Integrated mid-infrared broadband frequency conversion and evanescent sensing on a multimode chalcogenide rod platform.

Post-processing and functionalization of optical fibers with engineered properties, as well as multifiber assembly, have been the subject of intensive studies over the past few decades, to provide, for instance, unprecedented signal processing and sensing tools for a variety of applications. However, combining distinct optical functions such as nonlinear pulse processing and linear sensing on a single fiber segment has still remained an elusive challenge in the mid-infrared spectral region. Here, we report the development of very short multi-tapered chalcogenide rods to enable the dual function of supercontinuum generation and evanescent wave sensing in the mid-infrared spectral region.

Biofunctionalization of chalcogenide glass fiber to enhance real time and label free detection by mid infrared spectroscopy.

Bio-functionalized chalcogenide infrared optical glass fibers have been designed for evanescent wave mid-infrared spectroscopy. Surface biotinylation of the fiber tapered sensing zone has been achieved by reactivity of a maleimide function on sulfhydryl moieties of the glassy surface. Biotin-streptavidin interactions were studied by fiber evanescent wave spectroscopy.

4D Optical fibers based on shape-memory polymers.

Adaptative objects based on shape-memory materials are expected to significantly impact numerous technological sectors including optics and photonics. In this work, we demonstrate the manufacturing of shape-memory optical fibers from the thermal stretching of additively manufactured preforms. First, we show how standard commercially-available thermoplastics can be used to produce long continuously-structured microfilaments with shape-memory abilities.

Co-drawing of technical and high-performance thermoplastics with glasses via the molten core method.

Among the different fundamental aspects that govern the design and development of elongated multimaterial structures via the preform-to-fiber technique, material association methodologies hold a crucial role. They greatly impact the number, complexity and possible combinations of functions that can be integrated within single fibers, thus defining their applicability. In this work, a co-drawing strategy to produce monofilament microfibers from unique glass-polymer associations is investigated.

Spatial beam reshaping and large-band nonlinear conversion in rectangular-core phosphate glass fibers.

Here we present the ability of Nd-doped zinc-phosphate glasses to be shaped into rectangular core fibers. At first, the physico-chemical properties of the developed PO-based materials are investigated for different concentrations of neodymium oxide and core and cladding glass compositions are selected for further fiber development. A modified stack-and-draw technique is used to produce multimode large rectangular-core optical fibers.

Physicochemical Properties and Fiber-Drawing Ability of Tellurite Glasses in the TeO-ZnO-YO Ternary System.

Glasses in the TeO-ZnO-YO (TZY) ternary system are examined in the present work. The vitrification domain of the chosen oxide matrix is determined and differential scanning calorimetry as well as X-ray diffraction measurements are carried out. The material characterizations reveal that YO incorporation cannot exceed 5 mol.

Optical Emission Detector Based on Plasma Discharge Generation at the Tip of a Multimaterial Fiber.

Experimental development of a compact optical emission detector based on the assembly of a polymer-metal and a standard silica fiber is presented in this paper. This device is exploited in a proof-of-principle experiment for gas detection application by means of plasma spectroscopy in the visible-Near Infrared spectral region. A multimode fiber (MMF) is associated with a functional hollow dual-electrodes elongated structure fabricated by the direct preform-to-fiber homothetic co-drawing.

Tailoring supercontinuum generation beyond 2 μm in step-index tellurite fibers.

We report numerical and experimental demonstrations of flexible group-velocity dispersion regimes in step-index tellurite fibers by fine control of the fiber core diameter. Our simple fiber design allowed us to explore various nonlinear propagation regimes beyond 2 μm, which involved careful control of four-wave mixing processes. Combined with the recent development of 2 μm fiber lasers, we present an easy way to tailor supercontinuum generation and related coherence features in the high-demand 1.