Extruded soft-glass hollow-core microstructured optical fibres: Fabrication and light guidance properties

We demonstrate light guidance within a hollow-core microstructured fibre fabricated from a lead-silicate soft-glass via the extrusion process. Surrounding the circular hollow core are solid glass rings supported by radial struts, producing a structure reminiscent of a spider-web. Resonant interactions of the core-guided modes with the cladding structure produce discrete peaks in the transmission spectrum. This is the first demonstration of guidance within an extruded hollow-core soft-glass microstructured fibre and also the highest refractive index used for a single-material hollow-core fibre to date. Details of the fabrication process will be discussed.Kristopher J. Rowland, Heike Ebendorff-Heidepriem, Shahraam Afshar V. and Tanya M. Monr