Flexible transfer of plasmonic photonic structures onto fiber tips for sensor applications in liquids

Plasmonic photonic nanostructuring on the end facets of optical fibers may enable extensive applications of the miniaturized devices in sensors. However, the small area on the fiber tips and the large aspect ratio of the fiber body largely restrict direct fabrication, which is apparently the challenge in most of the nanopatterning techniques. Therefore, efficient and easily applicable transfer techniques are more practical for fabricating plasmonic nanodevices on the fiber tips. In this study, we report the fabrication of plasmonic photonic structures on large-area planar substrates, flexibilization of the structures into thin films, and transfer of these films onto the end facets of optical fibers. This strategy enables high-quality functionalization of fiber tips by plasmonic photonic devices, thus providing new approaches for sensor applications.