Eigenvalue equation and core-mode cutoff of weakly guiding tapered fiber as three layer optical waveguide and used as biochemical sensor

The core-mode cutoff plays a major role in evanescent field absorption based sensors. A method has been proposed to calculate the core-mode cutoff by solving the eigenvalue equations of a weakly guiding three layer optical waveguide graphically. The variation of normalized waveguide parameter (V) is also calculated with different wavelengths at core-mode cutoff. At the first step, theoretical analysis of tapered fiber parameters has been performed for core-mode cutoff. The taper angle of an adiabatic tapered fiber is also analyzed using the length-scale criterion. Secondly, single-mode tapered fiber has been developed to make a precision sensor element suitable for chemical detection. Finally, the sensor element has been used to detect absorption peak of ethylenediamine. Results are presented in which an absorption peak at 1540 nm is observed.     

Very low-loss passive fiber-to-chip coupling with tapered fibers

A novel passive fiber-to-chip coupling based on the use of fiber tapers embedded in a guiding structure is proposed. By beam-propagation calculations it is verified that this new coupling method exhibits a very low insertion loss. Major advantages of the proposed method compared with butt coupling are demonstrated by simulation results: first, tolerance requirements for the fibers, e.g., diameter variations and core eccentricity, and for fabrication of the alignment structure are reduced by at least 1 order of magnitude. Second, coupling to waveguides of nearly arbitrary dimensions and refractive indices seems to be possible. Experimental results on thermal drawing of fiber tapers are presented and used as input data for the simulations. A concept for fabrication of the new coupling method with the Lithographic Galvanik Abformung (LIGA) technique is presented.     

Improvements of optical tactile sensors for robotic system by gold nanocomposite material

In this work we propose the evolution of a new class of optical pressure sensors suitable for robot tactile sensing. The sensors are based on a tapered optical fiber, where optical signals travel embedded into a PDMS-gold nanocomposite material. By applying different pressure forces on the PDMS-based nanocomposite we measure in real time the change of the optical transmitted intensity due to the coupling between the gold nanocomposite material and the tapered fiber region. The intensity reduction of the transmitted light intensity is correlated with the pressure force magnitude.     

Single-mode fiber-linearly tapered planar waveguide tunable coupler

We developed a simple system of tunable fiber-film coupler using a linearly tapered thin-film planar waveguide (PWG) evanescently coupled by a single-mode distributed fiber half-coupler. We investigate the characteristics of the coupler theoretically and experimentally taking into consideration the refractive index (n(f)) of nonuniform films, the magnitude of nonuniformity (m) of the films, and the source wavelength (lambda). The thickness variation of the nonuniform film is along the direction of propagation of optical power. Tapered and plano-concave thin films of a mix of oils as well as a plano-concave poly(methyl methacrylate) film were fabricated to serve as nonuniform PWG's. Similar to single-mode fiber with a uniform thickness PWG coupler, such a coupler also provides light modulation with a change of n(f). However, position shifting of a half-coupler in a tapered PWG structure along the direction of propagation exhibits the variation of fiber throughput power. This action serves as a simple system for a tunable fiber-film coupler. Wavelength-dependent throughput fiber power for such a coupler also behaves as a filter. The center wavelength can be controlled by shifting the position of the half-coupler. A coupling fiber as a half-coupler can be used for efficient coupling. We performed a theoretical analysis of the structure using Marcuse's model and observed good agreement with the experimental results.     

Highly efficient coupling of photons from nanoemitters into single-mode optical fibers

Highly efficient coupling of photons from nanoemitters into single-mode optical fibers is demonstrated using tapered fibers. A percentage (7.4 ± 1.2%) of the total emitted photons from single CdSe/ZnS nanocrystals were coupled into a 300 nm diameter tapered fiber. The dependence of the coupling efficiency on the taper diameter was investigated and the coupling efficiency was found to increase exponentially with decreasing diameter. This method is very promising for nanoparticle sensing and single-photon sources.     

Acoustic wave propagation in piezoelectric fibers of hexagonalcrystal symmetry

An exact analysis is presented for acoustic wave propagation in cladded acoustic fibers having a core and an infinite thick cladding both made of piezoelectric hexagonal crystal of 6 mm point group symmetry. The crystalline Z axes of both the core and cladding coincide with the fiber axis. A general dispersion equation is derived for all the acoustic modes propagating along the fiber axis. Two simpler and independent equations which represent the dispersion relations of torsional and radial-axial modes can be separated from the general dispersion equation. It has been found that the radial-axial and general flexural modes are piezoelectrically active while the torsional modes are not. Approximate dispersion relations for pure guided modes in weakly guiding weakly piezoelectric fibers which are much simpler than the exact ones are also given. Numerical results are only presented for pure guided modes. Exact and approximate dispersion curves of several lower order pure guided flexural, radial-axial and torsional modes in a weakly guiding ZnS fiber are compared and they are in good agreement     

