WO2009029987A1 - Procédé permettant de rendre sensibles à l'environnement extérieur des fibres microstructurées - Google Patents

Procédé permettant de rendre sensibles à l'environnement extérieur des fibres microstructurées Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2009029987A1
WO2009029987A1 PCT/AU2008/001314 AU2008001314W WO2009029987A1 WO 2009029987 A1 WO2009029987 A1 WO 2009029987A1 AU 2008001314 W AU2008001314 W AU 2008001314W WO 2009029987 A1 WO2009029987 A1 WO 2009029987A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
fibre
preform
slot
hole
optical fibre
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/AU2008/001314
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Maryanne Candida Jane Large
Cristiano Monteriro De Barros Cordeiro
Felicity Cox
Original Assignee
The University Of Sydney
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from AU2007904813A external-priority patent/AU2007904813A0/en
Application filed by The University Of Sydney filed Critical The University Of Sydney
Publication of WO2009029987A1 publication Critical patent/WO2009029987A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/02—Optical fibres with cladding with or without a coating
    • G02B6/02295—Microstructured optical fibre
    • G02B6/02314—Plurality of longitudinal structures extending along optical fibre axis, e.g. holes
    • G02B6/02342—Plurality of longitudinal structures extending along optical fibre axis, e.g. holes characterised by cladding features, i.e. light confining region
    • G02B6/02371—Cross section of longitudinal structures is non-circular
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C03—GLASS; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL
    • C03B—MANUFACTURE, SHAPING, OR SUPPLEMENTARY PROCESSES
    • C03B37/00—Manufacture or treatment of flakes, fibres, or filaments from softened glass, minerals, or slags
    • C03B37/01—Manufacture of glass fibres or filaments
    • C03B37/012—Manufacture of preforms for drawing fibres or filaments
    • C03B37/01205—Manufacture of preforms for drawing fibres or filaments starting from tubes, rods, fibres or filaments
    • C03B37/01225—Means for changing or stabilising the shape, e.g. diameter, of tubes or rods in general, e.g. collapsing
    • C03B37/01228—Removal of preform material
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C03—GLASS; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL
    • C03B—MANUFACTURE, SHAPING, OR SUPPLEMENTARY PROCESSES
    • C03B37/00—Manufacture or treatment of flakes, fibres, or filaments from softened glass, minerals, or slags
    • C03B37/01—Manufacture of glass fibres or filaments
    • C03B37/012—Manufacture of preforms for drawing fibres or filaments
    • C03B37/01205—Manufacture of preforms for drawing fibres or filaments starting from tubes, rods, fibres or filaments
    • C03B37/01225—Means for changing or stabilising the shape, e.g. diameter, of tubes or rods in general, e.g. collapsing
    • C03B37/01228—Removal of preform material
    • C03B37/01231—Removal of preform material to form a longitudinal hole, e.g. by drilling
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C03—GLASS; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL
    • C03B—MANUFACTURE, SHAPING, OR SUPPLEMENTARY PROCESSES
    • C03B37/00—Manufacture or treatment of flakes, fibres, or filaments from softened glass, minerals, or slags
    • C03B37/01—Manufacture of glass fibres or filaments
    • C03B37/012—Manufacture of preforms for drawing fibres or filaments
    • C03B37/01205—Manufacture of preforms for drawing fibres or filaments starting from tubes, rods, fibres or filaments
    • C03B37/01225—Means for changing or stabilising the shape, e.g. diameter, of tubes or rods in general, e.g. collapsing
    • C03B37/01228—Removal of preform material
    • C03B37/01234—Removal of preform material to form longitudinal grooves, e.g. by chamfering
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/02—Optical fibres with cladding with or without a coating
    • G02B6/02295—Microstructured optical fibre
    • G02B6/02314—Plurality of longitudinal structures extending along optical fibre axis, e.g. holes
    • G02B6/02342—Plurality of longitudinal structures extending along optical fibre axis, e.g. holes characterised by cladding features, i.e. light confining region
    • G02B6/02357—Property of longitudinal structures or background material varies radially and/or azimuthally in the cladding, e.g. size, spacing, periodicity, shape, refractive index, graded index, quasiperiodic, quasicrystals
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C03—GLASS; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL
    • C03B—MANUFACTURE, SHAPING, OR SUPPLEMENTARY PROCESSES
    • C03B2203/00—Fibre product details, e.g. structure, shape
    • C03B2203/42—Photonic crystal fibres, e.g. fibres using the photonic bandgap PBG effect, microstructured or holey optical fibres
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
    • G01N21/01—Arrangements or apparatus for facilitating the optical investigation
    • G01N21/03—Cuvette constructions
    • G01N2021/0346—Capillary cells; Microcells
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
    • G01N21/84—Systems specially adapted for particular applications
    • G01N21/85—Investigating moving fluids or granular solids
    • G01N21/8507—Probe photometers, i.e. with optical measuring part dipped into fluid sample
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/02—Optical fibres with cladding with or without a coating
    • G02B6/02295—Microstructured optical fibre
    • G02B6/02314—Plurality of longitudinal structures extending along optical fibre axis, e.g. holes
    • G02B6/02342—Plurality of longitudinal structures extending along optical fibre axis, e.g. holes characterised by cladding features, i.e. light confining region
    • G02B6/02366—Single ring of structures, e.g. "air clad"
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/02—Optical fibres with cladding with or without a coating
    • G02B6/02295—Microstructured optical fibre
    • G02B6/02314—Plurality of longitudinal structures extending along optical fibre axis, e.g. holes
    • G02B6/02385—Comprising liquid, e.g. fluid filled holes

