普通光纤与小芯径实芯光子晶体光纤的塌孔熔接技术

光子晶体光纤(PCF)和普通光纤的熔接损耗主要来源于两光纤模场直径(MFD)的失配。提出了一种小芯径光子晶体光纤和大模场直径普通光纤低损耗熔接的方法。利用熔融拉锥机加热光子晶体光纤来精确控制光子晶体光纤的空气孔塌缩,以增加光子晶体光纤的模场直径,从而降低其与大模场直径普通光纤的熔接损耗。实现了模场直径为3.94μm的光子晶体光纤和模场直径为10.4μm普通光纤的低损耗熔接,最低损耗小于0.2 dB。     

高非线性光子晶体光纤与单模光纤低损耗熔接实验

在理论分析基础上,采用常规电弧放电熔接技术,在1550 nm波段对高非线性光子晶体光纤(PCF)与单模光纤(SMF)的熔接损耗机制进行了实验研究,指出模场失配是造成两者直接熔接损耗的主要因素;而熔接过程中因放电电流过大或放电时间过长所导致的光子晶体光纤的包层气孔形变以致塌陷,会引起超过10 dB的附加损耗。采用过渡光纤有效地缓解了两种光纤模场的失配;通过优化放电参数,有效地避免了光子晶体光纤包层气孔的塌陷,实现了高非线性光子晶体光纤和单模光纤的低损耗(<1 dB)熔接。     

高非线性光子晶体光纤与单模光纤之间的熔接及其损耗分析

采用商用的光纤熔接机实现了高非线性光子晶体光纤和单模光纤之间的熔接,给出了熔接的过程并指出了熔接过程中要注意的问题.分析了影响熔接损耗的主要因素,理论分析结果和实验结果是一致的.     

低损耗光子晶体光纤的研究进展

损耗是传统光纤和光子晶体光纤得以实用化的重要参量之一,降低损耗是光子晶体光纤制备的首要问题.折射率引导型光子晶体光纤的损耗由1999年的240 dB/km降至0.28 dB/km(1550 nm波长处),光子带隙型光子晶体光纤的损耗也降低到1.2 dB/km(1620 nm波长处).在对比传统石英光纤损耗来源基础上,阐述了光子晶体光纤的损耗机理,并说明了损耗降低的主要途径.     

选择性空气孔塌缩技术实现七芯光子晶体光纤低损耗熔接

多芯光子晶体光纤(MCPCF)是实现高功率超连续谱输出的一个重要研究方向,而如何解决多芯光子晶体光纤的低损耗熔接问题是实现全光纤化的关键。介绍了一种通过选择性空气孔塌缩技术实现七芯光子晶体光纤低损耗熔接的方法。数值模拟了处理前后七芯光子晶体光纤的模场特性以及对熔接损耗的影响。实验上对七芯光子晶体光纤进行了选择性空气孔塌缩处理,实现了和纤芯直径为15μm的双包层光纤的低损耗熔接,损耗值为0.22dB。     

基于微机技术的光纤熔接研究

第四代光纤熔接机是微机技术在光纤熔接中应用典范,熔接损耗已达0．02dB左右。从第二代光纤熔接机引入微机技术开始,发展到第四代,第五代的熔接机在光纤通信领域起着骨干作用,自动化程度比较高,熔接损耗已经很小,但尚未解决的问题包括微机远程熔接控制和使用人工智能进行全自动光纤熔接,这些可以作为以后的研究探讨方向。     

光子晶体光纤与普通单模光纤之间耦合损耗的理论分析

利用有效折射率模型对光子晶体光纤与普通单模光纤的耦合损耗进行了理论分析,得到了耦合损耗与光子晶体光纤结构参量、波长之间的依赖关系,确定了取得最优耦合的光子晶体光纤的结构参量。     

飞秒激光产生7.45 W超连续光谱实验

分别分析了不同空气填充率光子晶体光纤与普通单模光纤熔接过程中损耗的来源和制约机制,实验研究了熔接参数对熔接效果的影响,包括熔接损耗随放电电流、放电时间和放电功率变化的情况。通过优化调整熔接参数,对高空气填充率和低空气填充率的两种光子晶体光纤都实现了低损耗熔接,熔接损耗为0.22 dB。并利用掺镱大模场面积光子晶体光纤飞秒激光放大器作为抽运源,在抽运功率为14.7 W时,实验得到了7.45 W的高功率超连续光谱输出,光谱覆盖范围650～1 750 nm。     

光子晶体光纤熔接过程中的空气孔力学特性

在光子晶体光纤(PCFs)的熔接过程中,熔接能量和加热时间的控制是避免空气孔塌陷的关键所在.应用经典力学理论,提出了一种光子晶体光纤熔接过程中力学特性的数学模型,对熔接过程中光子晶体光纤空气孔的畸变情况及畸变对光纤模场分布变化引起的熔接损耗进行了分析.分析结果表明,通过控制熔接能量和熔接时间可以控制光子晶体光纤空气孔的畸变情况.根据理论分析结果,进行熔接实验,分析空气孔畸变引起的损耗情况.实验结果与理论值有很好的一致性.     

光子晶体光纤陀螺技术

介绍了光纤陀螺在实际应用过程中的环境适应性问题,并从光子晶体光纤的结构特点出发,总结了光子晶体光纤的独特应用优势,指出将光子晶体光纤应用于光纤陀螺中可很好地解决温度、磁和辐射敏感等问题.通过实验研究,验证了实心保偏光子晶体光纤的损耗、模式特性,以及温度、磁场和核辐射对此种光纤的影响.同时,研究开发了它与传统保偏光纤的熔接对轴技术,熔接点损耗和偏振串音达到0.7dB和-25dB.在此基础上,研制出光子晶体光纤陀螺样机,陀螺零漂达到0.09(°)/h.研究和对比表明:在光纤陀螺中用光子晶体光纤代替传统的光纤,在减小温度、辐射、磁场的影响和进一步提高光纤陀螺性能方面具备很大的潜力.     

利用普通熔融拉锥机实现光子晶体光纤拉锥

光子晶体光纤的拉锥是实现光子晶体光纤潜在应用价值的重要技术手段。通过优化普通光纤拉锥机的参数,利用"快速低温"拉锥法有效控制了光子晶体光纤空气孔的相对塌缩。实验中实现了两种不同光子晶体光纤的拉锥,光纤外径分别从原来的125μm拉锥到50μm和30μm,光纤的孔直径和孔间距之比基本保持不变,拉锥损耗小于0.4 dB。基于普通熔融拉锥机的光子晶体光纤低损耗拉锥为光纤器件的制作奠定了基础。     

Low-loss fusion splices of optical fibers

A low-loss splicing method, based on discharge fusion of optical fibers by a simple apparatus and by applying pressure between fibers before fusion, was developed. Average splice losses of about 0.07 and 0.15 dB for single-mode (SM) fibers having core diameters of 10 and 7μm, respectively, and 0.02 dB for 50-μm core diameter graded-index (GI) fibers are obtained. Fusion loss and fusion time are obtained minimum for better end preparation having low initial alignment losses at critical pressure and temperature. Mathematical expressions for the variation of fusion time and splice loss with effect of applied pressure between the fibers, for different practical axis alignment, showing the optimum condition to have minimum splice loss are made. Experimental fusion losses are analyzed in terms of residual misalignment of off axis, angular tilt of the fibers during aligning, and air gaps in the splicing zone. Optimum fusion time is obtained by considering the forces due to applied pressure, thermal expansion, and surface tension in the viscous melted glass of the fiber. Theoretical curves of fusion times and splicing losses versus applied pressure agree with the experimental results. The decrease of fusion time to about 1.3 times and splice loss to about two times were found when applied pressure is varried from low to its critical value of 20-25 g. The splice losses are found at a minimum for the operating temperature range of 1980°C to 2140°C for silica fibers. Experimental results of the histogram of bar chart of splice losses agree with the derived mathematical expressions assuming a statistical distribution function of splice losses.     

