguide arrays has not been reported before.     

Nd-doped phosphate glass microstructured optical fiber laser

We experimentally demonstrated a single-mode laser at 1056 nm with Nd-doped phosphate glass microstructured optical fiber (MOF), which was fabricated with conventional stack-and-draw method. The laser action was observed from a Fabry-Perot cavity formed by placing two dichroic mirrors of ∼100 and 85% reflectivity, to the two end facets of MOF. Pumped by CW laser diodes (LDs) at 808 nm, the MOF laser yielded a maximum output power of 8.5 mW and a slope efficiency of 2%.     

Highly nonlinear layered spiral microstructured optical fiber

A layered spiral microstructured optical fiber (LS-MOF) is presented, which offers the possibility of a good control of both the dispersion and the nonlinear properties. The proposed design is analyzed using a finite element method considering silica and air as the materials. Zero dispersion, low confinement loss, and a record value of γ = 70.0 W^?1/km for the LS-MOF nonlinear parameter are simultaneously obtained at 1.55 μm, whereas a higher value γ = 169.4 W^?1/km can be achieved at 1.06 μm. Our results demonstrate the great potential of the LS-MOF for several nonlinear applications, namely for an efficient generation of the supercontinuum.     

Hollow-core grating fiber

We propose a new type of hollow-core fiber where the propagation is ensured by a photoinduced self-pattern acting as a surface relief grating (SRG). The SRG is written by launching a suitable laser beam with proper polarization in a capillary glass fiber with the inner surface previously coated with an azopolymer thin film. Such a grating acts as a wavelength/angle dependant reflective mirror and enhances the confinement and the propagation of the light.     

Coupling coefficient of two-core microstructured optical fiber

In this paper, coupled-mode theory is applied to a two-core microstructured optical fiber for the first time to calculate the coupling coefficients for different fiber structures by employing a simple effective index model approach. The dependence of the mode coupling properties upon the geometrical parameters of the two-core structures (air-hole arrangement, hole size, and pitch size) and wavelength are evaluated systematically. The effective index coupled-mode theory is compared with the finite-element method based super-mode theory in details and the results show good agreement. The coupling characteristics are proven to be insensitive to the longitudinal strain by considering the photoelastic effects.     

Three-hole microstructured optical fiber for efficient fiber Bragg grating refractometer

We present a photosensitive three-hole microstructured optical fiber specifically designed to improve the refractive index sensitivity of a standard fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor photowritten in the suspended Ge-doped silica core. We describe the specific photowriting procedure used to realize gratings in such a fiber. We then determine their spectral sensitivity to the refractive index changes of material filling the holes surrounding the core. The sensitivity is compared with that of standard FBGs photowritten in a six-hole fiber with a larger core diameter. We demonstrate an improvement in the sensitivity by two orders of magnitude and reach a resolution of 3 x 10(-5) and 6 x 10(-6) around mean refractive index values of 1.33 and 1.40, respectively.