Optimization of polishing parameters for optical coupler based on side-polished photonic crystal fiber

The rapid development in areas such as fiber-optic communication, fiber lasers, and high power transmission has generated an increasing demand for photonic crystal fiber (PCF). However, there is no well-proven approach for PCF coupler fabrication because most approaches proposed introduce defects that are non-negligible in practice. Previously, we have made an attempt by applying side-adhering technique to PCF coupler fabrication. This paper presents our recent effort in establishing a model of side-polished PCF (SPPCF) coupler and tuning various fabrication parameters in search for its desirable characteristics. It is found that the optimal coupling effect is achieved when the residual radius is set 5.7 μm and the polishing angle is set 0°. The optimizations presented in this paper may serve as a foundation for further research and development of SPPCF coupler.     

Optical Coherence Tomography Implemented by Photonic Crystal Fiber

We report a photonic crystal fiber (PCF)-based optical coherence tomography (OCT) system, in which conventional single-mode fiber for the transmission line and the fiber coupler for the beam splitter/combiner are replaced with PCF and PCF coupler. The PCF coupler fabricated using the fused biconical tapered (FBT) method showed a nearly flat coupling ratio over a broad spectral bandwidth of 400 nm, which provided an axial resolution of 3-μm for OCT imaging. With a white-light source, the 8-μm thick air gap between two stacked cover glasses was measured, and with a conventional superluminecent diode (SLD) source, the in vitro images of rat eye and Misgurnus mizolepis skin were successfully obtained. The PCF and PCF coupler might enable a white-light as the source for the cost effective and high-resolution OCT system.     

Splice-free interfacing of photonic crystal fibers

We report a new method for making low-loss interfaces between conventional single-mode fibers and photonic crystal fibers (PCFs). Adapted from the fabrication of PCF preforms from stacked tubes and rods, this method avoids the need for splicing and is versatile enough to interface to virtually any type of index-guiding silica PCF. We illustrate the method by forming interfaces to two problematic types of PCF, highly nonlinear and multicore. In particular, we believe this to be the first method capable of individually coupling light into and out of all the cores of a fiber with multiple closely spaced cores, without input or output cross talk.     

Fusion splicing small-core photonic crystal fibers and single-mode fibers by repeated arc discharges

We demonstrate a novel method for low-loss splicing small-core photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) and single-mode fibers (SMFs) by repeated arc discharges using a conventional fusion splicer. An optimum mode field match at the interface of PCF-SMF and an adiabatic mode field variation in the longitudinal direction of the small-core PCF can be achieved by repeated arc discharges applied over the splicing joint to gradually collapse the air holes of the small-core PCF. This method is simple and offers a practical solution for light coupling between small-core PCFs and SMFs.     

Lensed photonic crystal fiber obtained by use of an arc discharge

A lensed photonic crystal fiber (PCF) is proposed as an effective element for an optical free-space interconnector. By simultaneously forming a beam-expansion region and a focusing lens on a single piece of PCF, effective coupling between PCFs could be achieved. A long working distance of up to 1 mm with wide longitudinal and lateral tolerances was measured. The optical characteristics of the lensed PCFs and the connectors made from them are analyzed experimentally and theoretically.     

Photopolymer microtips for efficient light coupling between single-mode fibers and photonic crystal fibers

A novel method for light coupling between single-mode fibers (SMFs) and small-core photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) is demonstrated. The method is based on growing photopolymer microtips directly on the end faces of SMFs. The shape and size of the tips can be controlled by adjusting the laser power and the exposure time for polymerization to match the mode field to the small-core PCFs. A 5 dB improvement in coupling efficiency between a SMF and a commercial small-core, highly nonlinear PCF is experimentally demonstrated. This compact and efficient butt-coupling method is particularly suitable for PCF gas sensor applications.     

Photonic crystal fiber coupler

Fiber couplers made with photonic crystal fibers (PCF) are reported. Two types of PCF were fabricated by means of stacking a group of silica tubes around a silica rod and drawing them. The fiber couplers were made by use of the fused biconical tapered method. With a fiber that had five hexagonally stacked layers of air holes, a 33/67 coupling ratio was obtained, and with a one-layer four-hole fiber, a 48/52 coupling ratio was obtained. The fabrication processes and the characteristics of the PCFs and the PCF couplers are presented.     

