Fused Silica Fibers Research Articles

Experimental investigations on the formation of boundary layers in glass-based additive manufacturing of fused silica fibers by Laser Glass Deposition

Laser glass deposition is an additive manufacturing method to produce individualized glass components. This process uses a CO2 laser with a defocused beam as a heat source to additively melt-fused silica filaments. The fiber filament is fed laterally in the process zone and is deposited layer-by-layer to form 3D structures. The formation of boundary layers in conventional 3D-printing methods is a usual byproduct of the process. In this paper, the boundary layer formation of deposited fused silica filaments is investigated in detail by means of varying different process parameters such as, laser power, feed rate, laser spot diameter, and printing strategy. This involves examining both thin-walled and thick-walled test specimens. Quality characteristics like the surface roughness and the optical transmission are analyzed for the printed specimen. Finally, fully transparent structures with surface roughness below 100 nm and a transparency of 90% could be printed boundary layer-free and without post-processing.

Design and sensitivity of a 6-axis seismometer for gravitational wave observatories

We present the design, control system, and noise analysis of a 6-axis seismometer comprising a mass suspended by a single fused silica fiber. We utilize custom-made, compact Michelson interferometers for the readout of the mass motion relative to the table and successfully overcome the sensitivity of existing commercial seismometers by over an order of magnitude in the angular degrees of freedom. We develop the sensor for gravitational-wave observatories, such as LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA, to help them observe intermediate-mass black holes, increase their duty cycle, and improve localization of sources. Our control system and its achieved sensitivity makes the sensor suitable for other fundamental physics experiments, such as tests of semiclassical gravity, searches for bosonic dark matter, and studies of the Casimir force. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Microstructures and properties of silica-based ceramic cores reinforced by alumina sol-modified fused-silica fibers

In this study, silica-based ceramic cores with zircon as a mineralizer and fused-silica fibers modified with alumina sol as an additive were prepared via injection molding method, the effects and mechanisms of fused-silica fibers on the mechanical and high-temperature dimensional stability properties of silica-based ceramic cores were investigated. The results demonstrate that both modified and unmodified fused-silica fibers are advantageous for the mechanical properties of silica-based ceramic cores, and the improvement level depends on the bonding strength of the interface between the fibers and the matrix. However, the unmodified fused-silica fibers melted with the matrix and aggravated the viscous flow of the liquid glass phase at high temperatures, thereby severely increasing the creep deformation of the silica-based cores. The modified fused-silica fibers remain intact because the mullite shell on the surface obstructed the fusion flow of the fibers at high temperatures, which helped to retard crack propagation and also considerably reduce the creep deformation of the silica-based cores by significantly accelerating cristobalite crystallization. The core with 1 wt% alumina sol-modified fused-silica fibers exhibited excellent comprehensive performance with bending strengths of 21.48 and 23.65 MPa at room temperature and 1550 °C, respectively; creep deformation of 0.37 mm; and apparent porosity of 37.98 %, well fulfilling the requirements for single crystal hollow blade casting.

The Impact of Gamma Irradiation on Optical Fibers Identified Using Long Period Gratings

This paper compares the impact of gamma irradiation on various optical fibers, where the evolution in their optical properties could be identified using long period gratings (LPG) there induced. The LPGs were fabricated in broad spectrum of commercially available single-mode optical fibers - from standard to unconventional ones - using the electric arc discharge method. The fused silica fiber material contained such dopant as Ge, F, B/Ge and P. The gamma exposure has been performed with a dose rate of 2.6 kGy/h for 20 h (a total dose of 52 kGy). Subsequently, the recovery effect was monitored during the following 48 h. The wavelength shift and power change of the LPG attenuation bands during irradiation were investigated in real time. Moreover, to identify the impact of gamma treatment on the fiber properties, the thermal response of the gratings was studied before and after the irradiation. Depending on the fiber, significant differences have been observed in the grating responses. The highest radiation-dependent resonance wavelength shift has been found for B/Ge fiber (∼10 nm at maximum dose). Moreover, for these LPGs no response saturation within the applied dose levels has been observed together with very low recovery effect, what differentiate these LPGs from the other tested in this experiment. Finally, concerning the changes in optical power at the resonance wavelength, the LPG induced in P-doped fiber has shown a strong irradiation-induced attenuation reaching 18 dB with a negligible recovery effect. The findings reported in this work are crucial for optical fiber and optical fiber sensors application in environments exposed to radiation.

