A broadband ultra flattened chromatic dispersion microstructured fiber for optical communications

A double-cladding microstructured fiber (MF) is proposed in this paper. The inner cladding of this optical fiber is composed of elliptical air holes and silica. The dependence of dispersion on the diameter of the air holes, the pitch, and the axes of the elliptical holes is investigated numerically. The proposed fiber possesses an ultra flattened dispersion curve over a wide wavelength range, and its dispersion value is small. The effective mode area is approaching to 60 μm², and the confinement loss is as low as <0.025 dB/km at 1550 nm. While choosing suitable structure parameters, an ultra dispersion-flattened MF within a broadband from1000 nm to 1900 nm can be achieved. The dispersion fluctuation is 0.6-1.0 ps/(nm·km) in all S, C and L band.     

一种与标准单模光纤高适配的低弯曲损耗光子晶体光纤

设计并研制出一种与普通单模光纤高适配的低弯曲损耗光子晶体光纤. 结构采用光纤预制棒制作工艺上易于实现的掺锗芯六孔结构. 应用间接测量方法, 对其模式、弯曲及色散特性进行了系统的评估. 在波长1550 nm处研制光纤的模场面积为79.26 μm², 色散为21.7 ps·km^-1·nm^-1, 模场面积和色散特性与标准单模光纤具有高的适配性. 在光纤弯曲半径为5 mm时, 在波长1550 nm处的弯曲损耗为0.0365 dB/圈, 小于G.657B的弯曲损耗0.5 dB/圈. 研究成果为光纤到户用低弯曲损耗光纤的实用化奠定了良好的基础. 关键词： 光子晶体光纤 低弯曲损耗 光纤到户 高适配性     

Diode-lasers based apparatus and method for single-mode fibers spectral splice loss measurements

Arc-discharge fusion splicing is widely used in the telecommunication industry for joining single-mode optical fibers to Er-doped fiber coils. These coils are used as the gain medium in erbium-doped amplifiers (EDFAs). The quality and integrity of splicing these coils to fibers can impact key EDFA performance parameters. This article describes an automated splice loss and Er-doped fiber absorption measurement system. The measurement system is equipped with 1310, 1550 and 1563 nm DFB lasers, broadband light source, InGaAs detectors and fiber-optic internal standards. Furthermore, the article describes a method for measuring splice loss between Er-doped fiber and the fibers spliced to coil ends. The system controls splice loss between SM-28 or HI980 fiber and Er-doped fiber to 0.094 ± 0.052 dB at 1550 nm. Moreover, the system can measure accurately Er-doped fiber absorption to within ±3.19% at 1563 nm.     

Polarization maintaining holey fibers for residual dispersion compensation over S + C + L wavelength bands

We report on a highly birefringent holey fiber for broadband dispersion compensation covering the S, C, and L telecommunication bands i.e. wavelength ranging from 1460 to 1625 nm. The finite element method with circular perfectly matched layer boundary condition is used to investigate the guiding properties. Numerical analysis demonstrates that it is possible to obtain negative dispersion coefficient of about −470 to −850 ps/nm/km over S to L-bands and a relative dispersion slope perfectly matched with single mode fiber (SMF) of about 0.0036 nm⁻¹ at 1550 nm. At the same time birefringence of the order 2.53 × 10⁻² is realized at 1550 nm wavelength. Owing to superior optical properties of the proposed holey fiber, this can be a promising candidate for broadband dispersion compensation and sensing applications.     

Ultra-wideband single-polarization single-mode, high nonlinearity photonic crystal fiber

We report a novel design of photonic crystal fiber (PCF) with a rectangular array of four closely-spaced, highly elliptical air holes in the core region and a circular-air-hole cladding. The proposed PCF is able to support ultra-wideband single-polarization single-mode (SPSM) transmission from the visible band to the near infrared band. With the aid of the inner cladding formed by the central air holes, one polarization of the fundamental mode can be cut off at very short wavelengths and ultra-wideband SPSM propagation can be achieved. The inner cladding also suppresses the higher order modes and allows large air filling fraction in the outer cladding while the proposed fiber remains SPSM, which significantly reduces the mode effective area and the confinement loss. Our simulation results indicate that the proposed PCF has a 1540 nm SMSP range with <0.25 dB/km confinement loss and an effective area of 2.2 μm². Moreover, the group velocity dispersion (GVD) of the proposed PCF can also be tuned to be flat and near zero at the near infrared band (∼800 nm) by optimizing the outer cladding structure, potentially enabling many nonlinear applications.     

