Electrospun amplified fiber optics

TL;DR

This paper introduces a cost-effective, room-temperature fabrication method for near-infrared polymer fiber amplifiers that exhibit good gain and low losses, suitable for short-distance optical signal amplification.

Contribution

It presents a novel, simple, and inexpensive process for creating polymer fiber amplifiers operating in the near-infrared, enabling multi-wavelength and short-distance optical applications.

Findings

Fibers show good gain coefficients and low optical losses.

Amplification is enhanced by high fiber quality and low self-absorption.

Process is entirely at room temperature, reducing costs.

Abstract

A lot of research is focused on all-optical signal processing, aiming to obtain effective alternatives to existing data transmission platforms. Amplification of light in fiber optics, such as in Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers, is especially important for an efficient signal transmission. However, the complex fabrication methods, involving high-temperature processes performed in highly pure environment, slow down the fabrication and make amplified components expensive with respect to an ideal, high-throughput and room temperature production. Here, we report on near infrared polymer fiber amplifiers, working over a band of about 20 nm. The fibers are cheap, spun with a process entirely carried out at room temperature, and show amplified spontaneous emission with good gain coefficients as well as low optical losses (a few cm^-1). The amplification process is favoured by the high fiber quality and low self-absorption. The found performance metrics promise to be suitable for short-distance operation, and the large variety of commercially-available doping dyes might allow for effective multi-wavelength operation by electrospun amplified fiber optics.