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Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Fabrication of Polymer Microspheres for Optical Resonator and Laser Applications

Fabrication of Polymer Microspheres for Optical Resonator and Laser Applications

Published on: June 2, 2017

Observation of microsphere movement driven by optical pulse.

Hanyang Li¹, Yundong Zhang, Jin Li

¹National Key Laboratory of Tunable Laser Technology, Institute of Opto-Electronics, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150080, China.

|June 3, 2011

Summary

Optical pulses propelled microspheres using a tapered fiber tip. Varying pulse energy controlled microsphere velocity without causing fiber damage, demonstrating a novel optical manipulation method.

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Area of Science:

Optics and Photonics
Micro-manipulation
Laser-Matter Interactions

Background:

Optical trapping and manipulation are crucial for microscale applications.
Tapered optical fibers offer unique light-delivery properties for precise control.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the propulsion of microspheres using optical pulses from a tapered fiber tip.
To determine the relationship between optical pulse energy and microsphere velocity.
To assess the thermal stability of the fiber tip during the process.

Main Methods:

Coupling a laser beam into a tapered optical fiber with a 2.6 μm tip diameter.
Propelling a 46 μm diameter microsphere with outgoing optical pulses.
Varying pulse energy from 1.35 to 7.22 μJ and measuring microsphere velocity.

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Analyzing the fiber tip using scanning electron microscopy.

Main Results:

Microsphere velocity increased from 0.38 to 10.68 cm/s as pulse energy increased.
No thermal damage was observed on the tapered fiber tip.
The experiment successfully demonstrated controlled optical propulsion of microspheres.

Conclusions:

Optical pulses from tapered fiber tips can effectively propel microspheres.
Pulse energy is a key parameter for controlling microsphere velocity.
The method is non-destructive to the optical fiber, enabling potential applications.