Broadband design of silica-PLC mode-dependent-loss equalizer for 2LP-mode transmission systems.

A new configuration of mode-dependent-loss (MDL) equalizer for two linearly-polarized mode transmission systems using the silica planar lightwave circuit platform is proposed. This device acts as an LP01-mode attenuator (precisely, LP01/LP21 mode converter) to adjust the MDL keeping a high transmission of the LP11 modes. Almost all components constructing the device are based on the adiabatic mode conversion, which brings broadband operation. Especially, a newly proposed E12/E22 mode converter plays a key role in broadband MDL equalization. It is numerically revealed that the flattened spectra with designated transmission can be obtained for the wavelength from 1200 nm to 1650 nm.

Bayesian design of mosaic-based mode multiplexers for various wavelength bands.

Ultracompact mode multiplexers based on mosaic structure for various wavelength bands designed by Bayesian technique are investigated. C-, O-, and C + O band, TE0-TE1 2-mode multiplexers can be designed with the same footprint, by only changing the mosaic-pattern, showing the great flexibility of mosaic-based devices. Bayesian direct binary search method is used for the design, and it is demonstrated that the Bayesian technique is superior to conventional design method in terms of the best-structure search for the same number of iterations. The designed devices are fabricated for Si-waveguide platform, and the proof-of-concept results are obtained. These results indicate that the mosaic-based devices are promising candidates for future compact optical transceivers.

Design of silica-PLC LP11 mode rotator based on adiabatic mode conversion.

A silica-based LP11 mode rotator, which is one of the basic and indispensable optical components for space division multiplexing, with multiple tapered trenches is proposed. Compared with the conventional interference-based LP11 mode rotator with a simple L-shape waveguide, the proposed LP11 mode rotator has many advantages in a mode conversion efficiency, an insertion loss, and a fabrication tolerance because the operation principle is based on the adiabatic mode conversion. By using an approach of the shortcut to adiabaticity, the proposed device is effectively miniaturized rather than the standard tapered structures. Among the LP11 mode rotators in the silica-based mode multi/demultiplexers, the proposed type will be a considerably promising candidate.

Arbitrary higher-order optical spatial state generation by using spontaneously broken degeneracy modes in helically twisted ring-core hole assisted fibers.

A helically twisted ring-core hole assisted fiber (HAF) is proposed for an arbitrary higher-order spatial state generation. In usual circular core fibers, HE and EH modes are degenerate and have vector field distributions. We will show the degeneracy of these modes having specific azimuthal mode order is lifted by periodically placing air-holes around the core with specific symmetry while preserving their vector field distributions. It is called spontaneously broken degeneracy (SBD) in this paper. Azimuthal order of the SBD modes can be changed with the arrangement of surrounding air-holes. By using this SBD modes, it is shown that arbitrary higher-order spatial state generation, including orbital angular momentum (OAM) state, is possible based on a geometric phase existing in twisted fibers. Furthermore, by using periodically inverted twisting, efficient OAM state generation is possible by accumulating the geometric phase. The topological charge can be changed by changing the arrangement of surrounding air-holes. Since the mechanism does not depend on a phase matching, such as a long-period grating, but on a topological effect, the wavelength dependence is very small, leading to novel and efficient mechanism for the manipulation of the spatial state of the light.

Broadband silicon four-mode multi/demultiplexer designed by a wavefront matching method.

We propose a broadband silicon four-mode multi/demultiplexer which consists of three asymmetric directional couplers, and the asymmetric directional couplers were designed by a wavefront matching method to operate as mode multi/demultiplexers for TE1, TE2, and TE3 modes, respectively. Simulated results show that the -0.5-dB bandwidths of normalized transmission of the couplers designed by a wavefront matching method are 112, 114, and 134 nm, respectively. Those for the conventional couplers are 80, 72, 65 nm, respectively. The superiority of asymmetric directional couplers designed by a wavefront matching method are experimentally demonstrated. In the additional investigation, ultrabroadband tapered asymmetric directional couplers are theoretically demonstrated.

Arbitrary polarization and orbital angular momentum generation based on spontaneously broken degeneracy in helically twisted ring-core photonic crystal fibers.

