Tunable comb-filter using thermally expanded core fiber and ytterbium doped fiber and its application to multi-wavelength fiber laser

We constructed a novel tunable comb-filter by splicing a commercial Yb³⁺ doped fiber (YDF) between 2 thermally expanded core (TEC) fibers at their core-expanded ends. This structure forms an all-fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer due to the interference between the core mode and the cladding modes of the YDF. The interference fringes shifts to the longer wavelength region as the YDF is pumped by a 980 nm laser diode (LD). We then demonstrated application of this newly proposed tunable comb-filter to a SOA-based ring laser and obtained multi-wavelength lasing. The lasing wavelengths can be also tuned by pumping the YDF in the proposed comb-filter.     

Modal and coupling characteristics of low-order modes in thermally diffused expanded core fibers

In this paper, the Galerkin's numerical method is applied in order to calculate propagation constants, optical intensity distributions and far-field-patterns of low-order LP-modes in thermally diffused expanded core (TEC) fibers. The problem of efficient coupling between Gaussian laser beams and single-mode TEC-fibers is also considered. It is demonstrated that TEC fibers are good candidates for Laser source-to-fiber optical coupling scheme with long working distance. The numerical results are compared with the corresponding ones obtained by a one-parameter variational method utilizing Laguerre-Gauss functions. Galerkin's method is generally stable and more accurate when the mode is away from the cut-off region. On the other hand, the variational method provides an explicit form of the modal fields if the variational parameter is accurately determined.     

光纤熔接机加热扩芯制作模场适配器的研究

为了改善不同类型光纤熔接时的模场失配,通过调整普通光纤熔接机的熔接参数,对模场直径较小的光纤进行加热扩芯,实现了10/130μm大模场面积双包层光纤和6/125μm单模光纤的低损耗熔接,光纤耦合效率可达到91%,并成功应用于自主研发的小型1064nm光纤激光器中。对利用光纤熔接机加热扩芯制作模场适配器进行了理论分析,并用1064nm光纤激光器测量其实际传输损耗。实验结果表明:采用普通光纤熔接机,适当的调整熔接参数,可以有效地提高大模场面积光纤到单模光纤的耦合效率,为制作模场适配器提供了一种简单实用的方法。     

Brillouin scattering spectrum in photonic crystal fiber with a partially germanium-doped core

The Brillouin scattering spectrum in a photonic crystal fiber (PCF) with a partially Ge-doped core is measured with a pump-probe technique at a wavelength of 1320 nm. One main peak and four subpeaks are observed. The main peak has a Lorentzian shape with the bandwidth deltanuB = 66 MHz. Its intensity is six times higher than that from a standard single-mode fiber measured under the same conditions, which is consistent with the ratio of (1/Aeff(PCF))/(1/Aeff(SMF)), where Aeff is the effective area of the fibers. The temperature coefficient for the main peak is 0.96 MHz/degrees C. We believe that the subpeaks are caused by an interaction between light-wave and guided modes of longitudinal acoustic waves in the graded-Ge-doped region, the silica region, and the microstructured cladding. An analysis of the guiding and antiguiding properties of the PCF for acoustic waves is presented.     

Characteristics of side-polished thermally expanded core fiber and its application as a band-edge filter with a high cut-off property

Characteristics of the side-polished thermally expanded core (TEC) fiber have been investigated theoretically and experimentally. The effect of core expanding on the transmission of the side-polished TEC fiber is predicted theoretically and demonstrated experimentally. The side-polished TEC fiber covered with an external medium whose chromatic dispersion is much different from the fiber materials, is applied to a band-edge filter with a high cut-off. The relationship between the expanded core diameter and the performance of the band-edge filter was measured and discussed.     

Efficient input and output fiber coupling to a photonic crystal waveguide

The efficiency of evanescent coupling between a silica optical fiber taper and a silicon photonic crystal waveguide is studied. A high-reflectivity mirror on the end of the photonic crystal waveguide is used to recollect, in the backward-propagating fiber mode, the optical power that is initially coupled into the photonic crystal waveguide. An outcoupled power in the backward-propagating fiber mode of 88% of the input power is measured, corresponding to a lower bound on the coupler efficiency of 94%.     

