Sub-wavelength Diameter Silica Wires for Low-Loss Optical Wave Guiding or High Strength Applications

Summary Silica wires can be utilized to transmit light for use as optical waveguides. Typical silica waveguides in use today in optical communication, sensors, and other applications, have widths (or diameters) that are larger than the wavelength of transmitted light. Photonic device applications will benefit from limiting the width of the waveguides, as this lowers optical loss. To date, fabricating low-loss optical waveguides has been challenging because of strict requirements on surface roughness and diameter uniformity.

Applications The Harvard technology is a sub-wavelength diameter silica wire that exhibits high diameter uniformity and surface smoothness. This provides direct benefit for use as a low-loss optical waveguide within the visible to near-infrared spectral range. Using a two-step process, one can fabricate long freestanding silica wires with diameters down to 50nm that show atomic level surface smoothness and diameter uniformity. Light can be launched into these wires by optical evanescent coupling. The wires allow single-mode operation and have an optical loss of less that 0.1 dB/mm. Possible uses are for microphotonic devices with subwavelength-width structures. Interestingly, the silica wires also exhibit tensile strength 5 times that of spider silk, and have non-optical applications such as in textiles. For Further Information Please Contact the Director of Business Development Alan Gordon Email: [email protected] Telephone: (617) 384-5000

Inventor(s): Mazur, Eric

Type of Offer: Licensing



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