Bamboo-like microfiber structures fabricated by one-step-tapering a fiber preform

The microfiber-based optical structures have been attracting increasing research interests in communications and sensing fields. However, the fabrication of forming structures on fragile microfibers requires delicate operations, which limits the developments of their practical applications. In this work, a one-step-tapering technique is proposed to manufacture structures on microfibers. As a demonstration, the fiber preform, consisting of sawtooth shaped solid-air interfaces with designed dimensions, is obtained using a femtosecond laser milling technique. By one-step tapering the preform, periodic bumps are formed, resulting in a bamboo-like microfiber device. The fabricated structure shows spectral characteristics of a long-period grating, of which extinction ratio is up to 18.2 dB around 1553.3 nm. The response to refractive index is measured to be ∼875.02 nm/RIU and the temperature coefficient is ∼5.78 pm/°C. The theoretical analysis shows good agreement with the experimental results. The microfiber-based structure fabricated using the one-step-tapering-preform technique is featured with flexibility of design, reproducibility, and structural stability.