Interrogating fiber Bragg grating sensors by thermally scanning a demultiplexer based on arrayed waveguide gratings

We evaluate a wavelength interrogation technique based on an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG). Initial results show that the Bragg wavelength of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors can be precisely interrogated by thermally scanning an AWG-based demultiplexer. The technique potentially offers a low-cost, compact, and high-performance solution for the interrogation of FBG distributed sensors and multisensor arrays.     

Variational analysis of propagation characteristics in thermally diffused expanded core fibers

We present a scalar variational method for the analysis of light-propagation characteristics in thermally diffused expanded core (TEC) fibers. The method leads to simple closed-form expressions regarding the mode field diameter, numerical aperture, waveguide dispersion as well as coupling losses produced by radial, longitudinal and angular misalignments. The dependence of coupling losses on the ‘taper ratio’ and normalized frequency is investigated and previous predictions that TEC fibers transmit light more effectively in free space over the order of millimeters, is confirmed. The coupling losses between small core diameter step-index fibers typically used in most erbium-doped fiber amplifiers and TEC-fibers is also considered.     

Angular spectrum theory to calculate coupling efficiency in rectangular waveguide resonators

Coupling efficiency of the rectangular waveguide resonators are discussed in terms of the method of angular spectrum theory. Under the condition given in the paper, the coupling coefficients for the EH₁₁ mode in the rectangular waveguide resonator are presented as a function of mirror curvature and position. It is shown that there exist two special geometries to provide low coupling efficiency. The method can be applied to the other modes.     

盲优化波前校正提高自由空间光通信光纤耦合效率

为了提高自由空间光通信系统的光纤耦合效率,介绍了一种新颖的基于盲优化波前校正的自适应光学系统。该系统不使用波前传感器,而是在信号进入接收端前,将畸变光信号分束后送入光电探测器,进行耦合效率计算;采用耦合效率的估计公式斯特列尔比为目标函数,用随机并行梯度优化算法最大化目标函数,以实时控制变形镜,从而使耦合进入单模光纤的光达到最优。数值结果表明,此系统能使光纤耦合效率从6%提高到约60%。     

盲优化波前校正提高自由空间光通信光纤耦合效率

为了提高自由空间光通信系统的光纤耦合效率,介绍了一种新颖的基于盲优化波前校正的自适应光学系统。该系统不使用波前传感器,而是在信号进入接收端前,将畸变光信号分束后送入光电探测器,进行耦合效率计算;采用耦合效率的估计公式斯特列尔比为目标函数,用随机并行梯度优化算法最大化目标函数,以实时控制变形镜,从而使耦合进入单模光纤的光达到最优。数值结果表明,此系统能使光纤耦合效率从6%提高到约60%。     

High efficiency fiber coupling to silicon sandwiched slot waveguides

The design of a fiber coupler for high efficiency light coupling to silicon sandwiched slot waveguides is reported. The proposed fiber coupler is based on the inverted taper approach. Parameters have been optimized to maximize coupling efficiency for λ = 1550 nm and TM polarization. Maximum coupling efficiencies of 93% for a inverted taper length of 150 μm and a inverted taper tip width of 40 nm have been obtained by means of the overlap integral and 3D beam propagation method (BPM) simulations.     

Thermal expanded core technique applied to high power fiber mode field adapter

A mode field adapter(MFA) fabricated by the thermal expanded core(TEC) technique is investigated. Firstly, the mode field characteristics of the TEC large mode area fiber(LMAF) are analyzed. Compared with the single-mode fiber(SMF), the mode field diameter of the LMAF enlarged slower than that of the SMF. Secondly, the mode field characteristics of the different fibers with TEC treatment are discussed. Thirdly, the transmission efficiency of the MFA fabricated by the SMF and LMAF is also investigated. Finally, we used the 6/125 μm SMF and 15/130 μm LMAF to fabricate an MFA with transmission efficiency of 92% and the handling power as high as 100 W.     

Estimation of coupling efficiency of optical fiber by far-field method

Coupling efficiency to a single-mode optical fiber can be estimated with the field amplitudes at far-field of an incident beam and optical fiber mode. We call it the calculation by far-field method (FFM) in this paper. The coupling efficiency by FFM is formulated including effects of optical aberrations, vignetting of the incident beam, and misalignments of the optical fiber such as defocus, lateral displacements, and angle deviation in arrangement of the fiber. As the results, it is shown the coupling efficiency is proportional to the central intensity of the focused spot, i.e., Strehl intensity of a virtual beam determined by the incident beam and mode of the optical fiber. Using the FFM, a typical optics in which a laser beam is coupled to an optical fiber with a lens of finite numerical aperture (NA) is analyzed for several cases of amplitude distributions of the incident light.     

