Abstract:We present a method to fabricate polymer optofluidic systems by means of injection molding that allow the insertion of standard optical fibers. The chip fabrication and assembly methods produce large numbers of robust optofluidic systems that can be easily assembled and disposed of, yet allow precise optical alignment and improve delivery of optical power. Using a multi-level chip fabrication process, complex channel designs with extremely vertical sidewalls, and dimensions that range from few tens of nanometers to hundreds of microns can be obtained. The technology has been used to align optical fibers in a quick and precise manner, with a lateral alignment accuracy of 2.7˘1.8 µm. We report the production, assembly methods, and the characterization of the resulting injection-molded chips for Lab-on-Chip (LoC) applications. We demonstrate the versatility of this technology by carrying out two types of experiments that benefit from the improved optical system: optical stretching of red blood cells (RBCs) and Raman spectroscopy of a solution loaded into a hollow core fiber. The advantages offered by the presented technology are intended to encourage the use of LoC technology for commercialization and educational purposes.
Abstract:Gas-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fibers are used to stabilize a fiber laser to the 13 C 2 H 2 P(16) (ν 1 + ν 3 ) transition at 1542 nm using saturated absorption. Four hollow-core fibers with different crystal structure are compared in terms of long term lock-point repeatability and fractional frequency instability. The locked fiber laser shows a fractional frequency instability below 4 × 10 −12 for averaging time up to 10 4 s. The lock-point repeatability over more than 1 year is 1.3 × 10 −11 , corresponding to a standard deviation of 2.5 kHz. A complete experimental investigation of the light-matter interaction between the spatial modes excited in the fibers and the frequency of the locked laser is presented. A simple theoretical model that explains the interaction is also developed.
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