Comparison of efficiency and feedback characteristics of techniques of coupling semiconductor lasers into single-mode fiber

The coupling of CSP lasers to single-mode fibers with different coupling structures made on the fiber face is investigated. In this case easy to make coupling arrangements such as tapers and microlenses, result in a high launching efficiency (approximately 2-dB loss), in contrast to launching from gain-guided lasers with strong astigmatism and a broader far-field pattern. Index-guiding lasers exhibit, however, a higher sensitivity to optical feedback. Laser output power and wavelength are changed due to reflections from the fiber tip. Critical distances exist which lead to a highly unstable laser spectrum. A comparison of the influence of various fiber faces on laser power and wavelength stability is presented. It is concluded that a tapered fiber end with a large working distance reduces the influence on the laser's performance.     

A Novel Fiber-Optic Tapered Long-Period Grating Sensor for Pressure Monitoring

The method and the required installations for fabricating tapered long-period fiber gratings can be simpler than that of standard fiber Bragg gratings, and the fabrication process is faster. To our knowledge, the tapered long-period fiber grating pressure sensor is presented here for the first time. In this paper, the fabrication method for tapered long-period fiber gratings, the sensing principle, the sensor structure, the measurement setup, and the preliminary results are presented and discussed. The pressure sensitivity of the sensor is as high as 5.1 pm/bar.     

Effective way of reducing coupling loss between rectangular microwaveguide and fiber

We introduce an anamorphic photonic crystal fiber (PCF) produced by postprocessing techniques to improve the coupling loss between a conventional single-mode fiber and rectangular microwaveguide. One end of the round core is connected with the conventional fiber, and the other end of the rectangular core is connected with the rectangular microwaveguide, then the PCF is tapered pro rata. In this way, the loss of mode mismatch between the output of the conventional fiber and the input of the waveguide would be reduced, which results in enhanced coupling efficiency. The conclusion was confirmed by numerical simulation: the new method is better than straight coupling between the optical fiber and the rectangular microwaveguide, and more than 2.8 dB improvement of coupling efficiency is achieved.     

Electromagnetic analysis of coupling and guiding phenomena in elliptical cross-section parallel waveguides with rotated symmetry planes

Rigorous electromagnetic analysis methods, based on the Green's function method along with the method of moments, are utilized to analyze coupling, guiding, and polarization phenomena in elliptic cross-section parallel waveguides. The analysis is carried out for the general case of closely spaced elliptic fibers of arbitrary orientation of the ellipses' axes. Numerical results are presented for the cases of 0 degrees and 45 degrees angles between axes, as well as for the single elliptical fiber and closely spaced circular dielectric waveguides. The possibility of using this type of coupling structure in quantum signal processing applications is examined.     

Finite-difference field calculations for two-dimensionally confined x-ray waveguides

A numerical method for calculation of the electromagnetic field in two-dimensionally confined x-ray waveguides is presented. It is based on the parabolic wave equation, which is solved by means of a finite-difference scheme. The results are verified by a comparison to analytical theory, namely, Fresnel reflectivity and the weakly guiding optical fiber.     

Coupling losses between standard single-mode fibers and rectangular waveguides for integrated optics

The butt-coupling loss between different tapered rectangular waveguides and a standard single-mode optical fiber has been calculated. Losses as low as 0.16 dB can be reached for waveguides with a refractive-index contrast in the range of 0.5% to 1.96%. The fabrication tolerances are such that practical devices with coupling losses below 0.25 dB are feasible.     

Tapered fiber bundles for combining high-power diode lasers

Tapered fiber bundles are often used to combine the output power of several semiconductor lasers into a multimode optical fiber for the purpose of pumping fiber lasers and amplifiers. It is generally recognized that the brightness of such combiners does not exceed the brightness of the individual input fibers. We report that the brightness of the tapered fibers (and fiber bundles) depends on both the taper ratio and the mode-filling properties of the beams launched into the individual fibers. Brightness, therefore, can be increased by selection of sources that fill a small fraction of the input fiber's modal capacity. As proof of concept, we present the results of measurements on tapered fiber-bundle combiners having a low-output étendue. Under low mode-filling conditions per input multimode fiber (i.e., fraction of filled modes < or =0.29), we report brightness enhancements of 8.0 dB for 19 x 1 bundles, 6.7 dB for 7 x 1 bundles, and 4.0 dB for 3 x 1 combiners. Our measured coupling efficiency variations of approximately 1%-2% among the various fibers in a given bundle confirm the uniformity and quality of the fabricated devices.     

