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Focused ion beam nanomachining of tapered optical fibers for patterned light delivery

2018; Elsevier BV; Volume: 195; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.mee.2018.03.023

1873-5568

Filippo Pisano, Marco Pisanello, Leonardo Sileo, Antonio Qualtieri, Bernardo L. Sabatini, Massimo De Vittorio, Ferruccio Pisanello,

Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research

With the advent of optogenetic techniques, a major need for precise and versatile light-delivery techniques has arisen from the neuroscience community. Driven by this demand, research on innovative illuminating devices has opened previously inaccessible experimental paths. However, tailoring light delivery to functionally and anatomically diverse brain structures still remains a challenging task. We progressed in this endeavor by micro-structuring metal-coated tapered optical fibers and exploiting the resulting mode-division multiplexing/demultiplexing properties. To do this, a non-conventional Focused Ion Beam (FIB) milling method was developed in order to pattern the non-planar surface of the taper around the full 360°, by equipping the FIB chamber with a micromanipulation system. This led us to develop three novel typologies of micro-structured illuminating tools: