High-isolation polarization-independent optical quasi-circulator with a simple structure

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Optical Engineering

Background:

• Optical circulators are essential components in fiber-optic systems.
• Existing designs can be complex and bulky.
• Polarization-independent operation is often desired.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel, simple, and high-isolation optical quasi-circulator.
• To investigate the use of a Porro prism in optical circulator design for the first time.
• To achieve polarization-independent operation.

Main Methods:

• A new optical quasi-circulator design incorporating a Porro prism was developed.
• The device utilizes the back-and-forth light path through main elements to simplify structure.
• A four-port quasi-circulator prototype was assembled using monomode fibers.

Main Results:

• The device demonstrated high isolation and polarization independence.
• Insertion loss was measured at approximately 1.63 dB.
• Isolation and return loss were measured at approximately 60 dB and 55.6 dB, respectively.
• The use of a Porro prism simplified the device structure and reduced the number of elements.

Conclusions:

• The proposed Porro prism-based optical quasi-circulator offers a simple and effective solution.
• The device achieves high performance metrics suitable for optical communication systems.
• This design represents a significant advancement in optical circulator technology.