Tunable Mode Converter Device Based on Photonic Crystal Fiber with a Thermo-Responsive Liquid Crystal Core

Pedro Torres Trujillo,Esteban Gonzalez Valencia,Erick Reyes Vera,Jorge Andres Montoya Cardona,Nelson Dario Gomez Cardona

doi:10.3390/photonics7010003

Pedro Torres Trujillo, Esteban Gonzalez Valencia + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics7010003

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Abstract

A compact tunable mode converter device based on the thermo-optically characteristics of liquid crystals (LCs) is proposed and numerically analyzed herein. The proposed mode converter consists of an asymmetric dual-core photonic crystal fiber (PCF) with a highly thermo-responsive LC core. The verification of the proposed mode converter was ensured through an accurate PCF analysis based on the vector finite element method. With an appropriate choice of the design parameters associated with the LC core, phase matching at a single wavelength is available in the important O-band wavelength region. The simulation results showed that high conversion efficiencies between LP01 and LP11 mode are readily achieved over a broad wavelength range from 1278 nm to 1317 nm. Likewise, the tunable capability of the proposed mode converter was evaluated when it was submitted to thermal changes; thus, we evidence the strong thermo-responsive dependence of the operating wavelength, mode conversion efficiency and full-width at the half maximum (FWHM) bandwidth. Finally, the fabrication tolerances of the devices were also investigated. Therefore, the thermo-responsive characteristics of this novel PCF mode converter can be of fundamental importance in the future space division multiplexing technology.

Highlights

In the last two decades, optical fibers have been the preferred transmission technology of metropolitan networks and long-haul terrestrial and transoceanic links, since they present several advantages, such as low-loss, large bandwidth and electromagnetic immunity, compared to other technologies
In order to increase the transmission rates and satisfy the growing demand for information, it is required that we develop several technological breakthroughs, such as low-loss single mode fibers (SMF) [5,6], erbium-doped
Photonics 2020, 7, 3 fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) [7,8], wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) [2,9], polarization division multiplexing (PDM) [10] and high-spectral-efficiency coding through a digital signal processor (DSP)

Summary

Introduction

In the last two decades, optical fibers have been the preferred transmission technology of metropolitan networks and long-haul terrestrial and transoceanic links, since they present several advantages, such as low-loss, large bandwidth and electromagnetic immunity, compared to other technologies. In order to increase the transmission rates and satisfy the growing demand for information, it is required that we develop several technological breakthroughs, such as low-loss single mode fibers (SMF) [5,6], erbium-doped. It was developed to increase the fiber link capacities; it has the advantages of easy routing and switching based on wavelength schemes [12]. WDM coherent optical communication systems use all the degrees of freedom, such as frequency, quadrature and polarization, in a single-mode fiber

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