High wavelength dependent bandwidth performance of doubly clad microstructured GI POF

Area of Science:

• Optical Fiber Technology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Microstructured plastic optical fibers (mPOFs) offer advantages over traditional plastic optical fibers (POFs).
• W-type graded-index (GI) mPOFs present unique structural characteristics for optical communication.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate the wavelength-dependent evolution of bandwidth, equilibrium mode distribution (EMD), and steady-state distribution (SSD) in a W-type GI mPOF.
• Analyze the impact of fiber length and inner cladding width on mPOF performance.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the power flow equation (PFE) approach for theoretical analysis.
• Simulated and analyzed the optical properties of a designed doubly clad W-type GI mPOF.

Main Results:

• Bandwidth decreases with increasing fiber length but increases with wavelength.
• Wider inner cladding reduces bandwidth by increasing the number of guided modes and modal dispersion.
• W-type GI mPOF bandwidth (2.7 GHz km at 645 nm) significantly exceeds conventional GI POF (460 MHz m at 633 nm).

Conclusions:

• W-type GI mPOFs demonstrate superior bandwidth characteristics compared to conventional POFs.
• mPOFs offer design flexibility through air-hole adjustments, avoiding complex doping.
• Findings provide valuable insights for multimode GI mPOF applications in communication and sensing systems across various wavelengths.