Yi-Wei Shi

Hollow fiber surface plasmon resonance sensor for the detection of liquid with high refractive index.

A new kind of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor based on silver-coated hollow fiber (HF) structure for the detection of liquids with high refractive index (RI) is presented. Liquid sensed medium with high RI is filled in the hollow core of the HF and its RI can be detected by measuring the transmission spectra of the HF SPR sensor. The designed sensors with different silver thicknesses are fabricated and the transmission spectra for filled liquids with different RI are measured to investigate the performances of the sensors. Theoretical analysis is also carried out to evaluate the performance. The simulation results agree well with the experimental results. Factors that might affect sensitivity and detection accuracy of the sensor are discussed. The highest sensitivity achieved is 6,607 nm/RIU, which is comparable to the sensitivities of the other reported fiber SPR sensors.

Multiwavelength laser light transmission of hollow optical fiber from the visible to the mid-infrared.

We report on low-loss multiwavelength laser delivery of hollow optical fiber in a wide wavelength region, from the visible to the infrared. Improved methods of liquid-phase coating were used to fabricate the hollow fiber with inner films of a silver and a cyclic olefin polymer (COP) layer. The surface roughness of the silver layer was reduced dramatically by pretreatment on the inner glass surface with an SnCl2 solution. The COP layer roughness was also decreased by using an ambient atmosphere of tetrahydrofuran (THF) solvent during the COP layer formation. Owing to the smooth surfaces, hollow fiber with optimum COP film thickness for CO2 laser light simultaneously yields low losses for a Er:YAG laser and a red pilot beam. The power durability of CO2 and Er:YAG lasers, as well as the loss properties for the pilot beam, is demonstrated.

Transmission characteristics of terahertz hollow fiber with an absorptive dielectric inner-coating film

We report calculation results for the transmission characteristics of terahertz hollow fibers with inner coatings of absorptive dielectric and metal layers. The absorption property of the dielectric film has an obvious influence on the transmission property of terahertz hollow fiber, because the optimum thickness of the dielectric layer is several tens of micrometers. Calculations were conducted on the loss properties of the hollow fiber with and without the absorptive dielectric layer. Important results were obtained, such as the optimum refractive index for the absorptive dielectric layer and the absorption tolerances for hollow fibers with various inner diameters.

Fabrication of a polymer-coated silver hollow optical fiber with high performance

The techniques for fabricating a hollow optical fiber with an inner silver layer and a cyclic olefin polymer (COP) layer have been improved to reduce the surface roughness of these two layers. The loss spectrum was thereby drastically reduced over a wide wavelength range, from visible to near infrared. Optimization of the COP layer thickness resulted in low loss simultaneously at several key laser wavelengths. Infrared hollow fiber with low loss was developed for Er:YAG and Nd:YAG lasers. It can also deliver green and red pilot beams with low loss. Use of this fiber in therapeutic and pilot lasers should prove useful for research and development in laser medicine.

Erbium:YAG laser lithotripsy by use of a flexible hollow waveguide with an end-scaling cap.

An Er:YAG laser light delivery system composed of a polymer-coated silver hollow waveguide and a quartz sealing cap has been developed for calculus fragmentation. Sealing caps with various distal-end geometries were fabricated, and the focusing effects of these caps for Er:YAG laser light were measured both in air and in water. Owing to the high power capability of the quartz a beam of sealing caps, Er:YAG laser light with an output energy of 200 mJ and a repetition rate of 10 Hz was successfully transmitted in saline solution by use of the system. Calculus fragmentation experiments conducted in vitro showed that the delivery system is suitable for medical applications in lithotripsy. We also found that the cap with a focusing effect is more effective in cutting calculi. The deterioration of the sealing caps after calculus fragmentation is also discussed.

Optical properties of AgI/Ag infrared hollow fiber in the visible wavelength region

We report on AgI/Ag infrared hollow fiber with low-loss in visible region. Improved methods of silver plating and iodination were proposed to fabricate the hollow fiber. The surface roughness of the silver layer and the silver iodide layer was reduced by the pretreatment with an SnCl2 solution and low iodination temperature. Losses for the Er:YAG and green laser light were 0.4 and 7dB/m. The loss property of green laser beam was low to deliver a pilot beam for the invisible infrared laser light. Owing to the smooth and uniform AgI film, the loss spectrum of the hollow fiber showed clear interference peaks in the visible region. An empirical formula for AgI material dispersion was derived, which is of special importance for the design of high-performance AgI/Ag hollow fiber.

Long-range surface plasmon resonance sensor based on dielectric/silver coated hollow fiber with enhanced figure of merit.

A long-range surface plasmon resonance (LRSPR) sensor based on dielectric/silver-coated hollow fiber (HF) is proposed. It can detect the refractive index (RI) of sensed liquid filled in the hollow core of the sensor. A HF LRSPR sensor with 90-nm-thick silver layer and 260-nm-thick OC300 layer is fabricated. Experiments are taken to evaluate the performance of the sensor by measuring the transmission spectra. Theoretical analysis based on a ray model is also taken, and the results agree well with the experimental results. The proposed sensor has similar sensitivity but much smaller SPR dip width than the silver-coated HF SPR sensor. Thus figure of merit of the sensor is enhanced approximately five times. The stability of the sensor is also improved because the dielectric layer acts as a protection layer for the damageable silver layer.

Infrared hollow fiber with a vitreous film as the dielectric inner coating layer

A vitreous material with an optimum reflective index of 1.41 for dielectric metallic hollow fiber is used for what is believed to be the first time. A smooth vitreous film is formed by the treatment of a hardener at room temperature by using the liquid-phase coating technique. Low-loss properties were obtained in both the infrared and visible wavelength regions, and the fibers are of high durability when sterilized. This hollow fiber is promising for use in medical applications or other harsh environments.

Fabrication and transmission characteristics of infrared hollow fiber based on silver-clad stainless steel pipes

Silver-clad stainless steel pipe is used as the supporting tube for the fabrication of infrared hollow fiber. The hollow fiber has high mechanical strength and is highly durable for use in the medical sterilization process. Film of a cyclic olefin polymer layer or silver iodide (AgI) was coated internally to reduce the transmission loss. A liquid-filling method is proposed for coating the AgI layer. Multiple coating processes proved to be effective to increase the AgI film thickness. A treatment of sodium thiosulfate water solution is also proposed to reduce the film thickness. The film thickness can be accurately controlled by combining the coating and decoating techniques. A loss of less than 0.2 dB was obtained for CO2 laser light for a hollow pipe with a length of 280 mm and an inside diameter of 0.75 mm.

Hollow polycarbonate fiber for Er:YAG laser light delivery.

We developed hollow fibers with polycarbonate (PC) capillaries for use as a supporting tube. The PC capillaries were prepared by using a glass-drawing technique. Hollow PC fibers are safer and more flexible than hollow glass fibers because no fragments are released when the fibers are broken in various applications. Inner coating layers of silver and cyclic olefin polymer (COP) enhanced the reflection rate at the Er:YAG laser light wavelength. Using these fibers, we attained low loss for Er:YAG laser light transmission. By adjusting the drawing temperature in the fabrication of the PC capillaries, we created a smooth inner surface and uniform PC capillaries. We also demonstrated low-loss properties for visible pilot beams.