Simulation and fabrication of thermo-optic variable optical attenuators based on multimode interference coupler

A type of thermo-optic variable optical attenuator based on multimode interference coupler is proposed. The optical field propagation properties of the devices are simulated using finite difference beam propagation method. The propagation loss of the fabricated device is 2-4.2 dB at the wavelength range 1510-1610 nm. The total power consumption is 370 mW and the maximum attenuation is more than 25 dB, which almost can meet the requirements of optical fiber communication systems.

Mechanism on exciton-mediated energy transfer in erbium-doped silicon

Exciton-mediated energy transfer model in Er-doped silicon was presented. The emission intensity is related to optically active Er concentration, lifetime of excited Er3+ ion and spontaneous emission. The thermal quenching of the Er luminescence in Si is caused by thermal ionization of Er-bound exciton complex and nonradiative energy back-transfer processes, which correspond to the activation energy of 6.6 and 47.4 meV, respectively. Er doping in silicon introduces donor states, a large enhancement in the electrical activation of Er (up to two orders of magnitude) is obtained by co-implanting Er with O. It appears that the donor states are the gateway to the optically active Er. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Electronic structure and optical gain saturation of InAs1-xNx/GaAs quantum dots

The electronic band structures and optical gains of InAs1-xNx/GaAs pyramid quantum dots (QDs) are calculated using the ten-band k . p model and the valence force field method. The optical gains are calculated using the zero-dimensional optical gain formula with taking into consideration of both homogeneous and inhomogeneous broadenings due to the size fluctuation of quantum dots which follows a normal distribution. With the variation of QD sizes and nitrogen composition, it can be shown that the nitrogen composition and the strains can significantly affect the energy levels especially the conduction band which has repulsion interaction with nitrogen resonant state due to the band anticrossing interaction. It facilitates to achieve emission of longer wavelength (1.33 or 1.55 mu m) lasers for optical fiber communication system. For QD with higher nitrogen composition, it has longer emission wavelength and less detrimental effect of higher excited state transition, but nitrogen composition can affect the maximum gain depending on the factors of transition matrix element and the Fermi-Dirac distributions for electrons in the conduction bands and holes in the valence bands respectively. For larger QD, its maximum optical gain is greater at lower carrier density, but it is slowly surpassed by smaller QD as carrier concentration increases. Larger QD can reach its saturation gain faster, but this saturation gain is smaller than that of smaller QD. So the trade-off between longer wavelength, maximum optical, saturation gain, and differential gain must be considered to select the appropriate QD size according to the specific application requirement. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.3143025]

Investigation on pressure sensitivity of fiber optic mandrel hydrophone - art. no. 659544

Pressure sensitivity of the fiber optic mandrel hydrophone is analyzed in this paper. Based on the theory of elasticity, the mechanism of the pressure response is studied. The influence of the optical fiber on the compliant mandrel on the pressure response is taken into consideration for the first time. The radial deformation of the mandrel under the pressure of the fiber optic and the underwater pressure is analyzed in details. Based on the theory of photo-elasticity, the phase shift of the Mach-Zehnder interferometer is given. The pressure sensitivity is evaluated both theoretically and experimentally, and the results show a good correlation between the theoretical and experimental results.

Investigation on acceleration response of fiber optic mandrel hydrophone

The acceleration response of fiber optic mandrel hydrophone is studied based on the theory of elastic dynamics in this paper. For the first time the influence of the optical fiber on the acceleration response is taken into consideration. And the derivation of the radial deformation of the mandrel is presented in details. The acceleration response is evaluated both theoretically and experimentally and the results are in good agreement.

