Multifunctional optical nanofiber polarization devices with 3D geometry

Here a reliable fabrication process enabling the integration of multiple functions in a single rod with one optical nano/microfiber (ONM) was proposed, which represents a further step in the "lab-on-a-rod" technology roadmap. With a unique 3D geometry, the all-fiber in-line devices based on lab-on-a-rod techniques have more freedom and potential for compactness and functionality than conventional fiber devices. With the hybrid polymer-metal-dielectric nanostructure, the coupling between the plasmonic and waveguide modes leads to hybridization of the fundamental mode and polarization-dependent loss. By functionalizing the rod surface with a nanoscale silver film and tuning the coil geometry, a broadband polarizer and single-polarization resonator, respectively, were demonstrated. The polarizer has an extinction ratio of more than 20 dB over a spectral range of 450 nm. The resonator has a Q factor of more than 78,000 with excellent suppression of polarization noise. This type of miniature single-polarization resonator is impossible to realize by conventional fabrication processes and has wide applications in fiber communication, lasing, and especially sensing.