Microfluidic chemical deposition moves optical fiber to the nanoscale

The use of a novel chemical-vapor-deposition process to integrate metals and semiconductor films in microstructured optical films (MOF) might soon enable nanometer-scale waveguides and endoscopic cameras. Silica MOFs are versatile nanotemplates that have extreme aspect ratio, are highly scalable, process engineered geometrics combined with unparalled optical transparency, and tensile strength. The added structural complexity of MOFs compared to conventional optical fibers means they exhibit completely new properties such as photonic bandgaps, and dispersion engineering for creating enhanced nonlinear effects. The silica core acts as a prism to couple transmitted light with plasmons at the air-metal surface in the unique guiding geometry of MOFs. Researchers have conducted several theoretical studies of the transmission properties of metal-dielectric MOF devices ranging from fibers with thin coatings on the capillary walls to solid nanowire inclusions.