The method and simulation of the three-dimensional colloidal crystal growth on the end face of optical fiber

Abstract

The method of the three-dimensional nanostructures colloidal crystal growth on the end face of optical fiber by gravity sedimentation method is presented. The end face of optical fiber is lapped by CNFIBERNET optical lapper. The optical fiber we used is single mode fiber. We found that the cladding and core of optical fiber would be corroded and the coating of optical fiber would be reserved when the bare optical fiber is taken into the HF buffer solution (HF:NH4F:H2O=3:7:10), and the cavity would be formed by the coating and cladding. This optical fiber is inserted into the polymethylmethacrylate(PMMA) microspheres colloidal solution from the lower side, and gravity sedimentation method is used to grow the PMMA colloidal crystal into the cavity. The three-dimensional nanostructures colloidal crystal onto the end face of optical fiber can be obtained. The nanostructures is face-centered cubic (FCC) by using the SEM. The RSOFT is used to simulate photonic band gap of FCC structure. Through the theory analysis and simulation, the PMMA colloidal crystal formed by the diameter 695nm spheres will have an obvious photonic band gap in the wavelength at 1550nm.