Specialty Optical Fibers Handbook

low-energy nonlinear interactions and supercontinuum generation [13, 27–34],

and for atom trapping and guiding [17, 35–37]. In this section, we discuss these

applications in further detail.

11.6.1 Microscale and Nanoscale Photonic

Components

Silica nanofibers have been used as building blocks in the assembly of a

variety of microscale or nanoscale photonic components or devices such as linear

waveguides, waveguide bends, optical couplers, and ring resonators [20–23].

Because of their small dimensions, low optical losses, evanescent wave-guiding,

and mechanical flexibility, nanofiber-assembled photonic devices have a number

of advantages over conventional ...