Tellurite hollow-core antiresonant fiber for mid-IR is quite bendable
2023-06-16
Tellurite hollow-core antiresonant fiber for mid-IR is quite bendable
High-power mid-infrared (mid-IR) lasers are used for laser surgery, as well as in some types of materials processing—both of which require that the optical power be easily, precisely, and safely moved to the right spot, wherever that may be. Delivering light via optical fiber is a leading approach, with one large drawback of the conventional solid-core chalcogenide glass fibers being absorption of the mid-IR light and the resulting fiber heating and damage. Hollow-core microstructured fibers greatly reduce light absorption due to the air core. Numerous designs, including those of hollow-core antiresonant fibers (HC-ARFs), are being developed; these fibers simultaneously have a large core size and effectively single-mode guidance.