Abstract
A numerical solution for the broadband planar-lightwave-circuit (PLC) splitter with a variable splitting ratio based on asymmetric three waveguides weighted by the Blackman weighting function is designed for passive optical network applications with wavelengths between 1.53 and 1.57 µm. The performance of the proposed splitter is verified using the beam propagation method (BPM). It was found that a polynomial function of the splitting ratios accompanying a geometrical shift can be derived from the proposed splitter. The splitting ratio can be changed from 50:50 to 90:10 with this geometrical shift. The excess loss, crosstalk, polarization dependent loss, and splitting ratio variations against wavelength of the proposed splitter with wavelengths between 1.53 and 1.57 µm are better than 0.139 dB, −22.75 dB, 0.006 dB, and 0.335%, respectively. Obviously, the proposed splitter with variable splitting ratio retains the advantages of the symmetric design, such as low excess loss, low crosstalk, polarization insensitivity, broadband, and wavelength insensitivity.
Highlights
For a passive optical network (PON), such as ethernet passive optical network (EPON), gigabit-capable passive optical network (GPON), broadband passive optical network (BPON), and fiber to the x (FTTX), a fiber optic splitter is one of the essential components in the optical fiber link [1]; the 3-dB splitter is one of the most common
Some special multimode interference (MMI) couplers based on special design are proposed to realize the function of arbitrary power splitting ratio, such as surface relief holograms [6], angled structure [7], special butterfly geometrical structure [8], cascaded step-size structure [9], quick response (QR) code-like structure [10], and asymmetric interference structure [11]
We investigate splitters with variable splitting ratios by adjusting the asymmetry of the two side waveguides of the three-waveguide structure for PON applications with wavelengths between 1.53 and 1.57 μm
Summary
For a passive optical network (PON), such as ethernet passive optical network (EPON), gigabit-capable passive optical network (GPON), broadband passive optical network (BPON), and fiber to the x (FTTX), a fiber optic splitter is one of the essential components in the optical fiber link [1]; the 3-dB splitter is one of the most common. Some special MMI couplers based on special design are proposed to realize the function of arbitrary power splitting ratio, such as surface relief holograms [6], angled structure [7], special butterfly geometrical structure [8], cascaded step-size structure [9], quick response (QR) code-like structure [10], and asymmetric interference structure [11]. Some of those techniques are wavelength sensitive and some are wavelength insensitive. By using the BPM, it is demonstrated that the splitter with variable splitting ratio has excellent performances including excess loss, crosstalk, polarization sensitivity, and wavelength dependence
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