Extremely Small-Core Photonic Crystal Fiber Fusion Splicing With a Single-Mode Fiber

We present a low-loss fusion splicing of a non-linear photonic-crystal fiber (NL-PCF) with a single-mode fiber (SMF), helped by an intermediate fiber, using a electric-arc splicer. We also analysed the splice loss between SMF and intermediate fiber, as a function of the electrical discharge duration, to achieve a low-loss transition between SMF and intermediate fiber, through a thermally expanded core splice (TEC). The NL-PCF has a external cladding diameter of 105 mu m, a core diameter of 1.7 mu m and mode-field diameter (MFD) of 1.5 mu m. We also performed mechanical strength tests to verify the robustness of the splice joints obtained.