Bending effects in biconically tapered single-mode fibers

Biconically tapered single-mode fibers were fabricated, and their characteristics were studied experimentally. The optical throughput was measured as the fiber was being pulled to produce the required radial profile. The tapered single-mode fiber was bent in a simple fixture, and the optical throughput was measured as a function of the bending angle. It is seen that the bending resulted in very strong oscillations of the optical power as the bend angle was varied. At the point when the light in the core was minimal, the cladding region was bright, indicating that the light has moved to the cladding. The propagation characteristics of the tapered single-mode fiber subjected to bending are analyzed using a stepwise approximation. A simple sensor based on this principle is discussed     

Recording of volume hologram using a beam pattern from taperedoptical fiber

A photorefractive volume hologram was recorded and probed using light diffracted from a tapered optical fiber as a reference beam. A single-mode fiber (SMF) was chemically etched and tapered to give a complicated beam pattern, and it is shown that the tapered optical fiber can be utilized to increase the storage density of the volume hologram. Spatial selectivity of the volume hologram with this method was increased by two times compared to the normal SMF referencing, which is due to the fact that the complicated beam pattern has little correlation with its shifted version     

Semiconductor laser with tapered-rib adiabatic-following fiber coupler for expanded output-mode diameter

A new expanded-mode AlGaAs diode laser with reduced far-field divergence and 0.9 dB single-mode optical fiber coupling loss is demonstrated. This new laser achieves a two-dimensional (2-D) expansion of the fundamental output mode with a rib waveguide tapered in only one dimension. Stable fundamental-mode operation with a narrow, 5.7/spl deg/ by 7.40 full-width-at-half-maximum far-field divergence is observed well above lasing threshold. Tapered waveguide dimensions are compatible with conventional optical lithographic techniques, making this device suitable for mass production.     

Low power acousto-optic device based on a tapered single-mode fiber

A new type of fiber acousto-optic device, based on tapered single-mode fiber, is described. Unlike earlier designs, the overlap between the acoustic and optical waves is complete, so very little acoustic power is required. Maximum coupling in an experimental device was attained for an electrical drive power of just 0.5 mW     

Coupling of modes in bent biconically tapered single-mode fibers

Biconically tapered single-mode fibers are fabricated by heating a single-mode fiber while applying tension. As a result of this tapering, cladding modes are excited in the tapered region of the fiber where the V parameter of the fiber goes down below 1.0. These cladding modes couple to one another, leading to fluctuations of the optical throughput. Since the index difference between the cladding and the external medium is rather high (~0.5), the cladding modes will be of the exact type, namely, TE, TM, HE, and EH modes. The coupling of these modes in the tapered region is analyzed using the exact mode formalism when the tapered region is bent. The theoretical results agree very well with experimental results obtained on bent tapers which show strong fluctuations of the optical power as a function of the bending angle     

An implantable optrode composed of fiber and flexible thin-film electrode

An implantable optrode composed of fiber and multi-channel flexible thin-film electrode is developed. The flexible recording electrode is made from polyimide and is wrapped around the optical fiber. The front end of the fiber is tapered by wet etching. With the tapered shape, the light can leak from the sidewall of the fiber, and the tapered tip makes it easy to be implanted. The flexible electrode is attached with its recording sites aligning to the tapered part on the fiber. With this method, the fiber acts as an optical waveguide, as well as a support probe for flexible thin-film electrode. This novel device simplifies the fabrication process and decreases the size of the optrode. The device works well in vivo and the optical caused spike can be recorded with signal-to-noise ratio of 6:1.     

Tunable and switchable dual-wavelength erbium-doped fiber laser based on in-line tapered fiber filters

A tunable and switchable dual-wavelength erbium-doped fiber laser(EDFL) based on all-fiber single-mode tapered fiber structure has been demonstrated. By adjusting the variable optical attenuator(VOA), the laser can be switched between the single-wavelength mode and the dual-wavelength mode. When the temperature applied on the tapered fiber structure varies, the pass-band varies and the wavelength of the output laser shifts correspondingly. When the temperature changes from 30 °C to 180 °C, the central wavelength of the EDFL generated by branch A shifts from 1 550.7 nm to 1 560.3 nm, while that of branch B shifts from 1 530.8 nm to 1 540.4 nm, indicating the wavelength interval is tunable. These advantages enable this laser to be a potential candidate for high-capacity wavelength division multiplexing systems and mechanical sensors.     

