A novel graded-index plastic optical fiber interconnect enabling stable data transmission without precise fiber alignment

Abstract

We have proposed a novel graded-index plastic optical fiber (GI POF) to achieve stable data transmission in a multimode fiber link, which is capable of error-free data transmission (bit error rate < 10^-12) employing four-level pulse-amplitude modulation at data rate of 53 Gb/s without the use of forward error correction. The novel GI POF has strong mode coupling due to the microscopic heterogeneities in the fiber core material, which decreases noise and stabilizes data transmission. Here, we demonstrate that the novel GI POF significantly improves fiber-misalignment tolerance for stable data transmission. The novel GI POF paves the way for an unprecedented optical interconnect that enables reliable data transmission without the requirement of precise fiber alignment and high-precision fiber connectors.