Photonic crystal fiber with a flattened fundamental mode for the fiber lasers

The 1-hole-missing and 7-hole-missing photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) with flattened fundamental modes (FMs) are proposed by introducing a layer of up-doped silica into the core of the PCFs. The transverse mode competitions are compared between the 7-hole-missing PCF lasers with and without flattened-FMs. The numerical results show that the flattened-FM PCF lasers can support the single transverse mode operation, even for a large value of the ratio of air hole diameter to the spacing between holes (up to 0.53).     

双芯光子晶体光纤宽带定向耦合器研究

利用半矢量有限差分法设计了具有低折射率双芯的光子晶体光纤宽带定向耦合器,并数值计算了双芯光子晶体光纤的结构参量对耦合性能的影响.数值结果表明,通过优化选取光子晶体光纤包层结构参量和纤芯掺杂浓度,双芯光子晶体光纤耦合器可以实现宽带耦合.在1.22~1.65 μm 波长范围内其耦合长度稳定在26637 nm±235 nm范围内,耦合器设计成耦合比为50%和10%,分别实现了耦合比为（50±0.702）%和（10±0.664）%的良好特性.     

Multiwatt octave-spanning supercontinuum generation in multicore photonic-crystal fiber

High-power supercontinuum spanning over more than an octave was generated using a high power femtosecond fiber laser amplifier and a multicore nonlinear photonic crystal fiber (PCF). Long multicore PCFs (as long as 20 m in our experiments) are shown to enable supercontinuum generation in an isolated fundamental supermode, with the manifold of other PCF modes suppressed due to the strong evanescent fields coupling between the cores, providing a robust 5.4 W coherent supercontinuum output with a high spatial and spectral quality within the range of wavelengths from 500 to 1700 nm.     

Bending dual-core photonic crystal fiber coupler

In this paper, we systematically study a designed structure of a bending dual-core photonic crystal fiber (PCF). We propose the controllable wavelength-selective coupling PCF. This coupler allows highly accurate control of the filtering wavelength. The different wavelengths can be selected by controlling the bending radius of the fiber. Coupling characteristics of novel bending wavelength-selective coupling PCF are evaluated by using a vector finite element method and their application to a multiplexer demultiplexer (MUX–DEMUX) based on the novel coupler is investigated. When the fiber length is 4168 μm, the bending radius of PCF couplers for 1.48/1.55 μm, 1.3/1.55 μm, 0.98/1.55 μm, and 0.85/1.55 μm is calculated, respectively, and the beam propagation analysis is performed. Different from the traditional wavelength-selective coupling PCF, the dual-core PCF is bent and it can realize the separation of multiple wavelengths.     

Wavelength-selective coupling of dual-core photonic crystal fiber with a hybrid light-guiding mechanism

A novel class of wavelength-selective coupling photonic crystal fiber (PCF) that operates by a hybrid light-guiding mechanism has been proposed. Different from the traditional PCF coupler operating principle, this fiber coupler shares properties of both the total internal reflection index-guided and the photonic bandgap mechanism. This coupler allows highly accurate control of the filtering wavelength; both bandstop and bandpass filters can be easily implemented. The spectral transmission results demonstrate that the bandpass characteristic of the coupler is very narrow and free of sidelobes. Moreover, the operating wavelength and the coupling length can be continuously tuned by changing the refractive index of the filling material. This research gives a physical insight into the propagation mechanism in the PCF coupler and is crucial for future applications of the proposed device.     

A novel polarization splitter based on dual-core hybrid photonic crystal fibers

Highly birefringent dual-core photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) can be used as a polarization splitter because the orthogonal polarization modes with dissimilar coupling lengths are easily separated from each other. Different from the traditional methods achieving high birefringence, a new highly birefringent hybrid PCF that guides light by both index guiding and bandgap guiding is proposed. Firstly, a novel polarization splitter based on this kind of dual-core hybrid PCF is designed. The transmission modes, coupling lengths for the two orthogonal polarizations and performance of the proposed polarization splitter are investigated and numerically analyzed. The results demonstrate that it is possible to obtain a 4.72-mm-long polarization splitter. The splitting ratio is better than −20 dB in a large wavelength range of 1.53-1.72 μm. Its bandwidth is about 190 nm.     

Analytical evaluation of bending loss oscillations in photonic crystal fibers

In this paper we present an analytical formula for bending loss oscillations in photonic crystal fibers (PCFs). We follow the approach originally adopted for conventional double-clad fibers and show that it can be applied to PCFs by substituting the structural parameters of the conventional fiber by their PCF counterparts. We then examine the spectral dependence of the critical bending radius and the position of the first order loss peak as a function of structural parameters of the PCF cladding such as the fill factor and the number of hole rings. Finally, we evaluate the precision of the analytical model by comparing the results to finite element calculations for a selection of PCF geometries.     