Simple optical profiling of complex guiding structures

Working with complex guiding structures such as holey fibers requires coupling light into the input face of the structure. We use a simple in vivo technique to determine the scale, morphology, and orientation of the input cleave of the fiber without resorting to separate and more complex methods like optical imaging or scanning electron microscopy. Further, after obtaining the transverse scan of the fiber tip one can precisely position the focal spot anywhere relative to the fiber structure.     

Asymptotic Coupling Coefficients of Well-separated Single-mode Optical Waveguides

Abstract

Simple general formulae for the coupling coefficients of the fundamental modes on well-separated parallel optical waveguides are derived. The calculation merely requires accurate knowledge of the propagation constants and core fields of the modes on the individual waveguides, while the far-from-core fields need not be known. Results for coupled circular fibres are identical with the asymptotic expansions of previously derived exact coupling coefficients. Analytical expressions for the coupling coefficients between the fundamental modes on identical weakly guiding channel waveguides are obtained.     

Coupling of a laser diode to single-mode fiber with an upside-down tapered lens end

We present in detail a simple analysis of the coupling efficiency and possible transverse and angular misalignment losses of a laser diode to single-mode, step-index fiber excitation with an upside-down tapered lens (UDTL) end, drawn by molding the end of a step-index fiber. The analysis employs our recently formulated ABCD matrix for an UDTL and has the advantage of simplicity compared with complicated methods involving cumbersome numerical integrations. Both the analysis and the results should be useful in designing coupling optics that use such lenses in the context of probable misalignments.     

Correct relation between the impulse response of GRIN fibers and the excitation by a laser diode

In the case of optimal excitation of a multimode graded-index fiber by a laser diode, the coupling efficiency KO between the Gaussian laser beam and the fundamental mode of the fiber describes the input mode power distribution uniquely. Using this result, fiber impulse responses are calculated for two realistic excitations, first, by a gain-guided laser diode and second, by an index-guided laser diode. Also, the commonly used uniform and stationary excitations are given for comparison. The calculations yielding these results are based on the power diffusion equations and include profile dispersion, material dispersion, mode-dependent attenuation, and mode coupling. The mode group delay times have been computed for a parabolic profile using the scalar wave equation. However, delay times for other profiles can be introduced in the calculations. As K0 characterizes laser fiber coupling uniquely and because it can simply be measured, we propose the use of K0 as a characteristic launching parameter which allows easy comparison of measured impulse responses.     

Full vectorial modal analysis of specialty fibers and their Bragg grating characterization

Optical fibers and specialty waveguides are the bases of the majority of today's telecommunication, biomedical, sensing, and light-delivery applications. Modal analysis plays an important role in optimizing the optical performance of these fibers when they are integrated with optical systems. We present a full vectorial modal theoretical analysis of specialty cylindrical symmetric fibers with arbitrary index profiles, using a staircase approximation and scattering matrix approach with no constraints on the refractive index profile. We demonstrate the generality of this method by investigating the modal characteristics of two specialty fibers: graded-index fiber and concentric-shell multicore fiber. The calculated modal effective indices for the graded-index fiber are compared with those calculated by the WKB method, stressing the main differences between the scalar and vectorial approaches. Using the same approach, we calculate the Bragg grating response of a holographic grating written in the guiding regions of a concentric-shell fiber and compared them with experimental measurements.     

Bidirectional optical coupler for plastic optical fibers

We have developed a low-loss bidirectional optical coupler for high-speed optical communication with plastic optical fibers (POFs). The coupler, which is fabricated by an injection molding method that uses poly (methyl methacrylate), has an antisymmetric tapered shape. We show that the coupler has low insertion and branching losses. The tapered shape of the receiving branch reduces beam diameter and increases detection efficiency coupling to a photodetector, whose area is smaller than that of the plastic optical fiber. The possibility of more than 15-m bidirectional transmission with a signaling bit rate up to 500 Mbits/s for simplex step-index POFs is demonstrated.     

Highly efficient coupling semiconductor spot-size converter with an InP/InAlAs multiple-quantum-well core

A highly efficient spot-size converter (SSC) that uses a fiber-coupling tapered semiconductor waveguide is demonstrated. The waveguide core of this device consists of InGaAsP for semiconductor chip coupling and an InP/InAlAs multiple quantum well (MQW) for single-mode fiber (SMF) coupling. The equivalent refractive index of the MQW core is adjusted by controlling the well-to-barrier-layer thickness ratio to expand the chip spot size to that of SMF's. A high coupling efficiency of 1.4 dB can be obtained, and the lateral and axial misalignment tolerances for the SSC are 3 times better than those for conventional semiconductor waveguides. Moreover, this device has high reproducibility because of large fabrication tolerances.