Strong localization and suppression of Anderson modes in an asymmetrical optical waveguide.

In this paper, transverse Anderson localization of light waves in a 3D random network is achieved inside an asymmetrical type optical waveguide, formed within a fused-silica fiber by capillary process. Scattering waveguide medium originates from naturally formed air inclusions and Ag nanoparticles in rhodamine dye doped-phenol solution. Multimode photon localization is controlled by changing the degree of the disorder in the optical waveguide to suppress unwanted extra modes and obtain only one targeted strongly localized single optical mode confinement at the desired emission wavelength of the dye molecules. Additionally, the fluorescence dynamics of the dye molecules coupled into the Anderson localized modes in the disordered optical media are analyzed through time resolved experiments based on a single photon counting technique. The radiative decay rate of the dye molecules is observed to be enhanced up to a factor of about 10.1 through coupling into the specific Anderson localized cavity within the optical waveguide, providing a milestone for investigation of transverse Anderson localization of light waves in 3D disordered media to manipulate light-matter interaction.

Determination of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Coffee Samples by DI-SPME-GC/MS

Roasting is a crucial and essential step to produce quality coffee. However, it could lead to the formation of toxic and suspected carcinogenic or procancerogenic compounds, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In this work, a simple and easily automatable green procedure based on solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography for the analysis of acenaphthene, anthracene, benzo[ghi]perylene, benzo[a]pyrene, chrysene, fluoranthene, fluorene, naphthalene, and pyrene, in dark roasted and decaffeinated commercial coffees, was developed. The method was optimized for the determination of the analytes both in solid samples, such as ground coffee or coffee grounds, and liquids, such as espresso coffee, using a polyacrylate-coated fused silica fiber (85 μm) by direct immersion. The performance of the analytical method, developed in terms of sensitivity, reproducibility, and recoveries, proved to be suitable for the applications. Among the 9 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons investigated in the selected coffees, chrysene and pyrene were the most representative congeners with values ranging from undetectable to 95.6 ± 11 ng/g for chrysene and from undetectable to 404.7 ± 42.0 ng/g for pyrene. Benzo[a]pyrene was detected in two samples of dark roasted coffee which therefore had the highest toxicity/carcinogenicity in terms of toxic equivalent. The estimated limit of detection for benzo[a]pyrene in ground coffee and coffee grounds was 9.0 ng/g. About 30% of the PAHs were transferred to the infusion while the remaining part was retained by the coffee grounds.

Intermodal dispersive waves and soliton collision during multimode supercontinuum generation in chalcogenide glass fiber

Comparing with fused silica fiber, chalcogenide glass fibers are considered as an ideal platform for mid-infrared supercontinuum generation (SCG) because of its higher nonlinear coefficient and wider transparency window. Multimode fiber provides a new way to achieve special spectral characteristics in SCG by introducing intermodal interaction. We investigate the intermodal nonlinear phenomena associated with SCG in multimode chalcogenide fiber by numerically solving multimode generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation. The results indicate that when the phase matching condition is satisfied, the intermodal interaction leads to the generation of dispersive waves at mid-infrared wavelength. Furthermore, intermodal and intramodal soliton collision are observed, and the bandwidth of the supercontinuum is increased by the intermodal interaction. These results may provide a new way for the generation of mid-infrared supercontinuum light source.

Simultaneous Measurement of Temperature and Pressure Based on Fabry-Perot Interferometry for Marine Monitoring.

The temperature and pressure of seawater are of great importance to investigate the environmental evolution for the research of ocean science. With this regard, we proposed and experimentally demonstrated a seawater temperature and pressure sensor realized by a polyimide (PI) tube-based Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) together with a fiber Bragg grating (FBG). Benefiting from the higher thermo-optical coefficient and larger elasticity of polymer than the fused silica fiber, the sensitivity of the sensor is largely improved. The FBG is used to compensate the cross effect of the temperature. The measured temperature and pressure sensitivities of the sensor are 18.910 nm/°C and −35.605 nm/MPa, respectively. Furthermore, the temperature and pressure information measured by the sensor can be achieved simultaneously using the sensitivity matrix method. In addition, the proposed sensor has advantages of easy fabrication, compact size, as well as capability of multiplexing and long-distance measurement, making it competitive and promising during the marine monitoring.

