Comparisons of multi-wavelength oscillations using Sagnac loop mirror and Mach-Zehnder interferometer for ytterbium doped fiber lasers

A multiwavelength Ytterbium-doped fiber ring laser operating at 1030 nm region is demonstrated using a Sagnac loop mirror and a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. We report the Performance comparisons of multi-wavelength oscillations in Yb³⁺ doped fiber lasers (YDFL) with typical commercial ytterbium doped silica fibers. By adjusting the polarization controller (PC), a widely tunable laser range of 22 nm from 1030 nm to 1050 nm is obtained. The Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) design has exhibited simplicity in the operation for controlling the smallest wavelength spacing compared to Sagnac loop mirror method. In our observations, the smallest achieved stable wavelength spacing in Sagnac loop mirror setup and MZI setup were 2.1 nm and 0.7 nm, respectively. In case of nine-wavelength operation with a MZI setup, the stability, Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) and side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) of laser lines are not affected by increasing pump power, While for above four wavelength operation, the laser stability with Sagnac loop mirror becomes worse specially for higher input pump power and the power fluctuation among the wave-lengths would be also slightly larger.     

Large increase in photosensitivity through massive hydroxyl formation

We report a large increase in photosensitivity of germanium-doped silicate fibers by rapid heat treatment of hydrogen-loaded fibers at 1000 degrees C before exposure of the fibers to 242-nm radiation. The increase in photosensitivity is compared with thermally induced absorption caused by introduction of massive amounts of hydroxyl species. The absorption loss was measured to be 0.02 dB/cm mol.% OH at 1.55 mum. Strong gratings (Dn > 1 x 10(-4)) in germanium-free phosphorous-doped fibers in the presence of 242-nm radiation have also been manufactured by this technique.     

Fabrication of an integrated optical Mach-Zehnder interferometer based on refractive index modification of polymethylmethacrylate by krypton fluoride excimer laser radiation

It is known that deep ultraviolet (UV) radiation induces a refractive index increase in the surface layer of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) samples. This effect can be used for the fabrication of integrated optical waveguides. PMMA is of considerable interest for bio and chemical sensing applications because it is biocompatible and can be micromachined by several methods, e.g. structuring by photolithography, ablation and hot embossing. In the presented work direct UV irradiation of a common PMMA substrate by a krypton fluoride excimer laser beam through a contact mask has been used to write integrated optical Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZI). MZI are used as sensitive bio and chemical sensors. The aim was to determine contact mask design and laser irradiation parameters for fabricating single-mode MZI for the infrared region from 1.30 μm to 1.62 μm. Straight and curved waveguides have been generated and characterized to determine the optical losses. The generation of channel waveguide structures has been optimized by a two step irradiation process to minimize the lithographic writing time and optical loss. By flood exposure to UV laser radiation in the first step the optical absorption of PMMA can be increased in the irradiated region. The required refractive index profile is then achieved with a second lithographic irradiation. The spectral behaviour of an unbalanced, integrated optical MZI fabricated by this excimer laser based contact mask method is shown for the first time. Further the optical intensity at the output port of a MZI has been measured while the optical path length difference was tuned by creating a temperature difference between the two arms of the MZI.     

Mach-Zehnder干涉仪条纹成像多普勒激光雷达风速反演及视场展宽技术

相对于传统多普勒鉴频器Fabry-Perot干涉仪, Mach-Zehnder干涉仪(MZI)具有透过率高、直线条纹易于探测、可进行视场展宽等优点. 本文设计了基于条纹成像MZI的非相干多普勒测风激光雷达系统, 构建了风速反演的数学模型, 利用MZI视场展宽技术优化了激光雷达系统的性能. 数值仿真实现了MZI鉴频系统干涉条纹图样的理想输出, 采用SineSqr函数拟合法获取了高精度的多普勒频移前后干涉条纹的移动距离, 并通过视场补偿减小了入射角对MZI光程差的影响, 从而实现视场展宽. 结果表明: 采用SineSqr函数拟合法可获得在±100 m·s^-1的径向风速范围内<0.45 m·s^-1的风速误差, 克服了条纹重心法反演风速不稳定性的缺点; 视场展宽技术在不降低鉴频性能的情况下, 能最大补偿1°的视场角. MZI条纹成像多普勒激光雷达应用技术的探讨将为中高层大气风速激光雷达测量系统的实际开发奠定良好的基础. 关键词： 激光雷达 条纹成像Mach-Zehnder干涉仪 风速反演 视场补偿     

