Fabrication of Plasmonic Pt/Au-coated Micro-Peanut Fiber Probe Using Heat-and-Pull Technique for Enhanced Light Coupling Efficiency
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11113/mjfas.v22n2.4939Keywords:
Light coupling, heat-and-pull, micro-peanut, ball-lens fiber probe, plasmonicAbstract
The aim of this study is to fabricate a micro-lens for enhanced light coupling efficiency based on plasmonic effect by modifying the structure of fiber end into the micro-peanut shape using a low-cost heat-and-pull technique, coated with gold nanoparticles and platinum thin film. The fabrication process involves the usage of a Z2C core alignment fusion splicer by varying few important parameters including arc power, arc time, fiber pulling and fiber pulling length. During tapering, the fiber optics experienced structural modification from bi-tapered structure to the formation of micro-peanut fiber probe. Platinum thin film and gold nanoparticles in a form of nanospheres and nanorods are deposited onto the fiber probe to transport electromagnetic energy in micro and nanoscale with high efficiency. The transition process for forming the micro-peanut structure begins with the fabrication of a bi-tapered microfiber. This bi-tapered structure consists of two tapered regions, with tapered lengths ranging from 0.109 to 0.127 mm and taper angles between 53.68° and 65.10°. Subsequently, the micro-peanut probe develops a distinct peanut-like geometry, characterized by ellipsoidal sections with tip radii ranging from 0.051 to 0.080 mm. Greater nano-focusing assisted by surface plasmon polariton with maximum coupling efficiency up to 95.40% is successfully achieved by utilizing gold nanorods with a platinum-coated micro-peanut probe. The LSPR effect clearly enhances light–matter interactions, maximizing nano-focusing for light coupling and enabling optical trapping applications. This study presents a highly efficient light-coupling approach with broad potential applications, ranging from biosensing to biomedical fields.
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