Using orbital angular momentum (OAM) as a spatial information channel attracts a lot of attention due to its infinite multiplexing capability. The research on OAM carrying fibers is intensively studied and ring-core fibers are promising candidates for them. At the same time, generating OAM modes in those fibers are also important topic. Here, the evolutions of polarization states including OAM of light in helically twisted ring-core photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) are investigated for generating OAM states. The degeneracy of some of the mode sets is spontaneously broken, and the birefringence cause a geometric phase (GP) in the twisted PCFs while preserving the vectorial nature of the modes. It is demonstrated that an arbitrary polarization and OAM state can be generated by using the GP in uniformly twisted and twisted PCFs with periodical inversion. In the ring-core PCF presented in this paper, the degeneracy of HE31 and EH31 mode sets are broken, and OAM light with the topological charge of 2 and 4 can be generated. The wavelength dependence is very small compared with that of OAM generators based on long-period gratings (LPGs). Furthermore, by properly setting the period of the inversion, OAM light with different topological charges can be simultaneously generated with the same fiber structure. These results indicate that the proposed approach is effective for the generation of OAM modes with the conventional fiber modes.

Broadband and compact silicon mode converter designed using a wavefront matching method.

A broadband and compact TE0-TE1 mode converter for a mode division multiplexing system designed using a wavefront matching method is realized. We present the first experimental demonstration of a silicon waveguide device designed by a wavefront matching method. In order to achieve broadband operation of the silicon mode converter, seven wavelengths are considered in its optimization process. The designed silicon mode converter is fabricated via a standard complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technology, which enables low-cost mass production. Measurements performed using the fabricated mode converter correlate strongly with the calculated results.

Design of small mode-dependent-loss scrambling-type mode (de)multiplexer based on PLC.

A general design rule of scrambling-type mode (de)multiplexers (mode scramblers) based on silica planar lightwave circuit (PLC) with small mode-dependent-loss (MDL) is presented for a mode-division multiplexing (MDM) system. First, we consider four- and eight-mode scramblers and demonstrate that if the number of modes is 2N, it is possible to construct small-MDL mode scramblers by using Y-branch waveguides and mode rotators. Next, a 6-mode scrambler, which can be used for four linearly polarized (LP) mode transmission in MDM system, is considered, and the MDL is large if Y-branch waveguides are cascaded simply, originating from the radiation loss of unwanted modes at the Y-branch. We propose a 2 + 4-type mode scrambler by combining 2- and 4-mode scramblers and demonstrate that it is possible to design a small MDL 6-mode scrambler.

A novel Si four-wavelength multiplexer for 100/400GbE using higher-order mode composed of (a)symmetric directional couplers and TE1-TM0 mode converter.

A novel Si four-wavelength multiplexer (MUX) for 100/400GbE composed of (a)symmetric directional couplers and a rib-waveguide TE1-TM0 mode converter is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Two-lane signals are multiplexed as TE0 modes via symmetric directional coupler (DC) and other two-lane signals are multiplexed as TE1 modes via asymmetric directional couplers (ADCs). Finally, TE1 modes are converted to TM0 modes and the device acts as a 4-lane MUX. The proposed device is fabrication-tolerant due to the removal of the 1600-GHz filter used in conventional two-stage Mach-Zehnder MUXs, and the insertion loss is smaller than those of previously reported Si-based MUXs.

Optimum index profile of few-mode coupled multicore fibers for reducing the group delay spread.

We numerically investigate the group delay spread (GDS) characteristics in few-mode coupled multicore fibers (FM-CMCFs) in weak random-bending conditions by using a coupled-wave theory. We qualitatively show the modal coupling between modes in the intra- and the inter-mode group generated by bending. The results indicate that the modes of FM-CMCFs are less likely to couple with each other in weak random-bending conditions in contradiction to single-mode coupled multicore fibers. To resolve this problem, we demonstrate an optimum index profile and core pitch, where the GDS can be reduced even if the different mode groups do not couple strongly.

Off-axis core transmission characteristics of helically twisted photonic crystal fibers.

