Investigation on an all-optical intensity modulator based on an optical microfiber coupler

Abstract

An all-optical intensity modulator based on an optical microfiber coupler (OMC) is presented. The modulator works at 1550 nm wavelength and is modulated directly by heating the coupling region with 980 nm pump light injected through the coupling port of the OMC. The OMC is controlled to have at least a 30 mm long coupling region with diameter smaller than 8 μm, and the uniform waist region diameter is about 3 μm. This is helpful to ensure the optical modulation function based on the light induced thermal effect in the coupling region, while pump light is injected. The modulation response is measured to show good linearity when the 980 nm pump light has a lower intensity (with power below 2.5 mW), which proves that the OMC acts as an all-optical modulator. The bandwidth of the modulator can be at 0.2–50 kHz with the average power of the intensity-modulated pump light about 2 mW, which can be further improved by optimizing the design of the coupler. The demonstrated modulator may have potential value for the application in an all-optical integration system.