Abstract
In this paper, we address the challenges faced in the
fabrication process of nanostructured fiber. We show
that a slight nonuniformity of holes of the preform
results in a difference in the added pressure in the
holes of the fiber during the fabrication process. It
may not be a notable problem for the microstructured
fiber, but it can result in serious deformation or even
collapse for nanostructured fiber. By using a model, we
propose a distortion factor that indicates the
distortion degree of the geometry of fiber compared with
the geometry of preform. The hole size of preform is the
most important variable to the distortion factor. A
large hole size in the preform is of great significance
in decreasing the distortion. We also show that when the
temperature is increased, the surface tension is
decreased, but the viscosity is decreased much more
quickly, so the distortion becomes severe. For minimum
distortion in the nanostructured fibers we demonstrate,
preforms with comparatively large and uniform inner
holes are fabricated by inflating with inert gas. By
using such preforms, we fabricate hexagonal core and
triangular core nanostructured fibers with the smallest
size recorded. Supercontinuum generation from the
nanostructured fiber is demonstrated. In this paper, the
glass we use for the demonstration is a soft glass. By
using polymer or silica glass, which is more suitable
for nanostructure fabrication, and by controlling the
uniformity of holes in the original cane more
accurately, various nanostructured fibers with even
smaller size and more complex structure, or nanowire
array, should be able to be fabricated by the inflation
method.
© 2011 IEEE
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