Thermo-mechanical dynamics of nanoimprinting anti-reflective structures onto small-core mid-IR chalcogenide fibers [Invited]

Thermal nanoimprinting is a fast and versatile method for transferring the anti-reflective properties of subwavelength nanostructures onto the surface of highly reflective substrates, such as chalcogenide glass optical fiber end faces. In this paper, the technique is explored experimentally on a range of different types of commercial and custom-drawn optical fibers to evaluate the influence of geometric design, core/cladding material, and thermo-mechanical properties. Up to 32.4% increased transmission and 88.3% total transmission are demonstrated in the 2-4.3 mu m band using a mid-infrared (IR) supercontinuum laser.

Automated summary

Thermal nanoimprinting is a fast and versatile method for transferring the anti-reflective properties of subwavelength nanostructures onto highly reflective substrates. Experimental results demonstrate significant increased transmission and total transmission in the mid-infrared band using a supercontinuum laser.