High Delta, small core, single-mode fibers and their uses

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Single-mode optical fibers are crucial for modern telecommunications.
• High Delta (Δ) values in optical fibers can enable novel functionalities but often present fabrication challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the fundamental optical characteristics of high Delta, small core single-mode fibers.
• To explore potential applications of these advanced optical fibers.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of high Delta single-mode fibers using the vapor phase axial deposition (VAD) process.
• Characterization of transmission loss spectrum, bending loss, dispersion, stimulated Raman scattering, and frequency chirping.
• Experimental investigation of direct coupling efficiency with LEDs and optical pulse compression.

Main Results:

• Achieved low transmission losses: 0.82 dB/km at 1.61 µm for a 2.9%-Δ fiber and 0.68 dB/km at 1.62 µm for a 1.9%-Δ fiber.
• Demonstrated 43% coupling efficiency between high Delta fiber and a Light Emitting Diode (LED).
• Generated pedestal-free optical pulses with 1.2-ps full width at half maximum (FWHM) using optical pulse compression at 1.5 µm.

Conclusions:

• High Delta single-mode fibers possess excellent transmission properties and low losses.
• These fibers are suitable for efficient light coupling and advanced optical signal processing applications, such as pulse compression.