Low-Loss Patch Cords by Effective Splicing of Various Photonic Crystal Fibers With Standard Single Mode Fiber

Abstract

We report on low-loss patch cords composed of a highly reproducible low-loss fusion splicing of photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) with a standard single mode fiber (SMF). Distinct from other papers in this area we report on the results for different types of PCFs, including LMA fibers with similar to a SMF core size and a mode field diameter (MFD), as well as polarization maintaining (PM) Bow-Tie PCF with an elliptical GeO 2 doped core and also a suspended-core (SC) PCF with a tiny core. We show that all studied splices between SMF and PCFs exhibit dispersive and non-reciprocal, in view of a light propagation direction, transmission losses. Defined as a larger decrease of a transmitted optical power comparing both propagation directions, achieved splicing losses, are equal to 0.46 ±0.03 dB, 0.34±0.01 dB, 0.67 ±0.17 dB and 3.09 ±0.36 dB at 1550 nm for LMA8, LMA10, Bow-Tie PCF and SC PCFs, respectively. Moreover, additionally to developed low-loss splicing, we report on low-loss patch cords for all mentioned above PCFs spliced on both ends with SMF pigtails ended with FC/APC connectors achieving the total losses at 1550 nm equal to 1.07 ±0.07 dB for LMA8, 0.72 ±0.20 dB for LMA10, 1.30 ±0.06 dB for Bow-Tie PCF, and 9.36 ±0.20 dB for SC PCF.