Tapered polymer single-mode waveguides for mode transformation

This paper presents a tapered polymer waveguide structure for coupling light between optical waveguides with differing geometries. Optical fibers, lasers, and other photonic integrated circuit components can be coupled with tapered waveguides. The polymer waveguide performs a mode transformation between different mode shapes and sizes. For example, the mode transformation can be from an elliptical laser diode mode to that of a circular optical fiber mode. The input and output of a tapered waveguide structure are analyzed, for the case of laser to fiber coupling, in order to determine the effect of misalignments on the coupling efficiency. Adiabaticity in waveguide propagation is discussed. The fabrication of our polymer waveguides is also described     

基于法布里-珀罗标准具的双环路光电振荡器

设计了一种基于法布里-珀罗(FP)标准具的双环路光电振荡器(OEO),该振荡器能将连续的光功率转换为稳定的频谱纯净的微波信号。FP标准具具有滤波的特性,因此可以替代普通OEO中的电滤波器从而降低电噪声,此外,FP标准具是一种高Q值的光学器件,可以缩短普通OEO所使用的光纤长度。双环路结构的引入能够更好地保证振荡器的单模输出,进一步降低相位噪声。仿真结果证明这种新型结构的OEO可以实现20GHz范围内振荡频率为15GHz的单模起振,边模抑制比超过150dB,使用的两条光纤环路长度分别为5m和36m。     

Proton implanted VCSEL's for 3 Gb/s data links

Transverse single-mode and multimode intensity modulated butt-coupled InGaAs vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSEL)s are investigated as a light source for optical fiber communication systems. Data transmission at 3 Gb/s with a bit error rate (BER) of less than 10 ^-11 is reported for both 4.3 km of standard fiber, as well as 0.5 km of multimode graded-index fiber, 10-μm active diameter single-mode VCSELs are shown to have lower mode competition noise requiring 3 dB and 6 dB less power at the front end receiver at a BER of 10^-11 compared to 19-μm and 50-μm active diameter devices, respectively. In data transmission with multimode VCSELs, the dispersion penalty is lower than for single-mode sources since the noise at the receiver is mainly determined by transmitter-mode competition noise     

A Taper-Fused Microspherical Laser Source

We report on the realization of an integrated lasing device consisting of a microsphere optical resonator fused to a tapered optical fiber. A microsphere fabricated from Er: Yb-codoped phosphate glass is heated above its glass transition temperature of 375degC by pumping it at 977 nm with 70 mW via a tapered optical fiber. The onset of thermal stress in the glass at a maximum pumping power results in the sphere melting and fusing to the taper coupler, without inhibition of whispering gallery mode lasing. A taper-fused microsphere laser with ~4.5 muW of lasing power at 1593 nm is demonstrated.     

低弯曲损耗少模光纤传输特性研究

提出一种采用少模阶跃光纤与单模光纤连接的方法,实现低弯曲损耗传输的新型光纤通信系统。采用有限元法研究了在模场直径相同的情况下少模光纤纤芯半径与折射率差的关系,以及不同参数下光纤的弯曲损耗;采用光束传播法计算了少模光纤的各种模式与普通单模光纤的基模的连接损耗。证明了采用少模光纤可以利用模式间的正交性实现有效的单模传输,并具有低的弯曲损耗和连接损耗。     

Electrooptic guided-wave device for general polarization transformations

We propose and analyze a novel optical waveguide device which performs general polarization transformations under electrical control. By combining an electrooptic TEleftrightarrowTM mode converter and two variable phase shifters in a unique optical wavegnide circuit, an input signal with arbitrary elliptical polarization can be converted to any desired polarization. This device is well suited for active polarization control of an optical signal received from a long single-mode fiber.     

Design of a single-mode tapered waveguide for low-losschip-to-fiber coupling

The novel waveguide structures described in this paper have nonlinearly tapered shapes that result in low radiation losses despite their relatively short lengths. The core at the waveguide endface connected with the fiber has a very small cross section and an expanded mode field with a non-Gaussian shape. The taper structures are analyzed by using an improved step-transition method. This method is a based on the theory of enclosing a waveguide within electrical walls and that can therefore treat the radiation modes in a tapered waveguide as discrete mode spectra. Analyzing the relationships between the lengths and shapes of the tapers and the radiation loss due to the tapers show that appropriately tapered semiconductor waveguides operating at an optical wavelength of 1.55 μm and having a taper length of less than 0.7 mm can have a radiation loss of only 0.1 dB and a coupling loss with a conventional single-mode fiber of less than 0.5 dB     

Optical fiber tapers--A novel approach to self-aligned beam expansion and single-mode hardware

