Tunable Microfluidic Optical Fiber Devices Based On Electrowetting Pumps And Plastic Microchannels

This paper introduces a class of tunable microfluidic fiber devices that uses molded plastic microchannels and electrowetting pumps. It demonstrates the application of this type of system to dynamically adjustable narrow band and wide band all-fiber filters. Compact size, low cost fabrication procedures, low power (1 mW) consumption, non-mechanical operation and good optical characteristics are among the attractive features of these devices. They have many attributes that could make them useful for certain applications in photonics.