3D printing compatible multimode terahertz negative curvature hollow-core fibers

Abstract

This study presents a systematic approach for designing and fabricating a new type of Terahertz optical fiber using 3D printing technology. Negative curvature optical fibers with multiple nested-tubes were designed using an FEM-based electromagnetic solver. The number of supported modes was found to increase significantly with utilization of more tubes. The fibers with tube thicknesses of 0.09 mm and core diameters of 3 mm and 8 mm were fabricated using a UV resin-based 3D printer. An imaging setup was built to confirm the geometrical properties. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using 3D printing to fabricate functional Terahertz optical fibers.