title: Tapered silicon optical fibers.
abstract: The tapering of silicon optical fibers is demonstrated using a fusion splicer. The silicon fibers are fabricated using a high pressure chemical deposition technique to deposit an amorphous silicon core inside a silica capillary and the tapering is performed in a separate post-process. Optical and material characterization has revealed a smooth transition region leading to a uniform tapered waist that are both simultaneously crystallized to yield a solid polysilicon core. The strong mode confinement and low taper loss measured in the silicon fibers verifies this tapering approach for the fabrication of structures with nanoscale core dimensions.
authors.affiliation: Optoelectronics Research Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Healy
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Sparks
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Sazio
authors.forename: J V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Badding
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Peacock