Hybrid Ordered Hole-Random Hole Optical Fibers

Abstract

Photonic band gap (PBG) fibers have generated significant interest over the last decade due to the unique set of properties these fibers exhibit. In general, these fibers have been made by drawing a series of glass tubes (which are stacked in an ordered array) into a fiber. These fibers consist of an ordered arrangement of holes or tubes in a glass matrix. In this invited paper we describe a novel type of fiber, called HORHOFs (hybrid ordered random hole optical fibers). In these fibers, the refractive index of the ordered-hole region is controlled by incorporation of very small tubes of glass produced in-situ during the fiber drawing process. The result is a region of controllable glass density inside the “ordered hole”. This allows tailoring of the refractive index of the hole region and of the matrix glass around the holes. Description of the process to produce these new types of fibers, micrographs of some of the fibers produced, some potential applications, and the results of some computer modeling to predict the properties of these fibers, are presented.