基于多芯光纤级联布喇格光纤光栅的横向压力与温度同时测量

提出并制作了一种基于多芯光纤与单模光纤错位构成的马赫-曾德尔干涉仪,将其与光纤布喇格光栅级联,形成的全光纤传感系统可实现横向压力和温度双参量同时测量.马赫-曾德尔干涉仪是利用多芯光纤和单模光纤的模场不匹配而发生模间干涉,当外界横向压力直接作用在多芯光纤内部光场,干涉仪具有较高的灵敏度.实验结果表明:马赫-曾德尔干涉仪压力灵敏度为28.57nm/(N·mm~(-1)),线性度为0.997,而光纤布喇格光栅在一定范围内对压力变化不敏感;马赫-曾德干涉仪和光纤布喇格光栅对温度变化都具有较高的线性度,温度灵敏度分别为56.1pm/℃和11.3pm/℃.对于分辨率为0.02nm的光谱仪,传感器可实现的压力和温度测量分辨率分别为7.0×10~(-4)N/mm和0.03℃.马赫-曾德尔干涉仪的透射谱和光纤布拉光栅的谐振峰对横向压力和温度的变化有不同的光谱响应,利用光谱仪对传感器的透射谱实时监测,方便地实现了压力与温度双参量的测量.该传感器结构简单,灵敏度高,可用于不同领域的压力传感.     

A very compact Mach-Zehnder interferometer with left-handed material

A very compact Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) composed of two parallel straight waveguides with left-handed material (LHM) layers is proposed. The operating principle and characteristics of the MZI with electro-optic material (EOM) core are analyzed by using the supermode theory and coupled mode theory. The result shows that regardless of material loss, a very compact MZI of only 0.87 mm × 0.022 mm can be achieved by utilizing EOM with ultrahigh electro-optic coefficient, which means a new way to fulfill a very compact electro-optic modulator or optical switch. The absorption effect of the proposed MZI is also analyzed by perturbation method which is generated by lossy LHM layers.     

High sensitivity Mach–Zehnder interferometer sensors based on concatenated ultra-abrupt tapers on thinned fibers

This study proposes a simple, cost-effective method to fabricate fiber-based Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI) sensors by concatenating two ultra-abrupt fiber tapers together using a fusion splicer. By concatenating, the taper diameter and length ratio is 1:1 that is much greater than that (1:10) by stretching. The refractive index sensitivity is comparable to the MZI sensors based on long-period fiber grating pairs or stretched fiber taper pairs. The MZI fiber claddings are etched to improve the sensitivity of refractive index measurements. The sensitivity is 664.57 nm/RIU (refractive index unit) for the refractive index ranging from 1.3348 to 1.3558, which is 2–6 times greater than those measured by long period fiber gratings (LPFGs) after sensitivity enhancement.     

Mach-Zehnder interferometers assembled with optical microfibers or nanofibers

We demonstrate Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZI) assembled using optical microfibers or nanofibers (MNFs) drawn from silica fibers and tellurite glasses. As-assembled MZIs, with dimensions of tens to hundreds of micrometers, show good interference fringes with extinction ratios of approximately 10 dB. The path-length difference of the MZI can be tuned by micromanipulation under an optical microscope. The MNF-assembled MZIs demonstrated here show advantages of easy fabrication, in situ tunability, and compact size.     

Photosensitivity of As2S3 chalcogenide thin films at 1.5 microm

Chalcogenide glasses are promising candidates for all-optical switching and various nonlinear applications. However, we show that As2S3 thin films are photosensitive at wavelengths in the 1.5-microm telecommunication window. This sensitivity is evidenced by the formation of self-written waveguides in slabs, where channels as narrow as 1 microm are created. We also show the detrimental effects of such photosensitivity in ridge waveguides. This photosensitivity seems to occur only in thin-film form and not in bulk samples or fibers.     

