Broadband, Lensless, and Optomechanically Stabilized Coupling into Microfluidic Hollow-Core Photonic Crystal Fiber Using Glass Nanospike

We report a novel technique for launching broadband laser light into liquid-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fiber (HC-PCF). It uniquely offers self-alignment and self-stabilization via optomechanical trapping of a fused silica nanospike, fabricated by thermally tapering and chemically etching a single mode fiber into a tip diameter of 350 nm. We show that a trapping laser, delivering ∼300 mW at 1064 nm, can be used to optically align and stably maintain the nanospike at the core center. Once this is done, a weak broadband supercontinuum signal (∼575-1064 nm) can be efficiently and close to achromatically launched in the HC-PCF. The system is robust against liquid-flow in either direction inside the HC-PCF, and the Fresnel back-reflections are reduced to negligible levels compared to free-space launching or butt-coupling. The results are of potential relevance for any application where the efficient delivery of broadband light into liquid-core waveguides is desired.