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to the design and manufacture of microstructured optical fibres.
  • the core of microstructured optical fibre is generally a pure material whilst the cladding is composed of a two-dimensional microstructure consisting of two or more substances.
  • the cladding consists of an array of air holes in a solid material that run longitudinally along the length of the fiber.
  • the cladding is thus characterized by an average refractive index value less than that of the solid material, allowing the fibre to guide by total internal reflection.
  • the solid material is usually silica or polymer although other materials may be used.
  • the holes of the cladding are not restricted to being air-filled, and can be filled with any material that preserves the lower index condition of the cladding.
  • the optical properties of the microstructured cladding, and thus those of the entire waveguide, depend on the optical properties of these constituent materials as well as the relative amount and arrangement of each. The corollary of this is that the constituent materials have a direct effect on the guidance properties of the fibre and it is this intrinsic link between materials and optical properties, coupled with the ability to freely exchange at least one of these materials via the microstructure, which make MOFs such interesting vessels for chemical sensing.
  • making the interior of the fibre accessible allows several things: a large number of sensing experiments have been enabled in microstructured fibres, because of their ability to guide light in low refractive index materials, through the photonic bandgap effect, evanescent fields, or liquid core effective index guiding.
  • Other experiments using these fluids would include, but not be limited to, non-linear optical effects, and electrooptic effects, processes in which tunability is introduced by for example heating or applying a voltage to a fluid and hence changing its optical properties.
  • These experiments require use the fact that the holes in the microstructure can guide material as well as light.
  • Critical to their operation is the ability to guide light and materials simultaneously. However in most cases loading the fluid into the fibre is both time consuming (usually requiring pressure as well as capillary action) and difficult.
  • the loading of the material is normally done via the same fibre end as is used for coupling light in and out of the fibre.
  • a specially designed loading system has to be designed, and a rapid response time to changes in the fluid is impossible for this reason, prohibiting for example the use of these fibres for effective online measurements.
  • a first aspect of the present invention provides a method of forming a microstructured optical fibre, said method comprising forming one or more apertures at predetermined locations in a preform, said one or more apertures formed at an angle to the axis of the preform, and subsequently drawing said preform to form a length of optical fibre.
  • said apertures extend into the preform at an angle to the direction in which the preform is to be drawn.
  • said preform is formed from an optically suitable polymer material.
  • said aperture is in the form of a hole or slot which is introduced into the preform of a microstructured fibre.
  • the axis of said aperture is perpendicular to the direction of the fibre axis.
  • said aperture is in the form of a hole or slot which extends longitudinally along the fibre axis.
  • said aperture permits a portion of said microstructure to be open to the external environment when said preform is drawn to a fibre.
  • a second aspect of the present invention provides a microstructured optical fibre formed in accordance with the method of the first aspect of the invention.
  • said aperture is in the form of a hole or slot which is introduced into the preform of a microstructured fibre.
  • the direction of the hole or slot may be perpendicular or at a more glacing angle to the direction of the fibre axis.
  • the hole or slot allows some portion of the microstructure (core, cladding, or both) to be open to the external environment when the preform is drawn to fibre.
  • the introduction of the hole or slot at the preform stage has a number of advantages over attempting to do so at the fibre stage, including: a) It is easier to drill a hole in the preform, the hole can be much bigger than it would be in the fibre. In particular, it is possible to obtain an extended slot rather than an isolated hole. It is possible to do this in glass mid polymer. This greatly enhances the ability of the fibre to be filled quickly. If more than one section is required to be open (for example, 2 points to provide a flow circuit), the use of the long slot rather than the hole is clear- rather than making separate holes, a slot can be made, and some region of the slot sealed to produce separate holes. b) Potentially it is easier to remove dust created by the drilling with pressurized air and with the drawing itself.
  • the hole or slot does not have to pass directly and/or perpendicularly into the fibre- it may take a less direct path, and in particular the hole or slot may enter the preform (and hence later the fibre) at a more glancing angle (i.e. the hole is not perpendicular to the fibre axis, but enters the fibre at a glancing angle.
  • This has many advantages- allowing for example light (rather than a material) to be launched into a hollow core fibre, or material to be launched with almost the correct direction.
  • Figure 1 illustrates slotted microstructured polymer optical fibres (mPOF) with
  • fibre diameter is approximately 140 ⁇ m.
  • Figure 2 illustrates a slotted mPOF with varying slot sizes.
  • the slots were formed by drilling 1.0 mm, 1.6 mm and 2.5 mm holes into the intermediate preform.
  • the present invention is directed to a way of making microstructured optical fibres sensitive to the external environment by opening a hole or slit in the microstructure so that external material such as fluids (both liquids or gases) or particles (including atoms) may be introduced into the fibre, either entering the core, or cladding, or both.