Low loss fusion splicing polarization-maintaining photonic crystal fiber and conventional polarization-maintaining fiber

An efficient and simple method of fusion splicing of a Polarization-Maintaining Photonic Crystal Fiber (PM-PCF) and a conventional Polarization-Maintaining Fiber (PMF) with a low loss of 0.65 dB in experiment is reported. The minimum bending diameter of the joint can reach 2 cm. Theoretical calculation of the splicing loss based on mode field diameters (MFDs) mismatch of the two kinds of fibers is given. All parameters affected the splicing loss were studied.     

Design of low-confinement-loss and highly birefringent index-guiding photonic crystal fibers

We present a systematic scheme to achieve both high birefringence and low confinement loss in index-guiding photonic crystal fibers （PCFs）, using a structurally-simple PCF with finite number of air holes in the cladding region. By increasing the size of the outermost-ring air holes in the cladding region, highly birefringent PCFs with low confinement loss can be successfully achieved. The design strategy is based on the fact that the modal birefringence of PCFs is dominated by the inner-ring air holes in PCF, which is verified by a full-vector finite element method with anisotropic perfectly matched layers. Numerical results show that modal birefringence in the order of 10-3 and confinement loss less than 0.1 dB/km can be easily realized in the proposed PCF with only four rings of air holes in the cladding region. We expect that such fibers will be much easier to be fabvicated than those with more air holes in the cladding region.     

Bending Effects on Highly Birefringent Photonic Crystal Fibers With Low Chromatic Dispersion and Low Confinement Losses

Photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) with elliptical air-holes located in the core area that exhibit high birefringence, low losses, enhanced effective mode area, and low chromatic dispersion across a wide wavelength range have been presented. The effects of bending on birefringence, confinement losses and chromatic dispersion of the fundamental mode of the proposed PCFs have been thoroughly investigated by employing the full vectorial finite element method (FEM). Additionally, localization of higher order modes is presented. Also, effects of angular orientation on bending loss have been reported. Significant improvement on key propagation characteristics of the proposed PCFs are demonstrated by carefully altering the desired air hole diameters and their geometries and the hole-to-hole spacing.     

Automated fusion-splicing of polarization maintaining fibers

An advanced splicing technique for polarization maintaining (PM) fibers has been derived based on the polarization observation by lens-effect-tracing (POL) method. With this technique, azimuthal alignment on common types of PM fibers can be automatically performed in a passive way by an automated fusion splicer. Because the method permits an accurate estimation of the splice's extinction ratio before and after actual splicing, the quality of the splice call be estimated without having to make an active measurement. The experiment results illustrated in the paper show a mean extinction ratio 32.2 with 2.73 dB standard deviation and mean difference between measured and estimated extinction ratio 0.18 dB, respectively, for six different types of PM fibers     

Fusion splices for single-mode optical fibers

A practical low loss splicing method based on the discharge fusion for single-mode fibers was developed. Average splice losses of 0.4, 0.2, and 0.1 dB for fibers with 5.2, 7, and 10 μm core diameters, respectively, are obtained by a simple apparatus utilizing the self-alignment effect due to the surface tension of melted fiber ends. The surface tension effect is analyzed both experimentally and theoretically. Experimental splice losses, both after and during heating, coincide with the theoretical estimated values. It was found that the optimum heating temperature for low loss splices is near 2000°C at 8.5 W electric discharge power. Splicing loss causes are examined. The main cause of the practical splice loss is the residual core axis misalignment caused by an insufficient surface tension effect and core eccentricity with respect to cladding.