Fabry-Perot interferometers built by photonic crystal fiber pressurization during fusion splicing

• Published in: Optics letters 2011-11, Vol.36 (21), p.4191-4193
• Main Authors: FAVERO, Fernando C, BOUWMANS, Geraud, FINAZZI, Vittoria, VILLATORO, Joel, PRUNERI, Valerio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Exact sciences and technology; Fiber optics; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); General equipment and techniques; Instruments, apparatus, components and techniques common to several branches of physics and astronomy; Interferometers; Optical instruments, equipment and techniques; Optics; Physics; Sensors (chemical, optical, electrical, movement, gas, etc.); remote sensing; Sensors, gyros
• ISSN: 0146-9592; 1539-4794
• DOI: 10.1364/OL.36.004191

We report on a microscopic Fabry-Perot interferometer whose cavity is a bubble trapped inside an optical fiber. The microcavity is formed by pressuring a photonic crystal fiber (PCF) with large voids during fusion splicing with a conventional single-mode fiber. The technique allows achieving high repeatability and full control over the cavity size and shape. It was found that the size of the PCF voids contributes to control the cavity size independently of the pressure in the PCF. Our devices exhibit a record fringe contrast of 30 dB (visibility of 0.999) due to the ellipsoidal cavity whose surfaces compensate for the diffraction of the reflected beam. The strain sensitivity of the interferometers is higher when the cavities are ellipsoidal than when they are spherical.