We model and demonstrate a simple mode selective all-fiber coupler capable of exciting specific higher order modes in two- and few-mode fibres with high efficiency and purity. The coupler is based on inter-modally phase-matching the propagation constants in each arm of the asymmetric fused coupler, formed by dissimilar fibres. At a specific coupler diameter, the launched fundamental LP₀₁ mode is coupled into the higher order mode (LP₁₁, LP₂₁, LP₀₂) in the other arm, over a broadband wave-length range around 1550 nm. Unlike other techniques, the demonstrated coupler is composed of a multimode fiber that is weakly fused with a phase matched conventional single mode telecom fiber (SMF-28). The beating between the supermodes at the coupler waist produces a periodic power transfer between the two arms, and therefore, by monitoring the beating while tapering, it is possible to obtain optimum selection for the desired mode. High coupling efficiencies in excess of 90% for all the higher order modes were recorded over 100 nm spectral range, while insertion losses remain as low as 0.5 dB. Coupling efficiency can be further enhanced by performing slow tapering at high temperature, in order to precisely control the coupler cross-section geometry.

Optical microfiber-based temperature sensors have been proposed for many applications in a variety of industrial uses, including biomedical, geological, automotive, and defense applications. This increasing demand for these micrometric devices is attributed to their large dynamic range, high sensitivity, fast-response, compactness and robustness. Additionally, they can perform in-situ measurements remotely and in harsh environments. This paper presents an overview of optical microfibers, with a focus on their applications in temperature sensing. This review broadly divides microfiber-based temperature sensors into two categories: resonant and non-resonant microfiber sensors. While the former includes microfiber loop, knot and coil resonators, the latter comprises sensors based on functionally coated/doped microfibers, microfiber couplers, optical gratings and interferometers. In the conclusions, a summary of reported performances is presented.

Terahertz (THz) technology has witnessed a significant growth in a wide range of applications, including spectroscopy, bio-medical sensing, astronomical and space detection, THz tomography, and non-invasive imaging. Current THz microstructured fibers show a complex fabrication process and their flexibility is severely restricted by the relatively large cross-sections, which turn them into rigid rods. In this paper, we demonstrate a simple and novel method to fabricate low-cost THz microstructured fibers. A cyclic olefin copolymer (TOPAS) suspended-core fiber guiding in the THz is extruded from a structured 3D printer nozzle and directly drawn in a single step process. Spectrograms of broadband THz pulses propagated through different lengths of fiber clearly indicate guidance in the fiber core. Cladding mode stripping allow for the identification of the single mode in the spectrograms and the determination of the average propagation loss (~ 0.11 dB/mm) in the 0.5–1 THz frequency range. This work points towards single step manufacturing of microstructured fibers using a wide variety of materials and geometries using a 3D printer platform.

We model and experimentally investigate second harmonic generation in silica microfibers and loop resonators, in which the second order nonlinearity arises from the glass-air surface dipole and bulk multipole contributions. In the loop resonator, the recirculation of the pump light on resonance is used to increase the conversion. The effect of the loop parameters, such as coupling and loss, is theoretically studied to determine their influence on the resonance enhancement. Experimentally, microfibers were fabricated with diameters around 0.7 μm to generate the intermodally phase matched second harmonic with an efficiency up to 4.2 × 10⁻⁸ when pumped with 5 ns 1.55 μm pulses with a peak power of 90 W. After reconfiguring the microfiber into a 1 mm diameter loop, the efficiency was resonantly enhanced by 5.7 times.

The study of the fabrication, material selection, and properties of microstructured polymer optical fibers (MPOFs) has long attracted great interest. This ever-increasing interest is due to their wide range of applications, mainly in sensing, including temperature, pressure, chemical, and biological species. This manuscript reviews the manufacturing of MPOFs, including the most recent single-step process involving extrusion from a modified 3D printer. MPOFs sensing applications are then discussed, with a stress on the benefit of using polymers.

The removal of polarization and modal degeneracy in the excitation of higher order modes is realized in all-fiber mode-selective weakly fused couplers by controlling the coupler geometry. Experiments carried out with short couplers showed strong polarization dependence, while long couplers with a slow varying cross section have shown to remove polarization and spatial degeneracy in the first high-order mode.