Epsilon-near-zero Resonance Excitation in AZO nano-coated Optical Fiber Waveguide

ORAL

Abstract

We experimentally demonstrate a novel optical waveguide design of side-polished fiber coated with a nano-film of aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO). The flat platform of the side-polished fiber is provided by etching/polishing out the cladding of a conventional single mode fiber apart from the doped core. AZO nano-films with epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) wavelength (real part of permittivity of the material crosses zero) at telecommunication wavelengths are fabricated onto the D-shaped platform by atomic layer deposition. Due to the evanescent field coupling between the optical fiber core mode and the modes supported by the AZO nano-layer, a highly confined ENZ mode in the AZO nano-film on the D-shaped platform could be excited. Furthermore, we investigate the polarization-dependent ENZ mode coupling properties with ambient refractive indices. Our results show the first experimental demonstration on the excitation of highly confined ENZ mode on optical fibers. These hybrid ENZ-optical fibers have potential applications for zero-index photonics, for instance, for studying enhanced nonlinear ENZ effects in fiber, quantum emission in ENZ media, and subwavelength mode in-fiber optical- and bio-sensing.

*The authors acknowledge the Robert A. Welch Foundation (Award number: AA-1956-20180324).

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Presenters

  • Jingyi Yang

    • Department of Physics and Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC), Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, United States

Authors

  • Jingyi Yang

    • Department of Physics and Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC), Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, United States

  • Aleksei Anopchenko

    • Department of Physics and Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC), Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, United States, Department of Physics and Baylor Research and
    • Baylor University
    • Department of Physics, Baylor University, One Bear Place #97316, Waco, TX 76798
    • Department of Physics, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, United States

  • Sudip Gurung

    • Department of Physics and Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC), Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, United States
    • Baylor University
    • Department of Physics, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, United States

  • Khant Minn

    • Baylor Univ
    • Department of Physics and Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC), Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, United States

  • Subhajit Bej

    • Department of Physics and Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC), Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, United States
    • Department of Physics, Baylor University, One Bear Place #97316, Waco, TX 76798
    • Department of Physics, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, United States

  • Howard Ho Wai Lee

    • Baylor Univ, Texas A&M Univ
    • Department of Physics and Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC), Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, United States, The Institute for Quantum Science and Enginee
    • Baylor University
    • Department of Physics, Baylor University, One Bear Place #97316, Waco, TX 76798, Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 778
    • Department of Physics, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, United States, The Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843, Un