Electroabsorption modulated semiconductor optical amplifier monolithically integrated with spot-size converters

We have demonstrated an electroabsorption modulator (EAM) and semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) monolithically integrated with novel dual-waveguide spot-size converters (SSCs) at the input and output ports for low-loss coupling to planar light-guide circuit silica waveguide or cleaved single-mode optical fiber. The device is fabricated by means of selective-area MOVPE growth (SAG), quantum well intermixing (QWI) and asymmetric twin waveguide (ATG) technologies with only three steps low-pressure MOVPE growth. For the device structure, in SOA/EAM section, double ridge structure was employed to reduce the EAM capacitances and enable high bit-rate operation. In the SSC sections, buried ridge stripe (BRS) were incorporated. Such a combination of ridge, ATG and BRS structure is reported for the first time in which it can take advantage of both easy processing of ridge structure and the excellent mode characteristic of BRS. At the wavelength range of 1550-1600 nm, lossless operation with extinction ratios of 25 dB DC and more than 10 GHz 3-dB bandwidth is successfully achieved. The beam divergence angles of the input and output ports of the device are as small as 8.0 degrees x 12.6 degrees, resulting in 3.0 dB coupling loss with cleaved single-mode optical fiber. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Polarization properties of elliptical core non-hexagonal symmetry polymer photonic crystal fibre

In this paper, polarization properties and propagation characteristics of polymer photonic crystal fibres with elliptical core and non-hexagonal symmetry structure are investigated by using the full vectorial plane wave method. The results how that the birefringence of the fibreis induced by asymmetries of both the cladding and the core. Moreover, by adjusting the non-symmetrical ratio factor of cladding eta from 0.4 to 1 in step 0.1, we find the optimized design parameters f the fibre with high birefringence and limited polarization mode dispersion, operating in a single mode regime at an appropriate wavelength range. The range of wavelength approaches the visible and near-infrared which is consistent with the communication windows of polymer optical fibres.

SOA-based polarity-preserving all-optical wavelength conversion at 80Gbit/s: Wide conversion range, well dynamic characteristics and polarization insensitive

This letter presents the effective design of a tunable 80 Gbit/s wavelength converter with a simple configuration consisting of a single semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) and an optical bandpass filter (OBPF). Based on both cross-gain and cross-phase modulation in SOA, the polarity-preserved, ultrafast wavelength conversion is achieved by appropriately filtering the blue-chirped spectral component of a probe light. Moreover, the experiments are carried out to investigate into the wavelength tunability and the maximum tuning range of the designed wavelength converter. Our results show that a wide wavelength conversion range of nearly 35 nm is achieved with 21-nm downconversion and 14-nm upconversion, which is substantially limited by the operation wavelength ranges of a tunable OBPF and a tunable continuous-wave laser in our experiment. We also exploited the dynamics characteristics of the wavelength converter with variable input powers and different injection current of SOA. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Multistage etching process for microscopically smooth tellurite glass surfaces in optical fibers

Bulk samples of tellurite glass with composition 75TeO(2)-20ZnO-5Na(2)O (TZN) were fabricated by melting and quenching techniques. In order to improve the surface quality of optical fiber preform made with this tellurite glass, the authors developed a multistage etching process. The relationship between successive etching treatments and roughness of the TZN glass surface was probed by using an atomic force microscope. The results demonstrate that this multistage etching method effectively improves this tellurite glass surface smoothness to a level comparable with that of a reference silica glass slide, and the corresponding chemical micromechanisms and fundamentals are discussed and confirmed by atomic force microscopy, potentially contributing to the development of multicomponent soft glass fibers and devices. (C) 2010 American Vacuum Society. [DOI: 10.1116/1.3437017]

An Electroabsorption Modulator Monolithically Integrated with a Semiconductor Optical Amplifier and a Dual-Waveguide Spot-Size Converter

A semiconductor optical amplifier and electroabsorption modulator monolithically integrated with a spotsize converter input and output is fabricated by means of selective area growth,quantum well intermixing,and asymmetric twin waveguide technology. A 1550-1600nm lossless operation with a high DC extinction ratio of 25dB and more than 10GHz 3dB bandwidth are successfully achieved. The output beam divergence angles of the device in the horizontal and vertical directions are as small as 7.3°× 18.0°, respectively, resulting in a 3.0dB coupling loss with a cleaved single-mode optical fiber.

Fiber Optic Coupling of CW Linear Laser Diode Array

Based on a set of microoptics the output radiation from a continuous wave (CW) linear laser diode array is coupled into a multi-mode optical fiber of 400 ptm diameter. The CW linear laser diode array is a 1 cm laser diode bar with 19 stripes with 100 fxm aperture spaced on 500 (xm centers. The coupling system contains packaged laser diode bar, fast axis collimator, slow axis collimation array, beam transformation system and focusing system. The high brightness, high power density and single fiber output of a laser diode bar is achieved. The coupling efficiency is 65% and the power density is up to 1.03 * 10~4 W/cm~2.