A six degree-of-freedom fused silica seismometer: design and tests of a metal prototype

Ground vibrations couple to the longitudinal and angular motion of the aLIGO test masses and limit the observatory sensitivity below 30 Hz. Novel inertial sensors have the potential to improve the aLIGO sensitivity in this band and simplify the lock acquisition of the detectors. In this paper, we experimentally study a compact 6D seismometer that consists of a mass suspended by a single wire. The position of the mass is interferometrically read out relative to the platform that supports the seismometer. We present the experimental results, discuss limitations of our metallic prototype, and show that a compact 6D seismometer made out of fused silica and suspended with a fused silica fibre has the potential to improve the aLIGO low frequency noise.

Evaluation of New, Sputtered Carbon SPME Fibers with a Multi-Functional Group Test Mixture

We report the first fabrication of sputtered carbon, solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fibers. These fibers have competitive extraction capabilities compared with the commercial carbon wide range (CWR) SPME fiber. This report also includes a demonstration of a newly developed SPME test mix that includes 15 different compounds with a wide range of functional groups and chemical properties. The fiber fabrication process involves sputtering carbon onto fused silica fibers, and the effects of throw distance on the morphology of the carbon coatings were studied. Four different carbon coating thicknesses were evaluated, with PDMS added as a stationary phase. These fibers were characterized with multiple analytical techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), water contact angle (WCA) goniometry, as well as headspace (HS) and direct immersion (DI)–SPME–GC–MS. The best (11.5 µm) sputtered carbon SPME fibers, with and without PDMS, were evaluated using the new evaluation mix and compared with the commercial CWR fiber and a previously sputtered/developed silicon fiber. The new probe mix helped elucidate differences among the fibers, which would have been missed by current commercial test mixes. The sputtered carbon SPME fibers showed similar functional group selectivity as commercial CWR fibers. However, the sputtered carbon fibers showed higher responses per volume compared with the commercial CWR fiber, indicating the porous morphology of the sputtered carbon has the ability to overcome large phase thickness/volume discrepancies and increase the relative recovery for various compounds.

Ion–photonic frequency qubit correlations for quantum networks

Efficiently scaling quantum networks to long ranges requires local processing nodes to perform basic computation and communication tasks. Trapped ions have demonstrated all the properties required for the construction of such a node, storing quantum information for up to 12 min, implementing deterministic high fidelity logic operations on one and two qubits, and ion–photon coupling. While most ions suitable for quantum computing emit photons in visible to near ultraviolet (UV) frequency ranges poorly suited to long-distance fibre optical based networking, recent experiments in frequency conversion provide a technological solution by shifting the photons to frequencies in the telecom band with lower attenuation for fused silica fibres. Encoding qubits in frequency rather than polarization makes them more robust against decoherence from thermal or mechanical noise due to the conservation of energy. To date, ion–photonic frequency qubit entanglement has not been directly shown. Here we demonstrate a frequency encoding ion–photon entanglement protocol in 171Yb+ with correlations equivalent to 92.4(8)% fidelity using a purpose-built UV hyperfine spectrometer. The same robustness against decoherence precludes our passive optical setup from rotating photonic qubits to unconditionally demonstrate entanglement, however it is sufficient to allow us to benchmark the quality of ion–UV photon correlations prior to frequency conversion to the telecom band.

Introduction and measurement of the effective Verdet constant of spun optical fibers.

