Here, we demonstrate the use of a colloidal CdSe:Te quantum dots suspension as active liquid-core in a specially designed optical element, based on a double-clad optical fiber structure. The liquid-core fiber was realized by filling the hollow core of a capillary and waveguiding of the core was ensured by using a liquid host that exhibits a larger refractive index than the cladding material of the capillary. Since the used capillary possessed a cladding waveguide structure, we obtained a liquid-core double-clad structure. To seal the liquid-core fiber and e.g. prevent the formation of bubbles, we developed a technique based on SMA connectors. The colloidal CdSe:Te quantum dots were excited by cladding-pumping using a pump laser at 532nm operating in the continuous-wave regime. We investigated the photoluminescence emitted from the colloidal CdSe:Te quantum dots suspension liquid-core and guided by the double-clad fiber structure. We observed a red shift of the (core) emission, that depends on the liquid-core fiber length and the pump power. This shift is due to the absorption of unexcited colloidal quantum dots and due to the waveguiding properties of the core. Here we report a core photoluminescence output power of 79.2μW (with an integrated brightness of ≈ 215.5 W/cm²sr ). Finally, we give an explanation, why lasing could not be observed in our experiments when setup as a liquid-core fiber cavity.

Date Published: 25 April 2012
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 8426, Microstructured and Specialty Optical Fibres, 842603 (25 April 2012); doi: 10.1117/12.922225

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8426:
Microstructured and Specialty Optical Fibres
Kyriacos Kalli; Alexis Mendez, Editor(s)