  • the side hole or slot in a hollow core fibre may also allow beams, such as highly directed lasers, to freely impinge on the interior of the fibre without being required to pass through the microstructured cladding.
  • beams such as highly directed lasers
  • this greatly improves the writing of gratings in the fibre.
  • Grating writing is usually done using a focused laser beam to modify the refractive index of the fibre core through photochemical, photophysical or other physical changes in material.
  • microstructured cladding is known to interfere with this process by scattering the incident light.
  • An extended side hole or slot would thus allow a more direct access to the core.
  • a close access to core would allow materials to be deposited (such as metals, or nanoparticles) in a way that would affect the transmission in the core, or allow enable other processes to be applied to the core. These include: applying an electric field, enhanced surface effects such as surface plasmon resonances or the surface enhanced Raman effect, magneto-optic effects, or a localised fluorescence exitation.
  • the present invention makes it possible to make a fibre that constrains light, but not fluids or other material.
  • fibre to be sensitive to the ambient environment (eg: gases or liquids), while still acting as a waveguide.
  • the light used to probe the liquid will be guided, allowing the traditional advantages of fibre sensors- and in particular the long interaction lengths needed for sensitive detection through for example spectroscopic means.
  • material such as particles or fluids
  • radiation such as light
  • the side hole was introduced before the preform was drawn to fibre.
  • a hole was drilled in the preform, and this lengthened to a slot during the draw process.
  • the holes used can be relatively large (a simpler process to make) and long lengths can be made without affecting the structural integrity of the preform.
  • the draw process will result in relatively smooth walled holes.
  • a slot may be formed in the preform.
  • Small holes can be made by mechanical drilling, laser drilling, or in, in the case of polymers, by a hot wire technique. In such fibres, the light is confined by total internal reflection and so the presence of the hole will not dramatically affect the guidance (though the field will be localised more in the liquid filled higher index region). This is less obvious with bandgap fibres where although the bandgap will in principle still guide the fibres, the presence of the side hole will still the loss in that physical region.
  • a hole may be introduced at the capillary stacking stage (holes being introduced into individual capillaries being slacked), so that the hole inwards through the structure to the core progressed layer by layer through the stack.
  • the present invention enables the fabrication of a laterally accessible mPOF device whereby fluid from the bulk can access the holes of the microstructured cladding along the length of the fibre. This is facilitated by a slot that is oriented laterally with respect to the fibre axis. Entry and exit of fluid through the endfaces of the fibre is avoided.
  • Two examples of mPOFs with lateral slots are shown in Figure 1.
  • the diameter of the fibres in Figure 1. is approximately 140 ⁇ m.
  • Fabrication of the slotted devices requires only minimal deviation from standard drawing procedures as the only additional step was drilling lateral holes into the preform before being drawn to fibre.
  • the process begins with an 8 cm preform that is drawn down to an intermediate cane of ⁇ 0.6 cm diameter and then sleeved. Holes are then drilled into the sleeved cane, perpendicular to the cane axis. These holes intersect with a single air hole and do not impact the core. Cooling fluid is used when drilling the lateral holes and this is cleaned by rinsing both the lateral and microstructured holes with water and then blasting with compressed air.
  • microstructure experienced minimal, if any, distortion due to the presence of the lateral slot.
  • the microstructure hole that connects to the slot is approximately the same size and shape as the other microstructure holes despite being open on one side.
  • the slot remains open along its length, and the sides of the slot sustain an approximately parallel orientation. It appears that the existence of the slot induces no additional losses to the fibre.
  • a MOF with a laterally exposed core along the length of the fibre has been fabricated for the first time without compromising the strength of the waveguide.
  • the slot was simple to fabricate and the slotted mPOF was drawn under relatively standard draw conditions. Both 3- and 5-hole versions of the slotted mPOF were fabricated. Control over the width of the access slot was demonstrated through the choice of hole diameter drilled in the mPOF cane. Control of the length of the slot was also achieved by the choice of hole size in the cane and more significantly by fabricating an extended slot in the cane, which was drawn to long lengths of the laterally accessible fibre. It is possible to achieve steady state drawing if the holes in the cane are replaced by a slot that runs along the entire length of the cane, whilst maintaining the integrity of the microstructure.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Materials Engineering (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Optical Fibers, Optical Fiber Cores, And Optical Fiber Bundles (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne la conception et la fabrication de fibres optiques microstructurées. Un aspect de l'invention concerne un procédé de formation d'une fibre optique microstructurée, ce procédé consistant à former au moins une ouverture à un emplacement prédéterminé dans une préforme, ladite ouverture au moins étant inclinée par rapport à l'axe de la préforme, puis à tirer la préforme pour former une longueur de fibre optique.
PCT/AU2008/001314 2007-09-04 2008-09-04 Procédé permettant de rendre sensibles à l'environnement extérieur des fibres microstructurées WO2009029987A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU2007904813 2007-09-04
AU2007904813A AU2007904813A0 (en) 2007-09-04 A method for making microstructured fibres sensitive to the external environment