Experimental realization of highly efficient broadband coupling of single quantum dots to a photonic crystal waveguide

We present time-resolved spontaneous emission measurements of single quantum dots embedded in photonic crystal waveguides. Quantum dots that couple to a photonic crystal waveguide are found to decay up to 27 times faster than uncoupled quantum dots. From these measurements beta-factors of up to 0.89 are derived, and an unprecedented large bandwidth of 20 nm is demonstrated. This shows the promising potential of photonic crystal waveguides for efficient single-photon sources. The scaled frequency range over which the enhancement is observed is in excellent agreement with recent theoretical proposals taking into account that the light-matter coupling is strongly enhanced due to the significant slow-down of light in the photonic crystal waveguides.     

Ray-optics analysis of the coupling efficiency from a gaussian beam to a rectangular multimode embedded strip waveguide

Abstract

The modified ray-optics method is used to analyze the coupling efficiency from a Gaussian beam to a rectangular multimode embedded strip waveguide. It is convenient for analyzing the case of a simple waveguide structure because of reduced computation time. The conditions for determining which optical rays can be coupled into the waveguide to become the waveguiding modes, as well as the effective receiving area of the waveguide, are derived in this work. The data obtained by this method are compared with those calculated by the well-known overlap integral theorem and Marcatili's models for investigating the validity of the modified ray-optics method.     

Ray-optics analysis of the coupling efficiency from a gaussian beam to a rectangular multimode embedded strip waveguide

The modified ray-optics method is used to analyze the coupling efficiency from a Gaussian beam to a rectangular multimode embedded strip waveguide. It is convenient for analyzing the case of a simple waveguide structure because of reduced computation time. The conditions for determining which optical rays can be coupled into the waveguide to become the waveguiding modes, as well as the effective receiving area of the waveguide, are derived in this work. The data obtained by this method are compared with those calculated by the well-known overlap integral theorem and Marcatili's models for investigating the validity of the modified ray-optics method.     

Laser diode to single-mode circular core dispersion-shifted/dispersion-flattened fiber excitation via hyperbolic microlens on the fiber tip: Prediction of coupling efficiency by ABCD matrix formalism

The formulated ABCD matrix formalism is employed to prescribe analytical expression of coupling efficiency of a laser diode to single-mode circular core dispersion-shifted as well as dispersion-flattened fiber via hyperbolic microlens on the tip of the fiber. We assume that field distribution in case of both the source and the fiber is one parameter Gaussian type. For maximum excitation efficiency, it is required that the lens transmitted spot size of the source should match with the spot size of the fiber. Further, as regards the spot size of the fiber, we use Petermann II spot size in order to take care of non Gaussian nature of field of such fibers and to make the estimations more realistic thereby. The investigations are carried out for two different wavelengths 1.3 and 1.5 μm. Our simple method predicts the concerned coupling optics excellently and the necessary evaluations require little computations. This simple but accurate technique is expected to benefit the system designers who work in the field of optical technology.     

Efficient coupling of a laser to a waveguide using a taper designed by conformal mapping

Maximising the optical power collected in a waveguide from the diffracting field of a semiconductor laser is desirable in optical fibre communication systems. However, the spot size and phase front curvature of the laser field usually makes a poor overlap with the mode of the receiving waveguide. Various proposals have been made to improve this coupling. This paper presents the design of a tapered waveguide section, having the correct geometry and refractive index profile, to efficiently capture and transform the rapidly diffracting light from a semiconductor laser to a planar wavefront in a straight waveguide. Experimentally, such an approach requires the refining of available techniques (UV exposure, ion implantation or diffusion) to obtain the required grading of the refractive index profile within the tapered input section of the receiving waveguide.     

Demonstration of microwave frequency shifting by use of a highly chirped mode-locked fiber laser

We report an experimental demonstration of a photonic microwave shifter using a highly chirped mode-locked fiber laser. The system is based on dispersive compression or expansion of highly chirped optical pulses that are amplitude modulated by the microwave signal. Using this technique, we demonstrated frequency shifting of a microwave signal from 10 GHz down to 5 GHz and up to 25 GHz.