From molecular precursors in solution to microstructured optical fiber: a Sol-gel polymeric route

Solid-core photonic crystal fibers with the core derived from non-doped or Erbium-doped sol-gel silica rods are fabricated. The results demonstrate that the direct polymeric sol-gel route constitutes a promising method to prepare large high quality glass pieces that can be integrated into microstructured optical fibers suitable for passive and active optical fiber applications. (C)2011 Optical Society of America