Fabrication of polymer microfiber through direct 2 drawing and splicing of silica microfiber 3 via vapor spray and flame treatment

9 We report a simple fabrication technique of polymer microfibers with high surface smoothness and length uni10 formity using a molten polymethylmethacrylate in conjunction with direct drawing technique. With the aid of 11 fabricated polymer microfibers, we successfully demonstrate a new splicing technique via a two-step process. The 12 fabricated microfibers with diameter of 1.5 μm and length of 3 mm have been used in splicing the silica micro13 fibers based on solvent vapor spray and flame treatment process. Permanent splicing has been achieved after 14 fusing the silica fiber via flame treatment, and the polymer fiber is removed. We were able to obtain an average 15 splicing loss of about −0.69 dB. Using the same technique, we also demonstrated splicing for ring resonators. The 16 splicing technique demonstrated in this work promises high potential for robust optical integration of microfibers 17 for various functional circuits and devices. © 2015 Optical Society of America