Realistic Design of Large-Hollow-Core Photonic Band-Gap Fibers With Suppressed Higher Order Modes and Surface Modes

Abstract

This paper theoretically describes effective suppression of higher order modes (HOMs) in realistic large-hollow-core photonic band-gap fibers (PBGFs) and utilizes the use of this class of waveguides for low-loss data-transmission applications and high-power beam delivery systems. The proposed design strategy is based on the resonant-coupling mechanism of central air-core modes with defected outer core modes. By incorporating six 7-unit-cell air cores in the cladding of the PBGF with sixfold symmetry, it is possible by resonantly coupling the light corresponding to the HOMs in a central 19-unit-cell core into the outer 7-unit-cell core, thus significantly increasing the leakage losses of the HOMs in comparison to those of fundamental mode. We consider a realistic PBGF structure with hexagonal airholes having rounded corners and derive a surface-mode-free condition of a silica-ring thickness surrounding the hollow core for both 7-unit-cell and 19-unit-cell cores. Verification regarding the propagation properties of the proposed design is ensured with a PBGF analysis based on a finite element modal solver. Numerical results show that the leakage losses of the HOMs can be enhanced in a level of at least three orders of magnitude over 200-nm wavelength range in comparison to those of the fundamental mode, while in addition, we show that the incorporation of a realistic air core with optimized silica-ring thickness can eliminate surface modes and achieve strong confinement into the central core and very low eta-factor for the fundamental mode.