3D Printed Hollow-Core Terahertz Fibers

Abstract

This paper reviews the subject of 3D printed hollow-core fibers for the propagation of terahertz (THz) waves. Several hollow and microstructured core fibers have been proposed in the literature as candidates for low-loss terahertz guidance. In this review, we focus on 3D printed hollow-core fibers with designs that cannot be easily created by conventional fiber fabrication techniques. We first review the fibers according to their guiding mechanism: photonic bandgap, antiresonant effect, and Bragg effect. We then present the modeling, fabrication, and characterization of a 3D printed Bragg and two antiresonant fibers, highlighting the advantages of using 3D printers as a path to make the fabrication of complex 3D fiber structures fast and cost-effective.

Glass: The carrier of light—Part II—A brief look into the future of optical fiber

“…This has been especially true at long wavelengths where the requisite waveguide dimensions are large and more easily accessible via AM. Considerable work has been conducted on terahertz (THz) fibers and applications, using both bandgap [158][159][160][161] and negative curvature anti-resonance hollow-core designs. 162,163 See Hong, et al, 160 for a thorough compilation and comparison of THz microstructured fibers fabricated using additive manufacturing.…”

Borosilicate Based Hollow-Core Optical Fibers

“…Simplified anti-resonant HC structures have already been adopted to make HCs with chalcogenide glasses [2,12] and polymers [13]. Indeed, the use of nonsilica glasses for HCs may allow to further reduce the attenuation of silica-based HCs in the mid-infrared spectral range [14] and beyond by exploiting their lowest light absorption at long wavelengths.…”

Anti-Resonant Hollow Core Fibers with Modified Shape of the Core for the Better Optical Performance in the Visible Spectral Region—A Numerical Study

“…Indeed, in 2007, Argyros and Pla [32] have presented a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) m-POF with a Kagomé lattice, making the transmission in the IR wavelength region (1200–1600 nm) possible with this fiber, which would not be the case for a solid-core POF, as the PMMA material absorption in this spectral region exceeds the value of 10 3 dB/m [33]. Microstructured, anti-resonant POFs are also of interest for the transmission of THz wavelengths [34,35,36,37], and due to the constant development of 3D-printing technology, structures of increased complexity and reduced size can be expected to become printable in the future. Nevertheless, lots of different mPOFs, fabricated with the conventional extrusion method, have already been presented [38].…”