Bend-optimized optical fiber with S+C+L bands for FTTH applications

A multi-clad waveguide, which provide more bandwidth for WDM with S+C+L bands, is illustrated in this study. The bending loss is optimized for the FTTH applications. The fiber is manufactured by PCVD process; the test results are identical with the theoretic calculation. This fiber has nearly flat dispersion from 1460 nm to 1625 nm. The MFD at 1310 nm and 1550 nm are 8.2 and 9.4 μm, respectively. Bending loss is less than 0.1 dB/Turn at a bending radius of 7.5 mm. With low-water-peak manufacture technologies, the fiber is suitable for FTTH applications.     

Water sensor using macrobending-sensitive fiber for real-time submersion monitoring

A fast reusable water sensor for long-distance real-time submersion monitoring was fabricated using a macrobending-sensitive fiber (MSF). The proposed water sensor consists of floating matter, periodic macrobending deformers, and a MSF. In this structure, the floating matter moves up and down according to the buoyant force of water, thereby controlling the bending loss of the MSF and allowing the proposed sensor to detect submersion. A basic bending experiment was conducted using a MSF and macrobending deformer, and the results used to fabricate an efficient water sensor. In contrast to existing sensors where the optical loss increases in the case of submersion, the optical loss of the fabricated sensor decreases due to the buoyant force when the selected area is submerged. As such, the fabricated sensor is able to transmit submersion information further than sensors that detect submersion by increasing the optical loss, and it is unaffected by environmental factors, such as humidity and pollutants in the water. The proposed sensor detects submersion by monitoring a 16 dB optical power change of 1550 nm, and the change in the optical power of the fabricated sensor is only affected by the buoyant force. In addition, the proposed water sensor quickly returns to its initial state when the water disappears, and the insertion loss when it is connected to a single-mode fiber (SMF) at both ends using a connector is only −1.2 dB at 1550 nm.     

Multimode interference wavelength multi/demultiplexer for 1310 and 1550 nm operation based on BCB 4024-40 photodefinable polymer

A 1310 and 1550 nm coarse wavelength multi/demultiplexer based on benzocyclobutene (BCB 4024-40) polymer is demonstrated for the first time. The device is designed based on a combination of general interference and paired interference mechanisms of multimode interference (MMI). It is fabricated on BK7 glass substrate with a thin layer of SiO₂ as cover. A cost effective chemical etching technique is used in the fabrication process to take advantage of the photosensitive nature of the polymer. The device length was significantly reduced by adopting the restricted multimode interference scheme, lower beat length ratio and cascaded MMI couplers. The measured crosstalk at 1310 nm was 14.4 dB and at 1550 nm was 20.6 dB. The measured insertion loss is around 3.2-3.5 dB for both ports.     

新型全固态准晶体结构大模场光纤特性研究

大模场单模光纤在高功率激光器、高功率光传输和高灵敏度传感器等领域具有重要意义.设计了一种新型超低损耗大模场单模光纤,包层空气孔由掺氟硅玻璃棒代替,掺氟硅玻璃棒排列呈六重准晶体结构.基于有限元法对光纤的传输特性进行了数值模拟.研究了光纤结构参量变化对模式特性和有效模场面积的影响.结果表明:波长在1064 nm处,有效模场面积高达5197μm2,基模的限制性损耗低于10-5dB/km,解决了大模场与低损耗之间的冲突;在1064—2000 nm波段内,基模与二阶模的限制性损耗相差7个量级,实现单模传输;半径为10 cm时,弯曲损耗小于0.01 dB/m,具有良好的低弯曲损耗特性.此光纤能够提高光纤热损伤阈值,减少接续损耗,全固态结构有效避免了空气孔塌陷,简化制备工艺,对高功率激光传输、光纤激光器和光纤放大器的发展具有重要意义.     