Using modified Mach-Zehnder interferometer to get better nonlinear correction term of an isotropic nonlinear material

Nonlinear materials have been well established as photo refractive switching material. Important applica- tions of isotropic nonlinear materials are seen in self-focusing, defocusing phenomena, switching systems, etc. The nonlinear correction term is basically responsible for the optical switches. Mach-Zehnder inter- ferometer （MZI） is a well-known arrangement for determining the above correction term, but there are some major problems for finding out the term by MZI. We propose a new method of finding the nonlinear correction term as well as the second order nonlinear susceptibility of the materials by using a modified MZI system. This method may be used to find out the above parameters for any unknown nonlinear material.     

Hybrid Mach-Zehnder interferometer and knot resonator based on silica microfibers

We propose and demonstrate an all-fiber high Q Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI)-coupled microknot resonator (MZKR) structure using optical microfibers drawn from silica fibers. The experimental results show that this microfiber-based structure achieved a high Q factor of ∼ 15,000 and good interference fringes with extinction ratio of up to ∼ 15 dB. By optimizing the loop-length of the microfiber knot and the optical path-difference of the MZI, the desired MZKR with higher Q factor and better extinction ratio could be obtained. A series of integrated all-fiber optical devices could be realized based on such a MZKR structure due to its outstanding advantages of easy fabrication, great flexibility, low cost, low loss, etc.     

An integrated Mach–Zehnder interferometric biosensor with a silicon oxynitride waveguide by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

We report the design and fabrication of an integrated Mach–Zehnder interferometric (MZI) biochip based on silicon oxynitride layers deposited with a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process. A rib waveguide for an integrated MZI sensor has been designed to have a high surface sensitivity and a single-mode behavior by using an effective index method. The integrated MZI chip operating at 637 nm is fabricated via conventional photolithography and reactive ion etching. As a biosensor application, the real-time and label-free detection of the covalent immobilization and hybridization of DNA strands is performed and verified with this device.     

基于马赫-曾德干涉的全光纤双参量传感器

提出一种基于S形-错位结构的全光纤马赫-曾德干涉仪（MZI）双参量传感器。该传感结构是采用单模光纤在光纤熔接机中通过简单的放电和熔接等步骤制备而成。顺时针扭转时, 传感器的传输光谱向短波长方向偏移; 逆时针扭转, 向长波长方向偏移。对传感器的实验研究结果表明,该传感器在光纤横截面上顺时针和逆时针两个旋转方向上的扭曲传感灵敏度分别为?223 pm/(rad·cm?1), 140 pm/(rad·cm?1),且可实现扭转方向的判别,在一定应变范围内的应变灵敏度为0.145×106 dB/ε(这里ε为应变),且温度交叉灵敏度极小,可忽略不计。因此,这种基于单模光纤的纤芯-包层MZI双参量传感器具有传感灵敏度高,体积小巧,工艺简单,成本低廉且可判别扭转方向的优点,有望成为众多双参量测量操作中良好的候选仪器之一。     

Effects of drawing tension on the photosensitivity of Sn-Ge- and B-Ge-codoped core fibers

The influence of drawing tension on the formation of Bragg gratings in B-Ge- and Sn-Ge-codoped core fibers is investigated by transmission and stress measurements. With increasing drawing tension, the axial stress is reduced in the B-Ge-codoped core but increased in the Sn-Ge-codoped core. A higher drawing tension leads to a photosensitivity enhancement and an increase of the core stress during the grating formation in B-Ge-codoped fibers. For Sn-Ge-codoped fibers, increased drawing tension results in an UV-induced stress decrease accompanied by a reduction of the photosensitivity. The results are discussed on the basis of an UV-induced compaction of the core network.     

Mach-Zehnder interferometer with a uniform wavelength period

We have realized a first optical filter composed of optical delay lines and couplers that has a periodic response with respect to wavelength, whereas a conventional optical filter is known to have a periodic response to relative optical frequency. This new filter can be constructed by using a phase-generating coupler (PGC) that supplies the optical delay lines with a wavelength-dependent nonlinear phase. The PGC, which is also composed of optical delay lines and couplers, can simultaneously provide a desired phase and an arbitrary amplitude coupling ratio. We applied our transformation method to a conventional Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) as an example of an optical frequency filter and converted it to an optical wavelength filter. We fabricated the designed MZI on a silica-based planar lightwave circuit and successfully realized what is believed to be the first MZI with a uniform wavelength period.     

