Microstructured Optical Fiber

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Microstructred optical fiber, including photonic crystal fiber, can be designed, analyzed and optimized with Lumerical's photonic design solutions

Overview

Microstructured optical fibers (MOF) are optical fibers which have complicated cross-sectional profiles with patterning on the order of the wavelength of light. A photonic crystal fiber is one common example of MOF, where the microstructuring often consists of a triangular lattice of air holes in a quartz fiber. Other types of MOF include coaxial Bragg or OmniGuide fiber, where the fiber cross-section is formed from concentric rings.

Unlike standard optical fiber, microstructured optical fiber is capable of being designed with an air core. That air core can be used to guide high-intensity radiation that cannot be conveyed in a silica core fiber as with infrared radiation, or can be used to realize a fiber with ultralow nonlinearities. Alternatively, the air core can be filled with another medium, including gases and liquids, allowing for long optical interaction lengths for sensing or laser applications.

Microstructured optical fiber can also be designed with ultrasmall core sizes and high index contrast to generate very high light intensities in the fiber core. Combined with the ability to optimize the microstructure geometry to enhance nonlinear interactions, MOF can be made to be highly nonlinear. Such highly nonlinear MOF can be used for wavelength conversion and supercontinuum generation, Raman amplification, and parametric amplification.

Harris Corporation

"MODE Solutions allows me to accurately calculate the dispersive properties of photonic crystal fibers. Inclusion of dispersive material properties via Sellmeier coefficients gives great comparison with published specifications.

- S. Bricker, Harris Corporation

Benefits

MODE Solutions can be used to study photonic crystal fibers and other microstructured optical fiber geometries:

Mode profiles, effective index, propagation constant, propagation loss, dispersion, bending loss, group velocity, group dispersion
Sensitivity of MOF devices to size and other environmental factors that result in changes in the MOF refractive index profile
MOF macrobending loss
Design of low-bending loss fibers
Mode field diameter for single-mode MOF
Far field radiation profiles of MOF optical modes
Coupling efficiency between MOF optical modes or between a MOF optical mode and another waveguide mode

Featured Publications Showcasing Lumerical's Products

A. Boucon, D. Alasia, J. C. Beugnot, G. Melin, S. Lempereur, A. Fleureau, H. Maillotte, J. M. Dudley and T. Sylvestre, "Supercontinuum Generation From 1.35 to 1.7 ?m by Nanosecond Pumping Near the Second Zero- Dispersion Wavelength of a Microstructured Fiber," IEEE Photonics Technology Letters 20, 842-844 (2008), DOI: 10.1109/LPT.2008.921824

C. Chen, A. Laronche, G. Bouwmans, L. Bigot, Y. Quiquempois, and J. Albert, "Sensitivity of photonic crystal fiber modes to temperature, strain and external refractive index," Opt. Express 16, 9645-9653 (2008) http://www.opticsinfobase.org/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-16-13-9645

V. G. Savitski, K. V. Yumashev, V. L. Kalashnikov, V. S. Shevandin and K. V. Dukel'skii, "Infrared supercontinuum from a large mode area PCF under extreme picosecond excitation," Optical and Quantum Electronics 39 (12) 1297-1309 (2007), DOI: 10.1007/s11082-008-9207-8

J. Van Erps, C. Debaes, T. Nasilowski, J. Watte, J. Wojcik, and H. Thienpont, "Design and tolerance analysis of a low bending loss hole-assisted fiber using statistical design methodology," Opt. Express 16, 5061-5074 (2008) http://www.opticsinfobase.org/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-16-7-5061

J. Van Erps, C. Debaes, R. Singh, T. Nasilowski, P. Mergo, J. Wojcik, T. Aerts, H. Terryn, P. Vynck, J. Watte and H. Thienpont, "Mass manufacturable 180?-bend single mode fiber socket using hole-assisted low bending loss fiber," IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 20, 187-189 (2008).

Y. Vidne and M. Rosenbluh, "Spatial modes in a PCF fiber generated continuum," Opt. Express 13, 9721-9728 (2005) http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-13-24-9721

Y. Zhu, Z. He, J. Kanka and J. Du, "Numerical analysis of refractive index sensitivity of long-period gratings in photonic crystal fiber," Sensors and Actuators, B: Chemical 129, 99-105 (2008)

Kei-Chun D. Cheng, Ming-Leung V. Tse, Guiyao Zhou, Chi-Fung J. Pun, Wing-Kin E. Chan, C. Lu, P. K. Wai, and Hwa-yaw Tam, "Optimization of 3-hole-assisted PMMA optical fiber with double cladding for UV-induced FBG fabrication," Opt. Express 17, 2080-2088 (2009) http://www.opticsinfobase.org/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-17-4-2080

H. Wang and A. M. Rollins, "Optimization of dual-band continuum light source for ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography," Appl. Opt. 46, 1787-1794 (2007) http://www.opticsinfobase.org/ao/abstract.cfm?URI=ao-46-10-1787

Reto Bloch, Willy Luthy, and Thomas Feurer, "Optical Fibers With a Finite Metallic Core," J. Lightwave Technol. 27, 1454-1460 (2009) http://www.opticsinfobase.org/JLT/abstract.cfm?URI=JLT-27-11-1454