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High-efficient subwavelength-scale optofluidic waveguides with tapered microstructured optical fibers
Optics Express
|November 23, 2021
Summary
Researchers developed a tapered microstructured optical fiber (MOF) for subwavelength optofluidics. This novel design enhances light-fluid interactions, enabling advanced optical sensing and nonlinear optics applications.
Area of Science:
- Optofluidics
- Microstructured Optical Fibers (MOFs)
- Nanophotonics
Background:
- Microstructured optical fibers (MOFs) offer high-efficiency light-microfluid interactions for optofluidics.
- A lack of design guidance exists for subwavelength-scale optofluidic applications using MOFs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and investigate a tapered hollow-core MOF for subwavelength optofluidics.
- To explore the optofluidic guiding properties by varying the fiber diameter.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a tapered hollow-core MOF structure with light and fluid confined in the central hole.
- Employed the full vector finite element method to analyze optical modal properties, effective sensitivity, and nonlinearity.
Main Results:
- Achieved a maximum on-core power fraction of 99.7%.
- Demonstrated an ultra-small effective mode area of 0.38 µm².
- Exhibited ultra-low confinement loss and controllable group velocity dispersion.
Conclusions:
- The tapered hollow-core MOF is a promising platform for subwavelength optofluidic devices.
- Potential applications include optical sensing and nonlinear optics at the subwavelength scale.
