Hollow Silica Waveguides Offer IR Solutions
Applications in the mid- and far-infrared regions have long suffered from the lack of a reliable, cost-effective means of guiding optical power in an optical fiber or other flexible waveguide. Many systems still depend on line-of-sight configurations, lensing and mirrors, or cumbersome articulated arms. This severely limits the scope of potential applications, particularly remote spectroscopy, minimally invasive surgical procedures, and CO2 laser materials processing and printing. Flexible...
Photonics Spectra, March 2004