Pereira Diana, Wieduwilt Torsten, Hauswald Walter, Zeisberger Matthias, Ferreira Marta S, Schmidt Markus A
Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Jena, Germany.
i3N & Physics Department, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal.
Light Sci Appl. 2025 May 15;14(1):197. doi: 10.1038/s41377-025-01827-9.
The integration of functional components into flexible photonic environments is a critical area of research in integrated photonics and is essential for high-precision sensing. This work presents a novel concept of interfacing square-core hollow-core waveguides with commercially available optical fibers using 3D nanoprinting, and demonstrates its practical relevance through a nanoscience-based characterization technique. In detail, this innovative concept results in a monolithic, fully fiber-integrated device with key advantages such as alignment-free operation, high-purity fundamental mode excitation, full polarization control, and a unique handling flexibility. For the first time, the application potential of a fiber-interfaced waveguide in nanoscale analysis is demonstrated by performing nanoparticle-tracking-analysis experiments. These experiments involve the tracking and analysis of individual gold nanospheres diffusing in the hollow core waveguide, enabled by nearly aberration-free imaging, extended observation times, and homogeneous light-line illumination. The study comprehensively covers design strategy, experimental implementation, key principles, optical characterization, and practical applications. The fiber-interfaced hollow-core waveguide concept offers significant potential for applications in bioanalytics, environmental sciences, quantum technologies, optical manipulation, and life sciences. It also paves the way for the development of novel all-fiber devices that exploit enhanced light-matter interaction in a monolithic form suitable for flexible and remote applications.
将功能组件集成到柔性光子环境中是集成光子学研究的一个关键领域，对于高精度传感至关重要。这项工作提出了一种利用3D纳米打印将方形芯空芯波导与商用光纤连接的新颖概念，并通过基于纳米科学的表征技术证明了其实际意义。具体而言，这一创新概念产生了一种单片式、完全光纤集成的器件，具有诸如无需对准操作、高纯度基模激发、全偏振控制以及独特的操作灵活性等关键优势。首次通过进行纳米颗粒跟踪分析实验证明了光纤连接波导在纳米级分析中的应用潜力。这些实验涉及对在空芯波导中扩散的单个金纳米球的跟踪和分析，这得益于近乎无像差成像、延长的观察时间以及均匀的光线照明。该研究全面涵盖了设计策略、实验实施、关键原理、光学表征以及实际应用。光纤连接的空芯波导概念在生物分析、环境科学、量子技术、光学操控和生命科学等应用中具有巨大潜力。它还为开发新型全光纤器件铺平了道路，这些器件以单片形式利用增强的光与物质相互作用，适用于柔性和远程应用。
