Core of PC fiber is filled with silica aerogel

Nov. 1, 2010
Silica aerogel is an extremely porous glass structure with pores on the order of 40 nm in size and air-filling fractions ranging from 86% to 98%.

Silica aerogel is an extremely porous glass structure with pores on the order of 40 nm in size and air-filling fractions ranging from 86% to 98%. The material has low refractive index and high optical nonlinearity but is very fragile. Now, researchers at the University of Bath (Bath, England) and the University of Sydney (Sydney, Australia) have managed to fill the core of a hollow photonic-crystal (PC) fiber with silica aerogel, creating a "container" for the material that simultaneously mechanically protects the aerogel and allows high light intensities to be guided in it.

To create the structure, one end of a length of PC fiber was heated to collapse all holes but the 6 μm core. A sol (the precursor to aerogel) was then sucked into one end of the fiber by applying a vacuum at the other end. A 30 cm long core-filled length of fiber was then cut away. After the sol turned to wet gel, the fiber was aged and supercritically "dried" in methanol. Optical attenuation of the finished fiber was about 0.2 dB/cm between 1300 and 1650 nm wavelengths, apart from a 0.6 dB/cm spectral spike at 1400 nm. At longer wavelengths, light was guided by total internal reflection; at shorter wavelengths, a photonic bandgap guided the light. Contact Tim Birks at [email protected].

Sponsored Recommendations

Demonstrating Flexible, Powerful 5-axis Laser Micromachining

Sept. 18, 2024
Five-axis scan heads offer fast and flexible solutions for generating precise holes, contoured slots and other geometries with fully defined cross sections. With a suitable system...

Enhance Your Experiments with Chroma's Spectra Viewer

Sept. 5, 2024
Visualize and compare fluorescence spectra with our interactive Spectra Viewer tool. Easily compare and optimize filters and fluorochromes for your experiments with this intuitive...

Optical Filter Orientation Guide

Sept. 5, 2024
Ensure optimal performance of your optical filters with our Orientation Guide. Learn the correct placement and handling techniques to maximize light transmission and filter efficiency...

Ensure Optimal Performance with Shortpass Filters

Sept. 5, 2024
Achieve precise wavelength blocking with our Shortpass Filters. Ideal for applications requiring effective light transmission and cutoff, these filters ensure optimal performance...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Laser Focus World, create an account today!