Journal
MICROELECTRONIC ENGINEERING
Volume 195, Issue -, Pages 41-49Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.mee.2018.03.023
Keywords
Focused ion beam; Milling; Optical fibers; Optogenetics; Nanomachining
Categories
Funding
- European Research Council under European Union [677683, 692943]
- US National Institutes of Health [U01NS094190]
- Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain [543037SPI]
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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 degrees, by equipping the FIB chamber with a micromanipulation system. This led us to develop three novel typologies of micro-structured illuminating tools: (a) a tapered fiber that emits light from a narrow slot of adjustable length; (b) a tapered fiber that emits light from four independently addressable optical windows; (c) a tapered fiber that emits light from an annular aperture with 360 degrees symmetry. The result is a versatile technology enabling reconfigurable light-delivery that can be tailored to specific experimental needs.
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