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2009029987A1 true WO2009029987A1 (fr) 2009-03-12

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Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US9791619B2 (en) 2015-10-06 2017-10-17 General Electric Company Microstructured optical fibers for gas sensing systems
CN115572058A (zh) * 2022-10-08 2023-01-06 国科大杭州高等研究院 C型空芯光纤、制备方法及其应用

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2003079077A1 (fr) * 2002-03-15 2003-09-25 Crystal Fibre A/S Fibre optique a microstructure comprenant un evidement pour gaine, procede de production associe et appareil renfermant celle-ci
JP2003342032A (ja) * 2002-05-23 2003-12-03 Masataka Nakazawa フォトニッククリスタル光ファイバ用母材及びその製造方法
US20040179796A1 (en) * 2001-03-09 2004-09-16 Christian Jakobsen Fabrication of microstructured fibres
US20070204656A1 (en) * 2006-03-01 2007-09-06 Gallagher Michael T Method enabling dual pressure control within fiber preform during fiber fabrication

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20040179796A1 (en) * 2001-03-09 2004-09-16 Christian Jakobsen Fabrication of microstructured fibres
WO2003079077A1 (fr) * 2002-03-15 2003-09-25 Crystal Fibre A/S Fibre optique a microstructure comprenant un evidement pour gaine, procede de production associe et appareil renfermant celle-ci
JP2003342032A (ja) * 2002-05-23 2003-12-03 Masataka Nakazawa フォトニッククリスタル光ファイバ用母材及びその製造方法
US20070204656A1 (en) * 2006-03-01 2007-09-06 Gallagher Michael T Method enabling dual pressure control within fiber preform during fiber fabrication

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
A.VAN BRAKEL ET AL.: "Femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser fabrication of micro-channels in microstructured optical fibres", PROC. CLEO/ EUROPE - IQEC 2007, EUROPEAN CONFERENCE ON LASERS AND ELECTRO-OPTICS AND THE INTERNATIONAL QUANTUM ELECTRONICS CONFERENCE, 17 June 2007 (2007-06-17), Piscata way, NJ, USA, pages 415, XP031162669 *

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US9791619B2 (en) 2015-10-06 2017-10-17 General Electric Company Microstructured optical fibers for gas sensing systems
CN115572058A (zh) * 2022-10-08 2023-01-06 国科大杭州高等研究院 C型空芯光纤、制备方法及其应用

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