New nonlinear and dispersion flattened photonic crystal fiber with low confinement loss

A new nonlinear dispersion flattened photonic crystal fiber with low confinement loss is proposed. This fiber has threefold symmetry core. The doped region in the core and the big air-holes in the 1st ring can make high nonlinearity in the PCF. And the small air-holes in the 1st ring and the radial increasing diameters air-holes rings in cladding can be used to achieve the dispersion properties of the PCF. We can achieve the optimized optical properties by carefully selecting the PCFs structure parameters. A PCF with flattened dispersion is obtained. The dispersion is less than 0.8 ps/(nm km) and is larger than −0.7 ps/(nm km) from 1.515 μm to 1.622 μm. The nonlinear coefficient is about 12.6456 W⁻¹ km⁻¹, the fundamental mode area is about 10.2579 μm². The confinement loss is 0.30641 dB/km. This work may be useful for effective design and fabrication of dispersion flattened photonic crystal fibers with high nonlinearities.     

Fabrication and characterization of solid-core photonic crystal fiber with steering-wheel air-cladding for strong evanescent field overlap

We report the fabrication and characterization of a photonic crystal fiber with solid-core and steering-wheel pattern air-cladding (SW-PCF). Specifically, SW-PCF is fabricated using sol-gel casting technique. Attenuation spectrum shows the fiber losses of 0.14 dB/m, 0.087 dB/m, and 0.0 32 dB/m at wavelengths of 850 nm, 1000 nm, and 1500 nm, respectively, while the cut-off wavelength for single-mode operation is 1360 nm. Near-field imaging is used for the determination of mode-field diameter. The fiber presents the anomalous dispersion expending to short wavelength range with high non-linearity. Tapered SW-PCFs in the transverse geometries are numerically calculated, which suggests that the tapering of fiber holds a significant promise for the enhancement of power overlap in air holes. Properly designed and fabricated SW-PCF can thus be utilized as attractive platform for evanescent field sensing and detection.     

大容量长距离传输用低非线性效应非零色散位移光纤

利用非等温等离子体化学气相沉积 (PCVD)工艺制备了一种适合于大容量高速率长途干线网与城域网的中芯下陷型纤芯结构非零色散位移光纤。该光纤的有效面积大于 95 μm2 ,在 15 5 0nm波段的色散值约为9ps/(nm·km) ,有效的抑制了传输过程中光非线性效应的产生。通过对光纤剖面结构的优化设计 ,光纤的 15 5 0nm处的传输损耗降到约 0 .2 1dB/km ,与传统单模光纤的熔接损耗低于 0 .11dB ,且在直径为 6 0mm圆筒上绕 10 0圈后在 14 6 0nm到 16 2 5nm波长范围所引起的附加弯曲损耗均低于 0 .0 2dB/km。同时 ,该光纤色散斜率低于0 .0 6 5 ps/(nm2 ·km) ,偏振模色散 (PMD)小于 0 .0 5 ps·km-1/2 。此外 ,由于光纤的零色散点移到了 14 30nm以下 ,使波分复用 (WDM)传输在S波段 (14 6 0～ 15 30nm)、C波段 (15 30～ 15 6 5nm)、L(15 6 5～ 16 2 5nm)波段上都兼容。     

Er-Yb co-doped glass waveguide amplifiers using ion exchange and field-assisted annealing

Er³⁺-Yb³⁺ co-doped waveguide amplifiers fabricated using thermal two-step ion-exchange are demonstrated. K⁺-Na⁺ ion-exchange process was first carried out in pure KNO₃ molten bath, and then field-assisted annealing (FAA) was used to make the buried waveguides. The effective buried depth is estimated to be ∼3.4 μm for the buried FAA waveguides. With the use of cut-back method, the fiber-to-guide coupling loss of ∼4.38 dB, the waveguide loss of ∼2.27 dB/cm, and Er³⁺ absorption loss ∼5.7 dB were measured for a ∼1.24-cm-long waveguide. Peak relative gain of ∼7.0 dB is obtained for a ∼1.24-cm-long waveguide. The potential for the fabrication of compact optical amplifiers operating in the range of 1520-1580 nm is also demonstrated.     

High birefringence and low loss circular air-holes photonic crystal fiber using complex unit cells in cladding

We propose a high birefringence and low loss index-guiding photonic crystal fiber (PCF) using the complex unit cells in cladding by the finite-element method. Results show that the birefringence and confinement loss in such PCF fiber is determined not only by the whole cladding asymmetry but also the shape of the PCF core. The maximal modal birefringence and lowest confinement loss of our proposed structures at the excitation wavelength of λ = 1550 nm can be achieved at 8.7 × 10⁻³ and 5.27 × 10⁻⁵ dB/km, respectively.     

