The present invention relates to an optical fiber and a device including the optical fiber. The optical fiber is an optical fiber (1) functionalized with at least one particle (1) of a polymeric gel comprising at least one photosensitive molecule (7) and at least one biomolecule (6), wherein the at least one particle (2) of the polymeric gel is covalently bound to said optical fiber (1).

A method of making a microstructured optical fiber including loading the core and cladding materials of the fiber with hydrogen and deuterium at a loading temperature; annealing the fiber at a selected temperature T.sub.anneal; pumping the fiber with radiation; and reducing the temperature of the fiber and storing the fiber at the reduced temperature before the step of pumping the fiber; and wherein the method allows the hydrogen and the deuterium to become bound to the core material and the cladding material.

The invention relates to a microstructured optical fiber for generating supercontinuum light upon feeding of pump light. The light can be incoherent light. The microstructured optical fiber has a first section and a second section, where the first and second sections have one or more different features. The invention also relates to a supercontinuum source comprising a microstructured optical fiber according to the invention.

An optical fiber for guiding an optical signal, the optical fiber includes: a core region; a cladding region surrounding the core region, the cladding region including an inner cladding region and an outer cladding region, wherein a plurality of the plurality of inner cladding features are of a first type of feature, wherein a plurality of the plurality of inner cladding features are of a second type of feature including an air hole in direct contact with the background material having a refractive index, n.sub.b, and wherein the inner cladding features are arranged in a substantially hexagonal lattice and the six nearest neighbors surrounding a first type of feature are of the second type of feature, and wherein no first type of feature is surrounded by less than six nearest neighbors of the second type of feature.

A microstructured optical fiber for generating supercontinuum light. The optical fiber includes a core and a cladding region surrounding the core. The optical fiber includes a first fiber length section, a second fiber length section as well as an intermediate fiber length section between said first and second fiber length sections. The first fiber length section has a core with a first characteristic core diameter larger than about 7 ?m. The second fiber length section has a core with a second characteristic core diameter, smaller than said first characteristic core diameter. The intermediate length section of the optical fiber includes a core which is tapered from said first characteristic core diameter to the second characteristic core diameter over a tapered length. Also, a supercontinuum light source including an optical fiber and a pump light source.

There is provided an optical sensor for sensing a target, having an input optical conduit, an output optical conduit, and an optical field generator optically coupled to the input and the output optical conduits. The input optical conduit may receive an input light and guide the input light towards the optical field generator. The optical field generator may receive the input light from the input optical conduit, and may generate based on the input light an optical field extending at least partially outside of the optical field generator to interact with the target to generate an altered light. The target may be positioned outside the optical field generator. The optical field generator may also guide the altered light to the output optical conduit. The output optical conduit may receive the altered light from the optical field generator.

An optical fiber with ultra-low attenuation and large effective-area includes a core layer and cladding layers. The cladding layers have an inner cladding layer surrounding the core layer, a trench cladding layer surrounding the inner cladding layer, an auxiliary outer cladding layer surrounding the trench cladding layer, and an outer cladding layer surrounding the auxiliary outer cladding layer. The core layer has a radius of 4.8-6.5 m, and a relative refractive index difference of 0.06% to 0.10%. The inner cladding layer has a radius of 9-15 m, and a relative refractive index difference of about 0.40% to 0.15%. The trench cladding layer has a radius of about 12-17 m, and a relative refractive index difference of about 0.8% to 0.3%. The auxiliary outer cladding layer has a radius of about 37-50 m, and a relative refractive index difference of about 0.6% to 0.25%. The outer cladding layer is a pure silicon-dioxide glass layer.

The invention relates to a supercontinuum light source comprising a microstructured optical fiber and a pump light source. The microstructured optical fiber comprises a core and a cladding region surrounding the core, as well as a first fiber length section, a second fiber length section and an intermediate fiber length section between said first and second fiber length sections. The first fiber length section comprises a core with a first characteristic core diameter. The second fiber length section comprises a core with a second characteristic core diameter, smaller than said first characteristic core diameter, where said second characteristic core diameter is substantially constant along said second fiber length section. The intermediate length section of the optical fiber comprises a core which is tapered from said first characteristic core diameter to said second characteristic core diameter over a tapered length.

There is provided an optical waveguide apparatus. The optical waveguide apparatus includes: a first clad layer; a core layer formed on the first clad layer; and a second clad layer formed on the first clad layer to cover the core layer. At least one of the first clad layer and the second clad layer includes a fully cured portion and a semi-cured portion.

A light-diffusing optical fiber with a light-guiding core having a plurality of elongated glass rods each oriented substantially parallel with each other and with the length of the optical fiber. The fiber also includes a cladding surrounding the glass core, the cladding having a refractive index similar to, or lower than, a refractive index of the glass core. The light-guiding core includes a plurality of gaps formed between the plurality of elongated glass rods, the plurality of gaps scattering light away from the light-guiding core and through the cladding.