We introduce the term effective Verdet constant to describe the effect of spun fiber fabrication parameters on the Faraday polarization rotation sensitivity in response to a longitudinal magnetic field along the fiber. We obtain the expression of the effective Verdet constant of a spun fiber showing that it is always less than that of an ideal fiber free of birefringence by a factor relating to the ratio of spin twist rate to unspun fiber retardation per unit length. The larger the ratio, the closer the effective Verdet constant to that of the ideal fiber is. By measuring the polarization rotation in spun fibers with a highly accurate polarization analysis system made with binary polarization rotators, we experimentally obtain the effective Verdet constants of three different high birefringence spun fibers from three different manufactures at 1310 nm, with values of 1.07 × 10-6 rad/A, 1.05 × 10-6 rad/A, and 1.04 × 10-6 rad/A, respectively, which are 98%, 96%, and 95% of that of the ideal fused silica fiber free of birefringence. Our work is important for understanding the Faraday Effect in the spun optical fibers, as well as for quantifying the Faraday sensitivity of different spun fibers for electrical current and magnetic field sensing applications.

Benzene extraction in environmental samples based on the mixture of nanoactivated carbon and ionic liquid coated on fused silica fiber before determination by headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography

In this study, the mixture of nano activated carbon (NAC) and ionic liquid (3-triphenylphosphonio-propane-1-sulfonate; C21H21O3PS) was coated on fused silica fiber of SPME holder (NAC-IL-FSF/SPME). Then NAC/IL was used for determining of benzene in soil and vegetables samples (1.0 g, n=50) surrounding a chemical industry zone. After benzene adsorption on NAC-IL based on head space solid phase micoextraction (HS-SPME), the concentration of benzene was simply determined by introducing probe to injector of gas chromatography with flame-ionization detection (GC-FID). All effected parameters such as the sorbent mass, the amount of sample, the temperature, and the interaction time were optimized in glass chromatography vials by static procedures. The benzene vapor was absorbed from soil and vegetables samples with NAC-IL-FSF/SPME holder for 10 min at 80oC (10 mg of NAC and 0.1 g of ionic liquid in 0.5 mL of acetone coated on FSF). Then the benzene was desorbed and determined by GC-FID spectrometry. The extraction efficiency and absorption capacity of adsorbent were obtained 98.5% and 127.2 mg g-1, respectively. The high surface area of NAC and favorite interaction of aromatic chain in IL (π-π), caused to efficiently remove of benzene vapor by HS-SPME procedure as compared to other nanostructures.

Homogeneously Emitting, Mechanically Stable, and Efficient fs-Laser-Machined Fiber Diffusers for Medical Applications.

Light delivery is an essential part of therapy forms like photodynamic therapy (PDT), laser-induced thermotherapy, and endovenous laser therapy. While there are approaches to the light application for all three therapies, there is no diffuser that can be used for all three approaches. This diffuser must meet the following criteria: Homogeneous radiation profile over a length of 40 mm, efficient light extraction in the diffuser area, mechanical breakage resistance as well as thermal stability when applying high power. An ultrashort pulse laser was used to inscribe inhomogeneities into the core of a fused-silica fiber core while scanning the laser focus within a linear arrangement of cuboids centered around the fiber axis. The manufactured diffuser was optically and mechanically characterized and examined to determine the maximum power that can be applied in a tissue environment. Based on the analysis of all examined diffusers, the manufactured diffuser exhibits an emission efficiency ε = (81.5 ± 5.9)%, an intensity variability of (19 ± 5)% between distal and proximal diffuser end, and a minimum bending radius Rb = (15.4 ± 1.5) mm. It was taken advantage of the fact that the outer areas of the fiber core do not undergo any structural changes due to the machining and therefore do not suffer a major loss of stability. Tissue experiments revealed that a maximal power of 15 W was deliverable from the diffuser without harming the diffuser itself. It could be shown that a diffuser manufactured by ultrafast-laser processing can be used for low power applications as well as for high power applications. Further tests have to show whether the mechanical stability is still maintained after the application of high power in a tissue environment. Lasers Surg. Med. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Lowest observed surface and weld losses in fused silica fibres for gravitational wave detectors