Photonic crystal fiber with high birefringence and low confinement loss

In this paper, a highly birefringent index-guiding photonic crystal fiber with low confinement loss is proposed by enlarging the central row of air holes in the structure. By employing the multipole method, properties of this structure, including the effective index, birefringence and confinement loss, are investigated. Simulation results indicate that high birefringence of 1.65 × 10⁻³ can be reached at the wavelength of 1.55 μm, and a low confinement loss on the order of 10⁻⁶ dB/km can be achieved at the same wavelength. Moreover, the impacts of air hole sizes on birefringence and confinement loss are also analyzed in detail.     

Low Loss Polarization Maintaining Photonic Crystal Fiber

A low loss polarization maintaining photonic crystal fiber has been fabricated. The fiber loss was 1.3 dB/km at 1550 nm. The polarization crosstalk for a 100-m fiber was ?5 dB at 1550 nm.     

Design and fabrication of hollow-core photonic crystal fibers for high-power ultrashort pulse transportation and pulse compression

We report on the recent design and fabrication of kagome-type hollow-core photonic crystal fibers for the purpose of high-power ultrashort pulse transportation. The fabricated seven-cell three-ring hypocycloid-shaped large core fiber exhibits an up-to-date lowest attenuation (among all kagome fibers) of 40 dB/km over a broadband transmission centered at 1500?nm. We show that the large core size, low attenuation, broadband transmission, single-mode guidance, and low dispersion make it an ideal host for high-power laser beam transportation. By filling the fiber with helium gas, a 74?μJ, 850?fs, and 40?kHz repetition rate ultrashort pulse at 1550?nm has been faithfully delivered at the fiber output with little propagation pulse distortion. Compression of a 105?μJ laser pulse from 850?fs down to 300?fs has been achieved by operating the fiber in ambient air.     

Determination of nonlinear coefficient and group-velocity-dispersion of bismuth-based high nonlinear optical fiber by four-wave-mixing

Nonlinear coefficient and group-velocity-dispersion of bismuth-based nonlinear fibers were determined by four-wave-mixing measurements. The wavelength dependence of refractive index of bulk bismuth-based glasses was also measured to estimate the material dispersion and waveguide dispersion. A newly developed bi-directional four-wave-mixing configuration enabled us to determine all fiber parameters simultaneously. The obtained fiber nonlinearity γ ∼ 1000 W⁻¹ km⁻¹ of bismuth-based nonlinear fiber is the highest one in the step-index fiber made of oxide glasses as expected from a high refractive index at 1550 nm. Dispersion analysis reveals that the both material dispersion and waveguide dispersion affect to the large group-velocity-dispersion of bismuth-based nonlinear fiber.     

Numerical design of high nonlinear coefficient of microstructure optical fibers

This paper presents a theoretical design of highly nonlinear microstructure optical fiber with dispersion-flat characteristics. The APSS™ 2.3 software based on the finite difference method with perfectly matched boundary conditions is used to simulate the properties of the proposed microstructure optical fiber. According to simulation, the proposed fiber warrants a high nonlinear coefficient of the order 41 W⁻¹ km⁻¹ and a low dispersion of 0.25 ps/nm/km at 1550 nm wavelength. It assumes a dispersion-flat characteristic of 0 ± 0.50 ps/nm/km in a 1450-1620 nm wavelength range centering 1550 nm wavelength with a modest number of design parameters.     

200-m optical fiber with an integrated electrode and its poling

More than 200 m of germanosilica optical fiber is manufactured with an internal wire electrode running parallel to the core. In this new fabrication method the wire is integrated into the fiber during the draw process. This length of fiber is an order of magnitude longer than other previously reported fibers with internal electrodes. The optical loss is less than our measurement floor of 0.5 dB/m at 1550 nm. A 0.9-m section of the fiber is thermally poled, inducing a permanent second-order nonlinearity of 0.0125 pm/V. Methods to increase the induced nonlinearity are discussed. Integrating the wire into the fiber during the draw allows lengths of fiber with internal electrodes greater than 1 km to be manufactured and subsequently poled.