Fiber Coupling of Laser Diode Bar to Multimode Fiber Array

A piece of multimode optical fiber with a low numerical aperture (NA) is used as an inexpensive microlens to collimate the output radiation of a laser diode bar in the high numerical aperture (NA) direction. The emissions of the laser diode bar are coupled into multimode fiber array. The radiation from individual ones of emitter regions is optically coupled into individual ones of fiber array. Total coupling efficiency and fiber output power are 75% and 15W, respectively.

Simulation and fabrication of thermo-optic variable optical attenuators based on multimode interference coupler

A type of thermo-optic variable optical attenuator based on multimode interference coupler is proposed. The optical field propagation properties of the devices are simulated using finite difference beam propagation method. The propagation loss of the fabricated device is 2-4.2 dB at the wavelength range 1510-1610 nm. The total power consumption is 370 mW and the maximum attenuation is more than 25 dB, which almost can meet the requirements of optical fiber communication systems.

THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF POLARIZATION CHARACTERISTICS OF POLARIZATION MAINTAINING FIBER BASED ON WAVELENGTH-SWEEPING MODULATION

We analyze theoretically the polarization characteristics of polarization maintaining fiber and study the basic measurement principles of beat length and polarization extinction ratio of this kind of optical fiber. According, to the dependence of the phase difference between two orthogonally polarized modes (denoted Os HE(11)(x) and HE(11)(y)) transmitted in the polarization maintaining fiber on the light wavelength, we propose the wavelength-sweeping modulation method to measure the beat length and the model birefringence. Based on this technique, the hew length and polarization extinction ratio of the PANDA polarization maintaining fibers (PMFs) (provided by Yangtze Optical Fiber and Cable Company, Wuhan, China) were investigated in detail. Experimental results show good consistent with the theoretical ones. We find that this method shows high measurement precision with the advantages of clear measurement principle and easy to operate. 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 1466-1469, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.25244

Micro Insert: A Prototype Full-Ring PET Device for Improving the Image Resolution of a Small-Animal PET Scanner

A full-ring PET insert device should be able to enhance the image resolution of existing small-animal PET scanners. Methods: The device consists of 18 high-resolution PET detectors in a cylindric enclosure. Each detector contains a cerium-doped lutetium oxyorthosilicate array (12 x 12 crystals, 0.72 x 1.51 x 3.75 mm each) coupled to a position-sensitive photomultiplier tube via an optical fiber bundle made of 8 x 16 square multiclad fibers. Signals from the insert detectors are connected to the scanner through the electronics of the disabled first ring of detectors, which permits coincidence detection between the 2 systems. Energy resolution of a detector was measured using a Ge-68 point source, and a calibrated 68Ge point source stepped across the axial field of view (FOV) provided the sensitivity profile of the system. A Na-22 point source imaged at different offsets from the center characterized the in-plane resolution of the insert system. Imaging was then performed with a Derenzo phantom filled with 19.5 MBq of F-18-fluoride and imaged for 2 h; a 24.3-g mouse injected with 129.5 MBq of F-18-fluoride and imaged in 5 bed positions at 3.5 h after injection; and a 22.8-g mouse injected with 14.3 MBq of F-18-FDG and imaged for 2 h with electrocardiogram gating. Results: The energy resolution of a typical detector module at 511 keV is 19.0% +/- 3.1 %. The peak sensitivity of the system is approximately 2.67%. The image resolution of the system ranges from 1.0- to 1.8-mm full width at half maximum near the center of the FOV, depending on the type of coincidence events used for image reconstruction. Derenzo phantom and mouse bone images showed significant improvement in transaxial image resolution using the insert device. Mouse heart images demonstrated the gated imaging capability of the device. Conclusion: We have built a prototype full-ring insert device for a small-animal PET scanner to provide higher-resolution PET images within a reduced imaging FOV. Development of additional correction techniques are needed to achieve quantitative imaging with such an insert.