Lab on fiber by using the breath figure technique

Abstract

In this chapter, we report on a novel fabrication process developed to realize metal-dielectric crystals onto optical fibers by a self-assembly technique. Breath figures methodology is selected as a technological tool to operate directly onto non-conventional substrates like optical fibers. Regular and ordered metallo-dielectric crystals are easily integrated onto the optical fiber tip, providing the basis for the rapid and cost effective prototyping of photonic-plasmonic nanoprobes for advanced sensing applications. In order to validate the proposed fabrication route, we develop a first technological platform capable of supporting interferometric effects assisted by surface plasmon excitation at the metallo-dielectric interface. We investigated the sensing properties of the realized optical fiber probes, the results of which revealed an exceptional sensitivity with respect to the refractive index, as high as 2300 nm/RIU, enabling the employment of the optical fiber platform to be used as optical nano-probe for label-free chemical and biological sensing.