Stimulated Brillouin scattering by the interaction between different-order optical and acoustical modes in an As_2Se_3 photonic crystal fiber

Brillouin gain spectra(BGS)in an As2Se3 photonic crystal fiber(PCF)are investigated numerically.The profiles of the BGS are simulated by calculating the characteristics of different-order optical and acoustic waves in the PCFs with different core diameters.For the small-core PCF,there are two peaks in BGS,but there is only one peak for the large-core PCF.We also reveal that in the small-core PCF,the difference of Brillouin frequency shift between the LP01 and LP11 modes is obvious,while it is not obvious in the large-core PCF.The Brillouin threshold increases with the core diameter increasing.     

Tunable fiber gratings fabricated in photonic crystal fiber by use of mechanical pressure

The mode-coupling properties of tunable long-period fiber gratings (LPGs) formed in photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) are presented. The mode coupling from the fundamental core mode to a cladding mode of a PCF is obtained by use of periodic mechanical pressure. The strength and the wavelength of the resonant peak are tuned by adjusting the grating period and the pressure applied on the PCF. Contrary to the conventional fiber case, the resonant wavelength of the PCF LPG is decreased by increasing the periodicity.     

光子晶体光纤的弯曲损耗振荡特性分析

综合运用弯曲光纤的等效直光纤模型、全矢量频域有限差分法及各向异性完全匹配层吸收边界,计算了两种类型(折射率引导型和带隙型)光子晶体光纤(PCF)的弯曲损耗.通过数值模拟弯曲损耗随弯曲半径的变化关系,证实了两种光子晶体光纤均具有弯曲损耗振荡特性.进而分析了两种光子晶体光纤弯曲损耗振荡的产生机理并给出了与损耗峰对应的包层模式.结果表明,振荡的产生源于基模与包层模式的耦合,其中,折射率引导型光子晶体光纤的弯曲损耗振荡机理类似于传统双包层光纤,带隙型光子晶体光纤弯曲损耗振荡的产生则是两种不同类型的包层模式共同作用的结果.     

一种实现光纤耦合器分光比微调的新方法

随着光纤通信技术的不断发展,光纤通信中至关重要的光无源器件——光纤耦合器,其使用量正在不断的增加。如何提高光纤耦合器的成品率已成为一个很重要的问题。通过对具有一定分光比的未封装的窄带光纤耦合器的一端进行固定和在另一端进行扭转,可以实现耦合器分光比的微调。实验表明,对耦合器施加扭转力矩会使耦合器的分光比发生一定的变化,并且在扭转的过程中附加损耗的变动很小。利用这一特性可以对偏离预定分光比的耦合器的分光比实现微调,从而可得到更符合要求的分光比,提高了成品率。     

Generation of a mid-infrared broadband polarized supercontinuum in As₂Se₃ photonic crystal fibers

A simplified structure of birefringent chalcogenide As 2 Se 3 photonic crystal fiber(PCF) is designed.Properties of birefringence,polarization extinction ratio,chromatic dispersion,nonlinear coefficient,and transmission are studied by using the multipole method,the finite-difference beam propagation method,and the adaptive split-step Fourier method.Considering that the zero dispersion wavelength of our proposed fiber is about 4 μm,we have analysed the mechanism of spectral broadening in PCFs with different pitches in detail,with femtosecond pulses at a wavelength of 4 μm as the pump pulses.Especially,mid-infrared broadband polarized supercontinuums are obtained in a 3-cm PCF with an optimal pitch of 2 μm.Their spectral width at 20 dB reaches up to 12 μm.In the birefringent PCF,we find that the supercontinuum generation changes with the pump alignment angle.Research results show that no coupling between eigenpolarization modes are observed at the maximum average power(i.e.,37 mW),which indicates that the polarization state is well maintained.     

Numerical analyses of splice losses of photonic crystal fibers

Splice losses between a photonic crystal fiber (PCF) and a single mode fiber (SMF) or a PCF are numerically investigated by using finite element method (FEM) with the circular perfectly matched layer (PML). Results show that the splice loss between a SMF and a PCF with air holes completely collapsed can reach many times of that between a SMF and a PCF without air-hole collapse. We calculate the rotation losses between two identical PCFs of three kinds: large mode area, polarization maintaining and grapefruit. It is shown that for the large mode area PCF and the grapefruit PCF, the rotation losses are sensitive to the wavelength when the rotation angle is larger than zero degree. The non-circular mode field distribution is the main source of the rotation loss.