A tunable and switchable single-longitudinal-mode dual-wavelength fiber laser incorporating a reconfigurable dual-pass Mach-Zehnder interferometer and its application in microwave generation

A tunable and switchable single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) dual-wavelength fiber laser incorporating a reconfigurable dual-pass Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) filter was proposed and demonstrated, which can be applied in microwave generation. By incorporating a high extinction ratio (ER) dual-pass MZI into an erbium-doped fiber ring cavity, SLM dual-wavelength lasing can be achieved even using a MZI with relatively little free spectrum range (FSR), and by beating the two wavelengths at a photodetector, a 9.76 GHz microwave signal with a 3-dB bandwidth of less than 10 kHz is obtained. Moreover, by direct linking the two outputs of the MZI, the high ER dual-pass MZI is easily reconfigured as a half FSR dual-pass MZI. Using this structure, switchable SLM dual-wavelength lasing can be conveniently realized.     

纤芯失配熔接的高灵敏度光纤折射率传感器

提出并实验验证了一种基于马赫泽德干涉仪(MZI)的高灵敏度光纤折射率(RI)传感器。传感头由一段单模光纤(SMF)夹熔在两段较短的细芯光纤(TCF)中组成TCF SMF-TCF结构,其总长度为9 mm。由于光纤纤芯失配导致的纤芯模和包层模发生干涉,干涉谱对传感头外部折射率的响应极其敏感。使用该传感器检测具有不同折射率的甘油水溶液,实验结果显示:传感器干涉谱的共振波长随环境折射率的增大向长波方向漂移,其折射率灵敏度在1.33 RIU～1.38 RIU范围内约为159 nm/RIU。该传感器具有结构简单、易于制造、成本较低、灵敏度高、抗电磁干扰能力强等优点,在生物化学与环境监测等领域具有较大的应用潜力。     

82-channel multi-wavelength comb generation in a SOA fiber ring laser

We demonstrate a multi-wavelength semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) fiber ring laser with a dual-pass Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) filter. Two SOAs with different gain spectra provide sufficient gain and a wider gain spectrum to facilitate multi-wavelength lasing. The dual-pass MZI, configured by adding an optical isolator to the two outputs of the conventional MZI, serves as comb filter for multi-wavelength operation, and its extinction ratio can be enhanced to twofold as that of the conventional MZI in the same parameters. To investigate the influences of a dual-pass MZI filter and a conventional MZI filter on multi-wavelength operation, two different cavity configurations are presented and compared, including a single-SOA ring cavity and a double-SOA ring cavity. Stable simultaneous operation at 82 wavelengths, with a wavelength spacing of 40 GHz and a power deviation of 5 dB, and with a minimum optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) of 28 dB, is observed from the double-SOA ring cavity using a dual-pass MZI filter.     

Design of a spectrum-expanded polymer Mach�CZehnder interferometer electro-optic switch using two-phase generating couplers

A novel structure, thorough analysis and design technique are presented for a kind of polymer Mach?CZehnder Interferometer (MZI) electro-optic (EO) switch consisting of two-phase generating couplers (PGCs). By optimizing the PGCs structure, the output spectrum of the two PGCs based MZI EO switch is greatly expanded to almost six times of that of the traditional MZI EO switch with two 3?dB directional couplers. Under a central wavelength of 1550 nm, the driving voltages of the designed switch are as low as about 0 (ON state) and ±0.925?V (OFF state) with an EO region length of 5000???m. A wide spectrum more than 350 nm (1380??1730?nm) is achieved, and within this wavelength range, the crosstalk is less than ?30?dB, and the insertion loss is less than 5.91?dB which is larger than that of the traditional MZI EO switch due to the longer waveguide length by introducing two PGCs. The design technique on the two PGCs based MZI EO switch is supported to be reasonable compared with the beam propagation method (BPM). The proposed structure shows potential wide applications especially in optical cross-connect (OXC) and optical add-drop multiplexing (OADM) systems.     

Solar hypersensitization of optical fibers

Hydrogen-loaded fibers were exposed to solar radiation for 20 days, in which time the hydrogen was allowed to out-diffuse. Gratings written in these fibers show an increased photosensitivity compared with pristine fibers. Results show the solar radiation has a similar effect on both stripped and unstripped fibers. This work agrees with the fundamental process of using low fluence, long UV sources to photosensitize hydrogen-loaded, germanium-doped fibers.