Formation and applications of nanoparticles in silica optical fibers

TL;DR

This paper reviews the development, fabrication methods, and applications of silica optical fibers doped with nanoparticles, especially rare-earth-doped oxide nanoparticles, highlighting their potential to overcome limitations of traditional silica fibers.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive state-of-the-art overview of nanoparticle-doped silica optical fibers and discusses fabrication techniques for Transparent Glass Ceramics fibers, emphasizing recent advancements and future prospects.

Findings

Nanoparticle-doped fibers show improved spectroscopic properties.

Fabrication methods for TGC fibers are evolving and promising.

Positive outlook for new optical fiber components.

Abstract

Optical fibers are the basis for applications that have grown considerably in recent years (telecommunications, sensors, fiber lasers, etc). Despite undeniable successes, it is necessary to develop new generations of amplifying optical fibers that will overcome some limitations typical of silica glass. In this sense, the amplifying Transparent Glass Ceramics (TGC), and particularly the fibers based on this technology, open new perspectives that combine the mechanical and chemical properties of a glass host with the augmented spectroscopic properties of embedded nanoparticles. This paper is an opportunity to make a state of the art on silica-based optical fibers containing nanoparticles of various types, particularly rare-earth-doped oxide nanoparticles, and on the methods for making such fibers. In the first section of this article, we will review basics on standard optical fibers and on nanoparticle-doped fibers. In the second section we will recall some fabrication methods used for standard optical fibers, and in the third section we will describe how TGC fibers can be obtained. This new generation of fibers, initiated a decade ago, already show very positive outlook and results departing from those obtained previously in homogeneous silica fibers. The next few years should see the emergence of new components based on these optical fibers.