Indium-coated D-shaped-fiber polarizer

Area of Science:

• Optoelectronics
• Fiber Optics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Fiber polarizers are crucial optical components for controlling light polarization.
• Existing methods for fiber polarizer fabrication often involve complex processes or trade-offs between loss and extinction ratio.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate a high-performance fiber polarizer using an etched D-shaped fiber.
• To characterize the performance of the developed fiber polarizer in terms of extinction ratio and insertion loss.
• To analyze the impact of mode coupling on polarizer performance.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a D-shaped optical fiber with precise etching.
• Coating the etched fiber surface with indium.
• Characterization of the polarizer's extinction ratio and insertion loss at relevant wavelengths.
• Theoretical analysis of mode coupling effects within the fiber polarizer.

Main Results:

• A fiber polarizer was successfully fabricated using an etched D-shaped fiber coated with indium.
• The fabricated polarizer achieved a high extinction ratio of 39 dB.
• Minimal insertion loss of 0.2 dB was recorded.
• Analysis revealed that mode coupling causes extinction ratio saturation beyond a critical fiber length.

Conclusions:

• The etched D-shaped fiber polarizer offers a promising solution for high-performance polarization control in optical systems.
• The achieved low loss and high extinction ratio demonstrate the effectiveness of the fabrication technique.
• Understanding mode coupling is essential for optimizing polarizer design and predicting performance limitations.