Multilayer polymer dielectric films for hollow glass waveguides

Wesley Kendall; James A. Harrington

doi:10.1117/12.2287441

21 February 2018 Multilayer polymer dielectric films for hollow glass waveguides

Wesley Kendall, James A. Harrington

Proceedings Volume 10488, Optical Fibers and Sensors for Medical Diagnostics and Treatment Applications XVIII; 1048812 (2018) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2287441
Event: SPIE BiOS, 2018, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Hollow glass waveguides (HGWs) have been extensively investigated for the transmission of broadband, high-power radiation, particularly in the mid-infrared. One area of particular interest is the deposition of dielectric thin films within the hollow core of the HGW in order to reduce the losses at desired wavelengths. By implementing a thin film multilayer structure with high index mismatch between adjacent films, it is possible to dramatically improve the losses of the waveguides due to the thin film interference effect. Existing multilayer film research has utilized heavy metal halides, which although provide considerable index contrast, are toxic and unsuitable for clinical applications in which they are often used. Polymer dielectric thin films provide desirable optical properties for HGWs but are hindered by solvent compatibility in the deposition procedure. This work demonstrates implementation of a polymer multilayer dielectric thin film stack within a HGW, using ChemoursTM Teflon AF (n = 1.29) as the low-index material and polystyrene (n = 1.59) as the high-index material. These two polymers were deposited using liquid phase techniques within a HGW; the absorption spectra of waveguide as each layer was deposited on was analyzed in the mid-IR with an FTIR, and straight and bending losses were measured on a CO₂ laser. Appreciable losses were realized with the addition of the second polymer film and the interference bands red-shifted with the second layer, suggesting the successful creation of the multilayer structure.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Wesley Kendall and James A. Harrington "Multilayer polymer dielectric films for hollow glass waveguides", Proc. SPIE 10488, Optical Fibers and Sensors for Medical Diagnostics and Treatment Applications XVIII, 1048812 (21 February 2018); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2287441

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available