Fabrication of n-Type Silicon Optical Fibers

In this research, for the first time, an n-type silicon optical fiber is demonstrated. The fiber is fabricated by drawing from a powder-in-tube-type preform. Outside diameters in the range of several hundred micrometers were made with core diameters in the range of tens of micrometers. Optical and material characterizations have been made in order to understand the structural and compositional properties of this device. Fibers fabricated have a polycrystalline core with a few large grains as determined by electron backscatter diffraction analysis. Grains' dimensions in the core are on the order of tens to hundreds of micrometers. The doped silicon optical fiber may pave the way for in-fiber silicon photonics in the near future.