Holey fibres: properties, applications and future directions

Holey optical fibres offer a much wider range of optical properties than is possible in conventional optical fibres. These properties include single-mode guidance at all wavelengths, novel dispersion properties including broadband dispersion flattening and anomalous dispersion at visible wavelengths, mode size tailoring over three orders of magnitude, and many more. Progress in this rapidly emerging technology is reviewed, ranging from modelling and fabrication through to devices and applications.