High purity fused silica has become the cornerstone choice for use in the final monolithic stage of the mirror suspensions in the gravitational wave observatories Advanced LIGO (aLIGO) and Advanced Virgo (AdV). The ultra-low thermal noise contributed by these suspensions is one of the key improvements that permitted the Nobel prize winning first direct measurement of gravitational waves in 2015. This paper outlines the first in situ study undertaken to analyse the thermal noise of the final monolithic stage of the aLIGO Hanford detector mirror suspensions. We analysed short operational periods of this detector, when high excitation of the transverse ‘violin’ modes of the silica suspension fibres occurred. This allowed detailed measurements of the Q-factor of violin modes up to order 8 of individual fibres on separate masses. We demonstrate the highest silica fibre violin mode Q-factors yet measured of up to 2 × 109. From finite element modelling, the dominant surface and weld losses have been calculated to be a factor of 3 to 4 better than previously accepted, and as a result, we demonstrate that the level of noise in the aLIGO final stage silica suspensions is around 30%–40% better than previously estimated between frequencies of 10–500 Hz. This leads to an increase in the estimated event rate by a factor of 2 for aLIGO, if suspension thermal noise became the main limitation to the sensitivity of the detector.

Endoscopic pyrometric temperature sensor.

We demonstrate a pyrometric contact-less temperature sensor using a flexible fused silica fiber of 360 µm diameter able to measure down to 30°C with a precision better than 1°C at 10 Hz. Silica fibers, as opposed to dedicated mid-IR fibers, are non-degrading, low-cost, and bio-compatible. The large bandwidth (up to several kilohertz) and the broad temperature range (up to 235°C) of the sensor can be instrumental for time-resolved analysis and control of laser ablation and electrothermal surgery procedures.

Cerium-doped fused-silica fibers for particle physics detectors

We describe our R&D effort to develop radiation-hard scintillating and wavelength shifting fibers by doping fused-silica with cerium. This new type of cerium-doped fiber potentially offers myriad new applications in calorimeters for high-energy physics, tracking systems, and profiling of charged particle beams.

Laser glass deposition of spheres for printing micro lenses

Similar to components in electronics industry, optical systems are also increasingly miniaturized. The integration of functions as well as the production of optical freeform surfaces, which are not manufactural with conventional manufacturing processes, are of special interest. One method for additive manufacturing of glass components is the Laser Glass Deposition (LGD) by using a CO2 laser source (10.6 µm). This allows printing functional waveguides in individual shapes. The process is also able to generate spheres for e.g. a planar lens matrix. In this paper the reproducible controlled deposition of spheres using a fused silica fiber with a diameter of 400 µm is investigated. For this purpose, a parameter variation of the fiber feeding speed and laser power is carried out to produce spheres of different sizes and in different arrangements. Finally, the optical and stress-mechanical properties of the samples are investigated.

Experimental analysis of axial stress distribution in nanostructured core fused silica fibers

We experimentally studied axial stress distribution in recently developed optical all-solid fibers with nanostructured cores. In this type of fiber, the core is composed of thousands of low and high refractive index glass rods with individual diameters of a few hundred nanometers. A distribution of nanorods determines the effective distribution of the refractive index in the core. A structure of nanorods may introduce unrevealed axial stress distribution after fiber drawing, which may induce change of the expected refractive index value. We studied stress in a custom made nanostructured silica fiber with parabolic refractive index distribution in the core and compared it with the reference SMF-28 fiber. For nanostructured fibers we proved that the axial stress is purely thermal with negligible contribution of mechanical stress. This results in the presence of tensile stress in the fiber core, which is in contrary to a standard telecom fiber, where a compressive stress in the core exists. We showed that measured axial stress has negligible impact on refractive index distribution of nanostructured fibers, thus it does not affect its performance.

Multi-octave spanning, Watt-level ultrafast mid-infrared source

We present a source of brilliant mid-infrared radiation, seamlessly covering the wavelength range between 1.33 and 18 μm (7500–555 cm−1) with three channels, employing broadband nonlinear conversion processes driven by the output of a thulium-fiber laser system. The high-average-power femtosecond frontend delivers a 50 MHz train of 250 fs pulses spectrally centered at 1.96 μm. The three parallel channels employ soliton self-compression in a fused-silica fiber, supercontinuum generation in a ZBLAN fiber, and difference-frequency generation in GaSe driven by soliton self-compressed pulses. The total output enables spectral coverage from 1.33 to 2.4 μm, from 2.4 to 5.2 μm, and from 5.2 to 18 μm with 4.5 W, 0.22 W and 0.5 W, respectively. This spatially coherent source with a footprint of less than 4 m2 exceeds the brilliance of 3rd-generation synchrotrons by more than three orders of magnitude over 90% of the bandwidth.