We investigate the performance characteristics of single-mode optical fiber tapers. These devices have a standard single-mode fiber geometry at one end and gradually increase in cross section so that the size of the core at the other end is comparable or greater to that of a multimode fiber. These tapers effectively expand the single-mode spot size and are envisioned as basic building blocks in a multitude of optical components. Analytical and experimental studies, atlambda = 0.63 mum, show that the dominant mode is preserved while traveling through the taper, from either direction. The excess coupling loss between two tapers is less than 0.1 dB. The sensitivity of the excess loss to lateral and axial displacements for two coupled tapered sections is greatly reduced compared to that between two single-mode fibers. The sensitivity to angular displacement is increased but is within practical limits. For example, for an excess loss of 0.5 dB, the maximum allowed lateral displacement is 3.1 μm for taper coupling, while only 0.73 μm is allowed in the case of fiber coupling. An axial displacement of 291 μm for taper coupling produces 0.5 dB loss while a displacement of only 16.5 μm produces a 0.5 dB loss for fiber coupling. For the same loss, angular displacements of 0.42° for the tapers and 1.77° for the fiber are allowed.     

Optical mode converter integration with InP-InGaAsP active and passive waveguides using a single regrowth process

A new method for integration of optical mode converters with InP-based photonic integrated circuits is described and demonstrated. The mode converter is integrated to a Sampled Grating DBR (SG-DBR) laser to demonstrate integration and to facilitate accurate fiber-coupling loss measurements. The entire fabrication process requires a single MOCVD regrowth, making it compatible with low-cost integration with other photonic components. The mode converter utilizes a vertically tapered geometry and yields a record 86% coupling efficiency using a lensed, uncoated, single-mode fiber. Cleaved fiber to InP-based waveguide coupling loss sensitivity is measured to be better than 1 dB with /spl plusmn/ 1.85-/spl mu/m lateral fiber misalignment and /spl plusmn/1.5-/spl mu/m transversal fiber misalignment.     

光纤型光可变衰减器的探索

通过熔融拉锥工艺制备熔锥光纤,将两熔锥光纤以一定的方式装配在二维精密微调架 上,制备光纤型光可变衰减器。利用光信号在光纤锥形区特有的传输和耦合特性,实现了光纤间的耦合,耦合效率决定了光能量的衰减程度,从而决定了光纤型光可变衰减器的性能。用耦合模理论分析了锥形光纤间的传输和耦合性质,并从实验上给出了两锥形光纤间的耦合与两锥形光纤间的距离的关系,为制备光纤型光可变衰减器提供了理论和实验依据。     

大模场掺铥光纤增益特性研究

为了进一步提升光纤激光器的输出功率,采用大模场面积掺铥光纤来抑制非线性效应,利用非均匀布喇格掺铥光纤结构,通过优化参量,在满足单模传输条件下获得模场面积为719μm2的大模场面积光纤。基于此光纤建立了793nm波长抽运下大模场掺铥光纤放大器理论模型。由于大模场面积光纤能降低光功率密度,抑制Stokes光功率,因此该种光纤放大器在高抽运功率下相比普通单模光纤放大器能够得到更大的输出功率。结果表明,当抽运光功率为100W时,所设计大模场面积光纤与普通单模光纤相比,转换效率提高5%,达到40%,输出功率达到41.01W。以上研究对于实际掺铥光纤放大器的设计有重要应用价值。     

Experimental observation of mode evolution in single-mode taperedoptical fibers

Step-index single-mode optical fibers were tapered and then cleaved by ion beam milling to allow direct examination of the mode evolution in the taper with a microscope objective and CCD camera. Observation of HE_1m modes is reported in tapered fibers cleaved at diameters ranging from 8 to 35 μm. Theoretical scalar mode fields are fit to the experimental data and the mode transitions are explained by considering coupled mode theory     

Scanning near-field optical microscope for the characterization ofoptical integrated waveguides

A scanning near-field optical microscope for the characterization of optical integrated devices has been developed. Compatible with a normal optical characterization setup the experimental setup allows a tapered uncoated optical fiber to scan the optical device with constant height by means of a shear force control using a tuning fork, and to obtain the evanescent field emerging from it. In this way, images showing simultaneously the topography with lateral resolution better than 10 nm and vertical resolution of 1 nm, and the optical field distribution have been obtained. Images obtained over rib waveguides show the guided mode intensity distribution, allowing characterization of the propagation of the light in the device for up to 1 mm. Identification of the guided mode propagation has been achieved by comparing the images with computer simulations. Measurement of the experimental decay lengths of the evanescent field obtained by the microscope allows a determination of the effective refractive index of the structure to be made