Ultra-simplified single-step fabrication of microstructured optical fiber

Abstract

Manufacturing optical fibers with a microstructured cross-section relies on the production of a fiber preform in a multiple-stage procedure, and drawing of the preform to fiber. These processes encompass the use of several dedicated and sophisticated equipment, including a fiber drawing tower. Here we demonstrate the use of a commercial table-top low-cost filament extruder to produce optical fibers with complex microstructure in a single step - from the pellets of the optical material directly to the final fiber. The process does not include the use of an optical fiber drawing tower and is time, electrical power, and floor space efficient. Different fiber geometries (hexagonal-lattice solid core, suspended core and hollow core) were successfully fabricated and their geometries evaluated. Air guidance in a wavelength range where the fiber material is opaque was shown in the hollow core fiber.