Overview of photonic devices based on functional material-integrated photonic crystal fibers

Abstract

Photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) have brought tremendous advancements due to their predominant features of peculiar air-holes arrangement in two-dimentional direction. Functional materials like metals, magnetic fluids, nematic liquid crystals, graphene and so on, are extensively adopted to integrate with PCFs to get extraordinary transmission properties. This review takes the development stages of photonic devices based on functional materials-infiltrated PCFs into consideration, covering the overview of common materials and their photoelectric characteristics, the state-of-art infiltrating/coating techniques, as well as the corresponding applications involving polarization filtering and splittering devices in optical communication and sensing elements related to multiple parameters measurement. The cladding air hole of PCFs provides a natural optofluidic channel for materials being introduced, light-matter interaction being enhanced, and transmission properties being extended, where a lab on a fiber are able to be proceeded. It paves a space for the development of photonic devices in the aspects of compact, multi-functional integration, and electromagnetic resistance as well. According to surface plasmon resonance, the property of tunable refractive indices, and the flexible geometry structures, it comes up to some representative researches on polarization filters, multiplexer-demultiplexers, splitters, couplers and sensors, making a candidate for widespread fields of telecommunication, signal-capacity, and high-performance sensing.

Optical Fibre-Based Sensors—An Assessment of Current Innovations

“…By changing the size, shape, and distribution of the air holes, the optical properties of PCF can be tailored to meet specific application requirements. This flexibility allows for the design of fibres with exceptional dispersion characteristics, mode profiles, and nonlinear properties [ 96 ].…”

A comparative DFT analysis of chiral laterally semi-fluorinated liquid crystals

“…In these types of compounds, the anisotropic properties are altered by the lateral fluorine substitutions [21]. Also, their high birefringence in the infra-red (IR) range [22] increases their suitability for laser beam steering [23], infrared light shutter [24], and other IR applications. Extensive studies are undergoing to design LC molecules with less mid-wave IR absorption without compromising the optical properties of the molecules [25,26].…”

Design and numerical analysis of a highly sensitive nano-layer coated photonic crystal fiber biosensor

“…Compared to a conventional optical fiber sensor, photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) are preferred due to their design flexibility, portability, lightness, remote sensing capabilities, and single-mode operating conductions [11,12]. SPR sensors based on PCFs have attracted much attention due to their wide tunable range, high birefringence, large mode region, high sensitivity and flexibility [13].…”