Method for fabrication of sleeveless photonic crystal canes with an arbitrary shape

A method of fabricating glass canes, comprising the steps of:

• providing a pre-form that is one half of a hexagon;
• stacking an array of glass canes in said pre-form, wherein said glass canes have a cane length and wherein said array of glass canes has a first array end and a second array end opposite said first array end and wherein said first array end has an absolute first array end;
• providing a first outer tube tube-sleeve, wherein said first outer tube tube-sleeve has a first outer tube tube-sleeve length that is shorter than said cane length;
• providing a second outer tube tube-sleeve, wherein said second outer tube tube-sleeve has a second outer tube tube-sleeve length that is shorter than said cane length;
• positioning said first outer tube tube-sleeve and said second outer tube-tube-sleeve on said array of glass canes, wherein said step of positioning said first outer tube tube-sleeve and said second outer tube tube-sleeve on said array of glass canes comprises
• placing said first outer tube tube-sleeve on said first array end at said absolute first array end of said first array end;
• crimping said first outer tube tube-sleeve onto said first array end of said array of glass canes at said absolute first array end of said first array end;
• placing said second outer tube-sleeve on said second array end;
• crimping said second outer tube tube-sleeve onto said second array end of said array of glass canes;
• after crimping said first outer tube tube-sleeve onto said first array end and after crimping said second outer tube tube-sleeve onto said second array end, moving said array of glass canes into a furnace, wherein said array of glass canes is heated;
• and
• drawing said array of glass canes from said furnace, wherein said drawing said array of glass canes scales down and elongates said glass canes;
• wherein said step of stacking an array of glass canes comprises stacking an array of hollow glass canes into a stack of hollow glass canes and wherein said stack of hollow glass canes are not fluid tight,
• wherein said step of crimping said first outer tube tube-sleeve onto said first array end of said array of glass canes at said absolute first array end of said first array end does not provide a fluid tight seal, and
• wherein said step of crimping said second outer tube tube-sleeve onto said second array end of said array of glass canes at said absolute first array end of said second array end does not provide a fluid tight seal.