The transmission characteristics of helically twisted photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) having off-axis cores are theoretically investigated for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. Due to the modified equivalent permittivity and permeability tensors induced by helical twisting, the transmission characteristics of helically twisted PCFs depend on the core position. A beam propagation method developed for helically twisted waveguides, which qualitatively and quantitatively explained the reported transmission spectra of helically twisted PCFs, is used for the analysis. The loss is significantly increased for a shorter wavelength side, if the position of the core is far from the rotation axis, due to the coupling to twist-induced cladding modes. On the other hand, for a longer wavelength side, the loss of one of the components of circularly polarized light is increased; namely, input linearly polarized light becomes close to left- or right-circularly polarized light, depending on the rotation direction. These results indicate that helically twisted PCFs with off-axis cores can be used for core-position-dependent polarization controlling devices.

Low-loss, compact, and fabrication-tolerant Si-wire 90° waveguide bend using clothoid and normal curves for large scale photonic integrated circuits.

Ultimately low-loss 90° waveguide bend composed of clothoid and normal curves is proposed for dense optical interconnect photonic integrated circuits. By using clothoid curves at the input and output of 90° waveguide bend, straight and bent waveguides are smoothly connected without increasing the footprint. We found that there is an optimum ratio of clothoid curves in the bend and the bending loss can be significantly reduced compared with normal bend. 90% reduction of the bending loss for the bending radius of 4 µm is experimentally demonstrated with excellent agreement between theory and experiment. The performance is compared with the waveguide bend with offset, and the proposed bend is superior to the waveguide bend with offset in terms of fabrication tolerance.

Design and optimization of 32-core rod/trench assisted square-lattice structured single-mode multi-core fiber.

We propose and design a kind of heterogeneous rod-assisted and trench-assisted multi-core fiber (Hetero-RA-TA-MCF) with 32 cores arranged in square-lattice structure (SLS), and then we introduce the design method for Hetero-RA-TA-MCF. Simulation results show that the Hetero-RA-TA-32-Core-Fiber achieves average effective area (Aeff) of about 74 µm2, low crosstalk (XT) of about -31 dB/100km, threshold value of bending radius (Rpk) of 7.0 cm, relative core multiplicity factor (RCMF) of 8.74, and cable cutoff wavelength (λcc) of less than 1.53 µm.

Optimal design of 4LP-mode multicore fibers for high spatial multiplicity.

High spatial multiplicity fiber designs are presented for homogeneous and heterogeneous 4LP-mode multicore fibers (MCFs) that support six spatial modes per core. The high-spatial-density 4LP-mode MCF design methodology is explained in detail. The influence of the number of cores on the cladding diameter (Dcl) and relative core multiplicity factor (RCMF) is investigated. The optimal core designs and MCF layouts with square and triangular lattices maintain glass fiber reliability (maximum Dcl = 250 µm). For homogeneous 4LP-mode MCFs, a 19-core triangular-lattice fiber gives the highest RCMF of 61.7. For heterogeneous 4LP-mode MCFs, an RCMF of 65.4 is obtained for a 21-core square-lattice fiber.

Group delay spread analysis of strongly coupled 3-core fibers: an effect of bending and twisting.

The effect of bending and twisting on the group delay spread (GDS) of strongly coupled 3-core fibers is investigated. For the random perturbation inducing modal coupling in the fiber, two physical mechanisms, microbending or macrobending with random twist, are considered. Calculated results show that both mechanisms lead to the same effect, namely, reduced GDS under strong coupling regime. Furthermore, a novel fiber structure having an air-hole at the center is proposed for reducing the GDS. By placing the air-hole, the effective index difference between fundamental and the higher order modes is reduced, leading to strong modal mixing in the fiber, and hence, small GDS. Calculated GDS of the fiber with air-hole is almost 1/5 compared with that of the fiber without air-hole.

Heterogeneous trench-assisted few-mode multi-core fiber with graded-index profile and square-lattice layout for low differential mode delay.

We propose a kind of heterogeneous trench-assisted graded-index few-mode multi-core fiber with square-lattice layout. For each core in the fiber, effective area (A(eff)) of LP(01) mode and LP(11) mode can achieve about 110 µm(2) and 220 µm(2). Absolute value of differential mode delay (|DMD|) is smaller than 100 ps/km over C + L bands, which can decrease the complexity of digital signal processing at the receiver end. Considering the upper limit of cladding diameter (D(cl)) and cable cutoff wavelength of LP(21) mode in the cores located at the inner layer, we set core pitch (Λ) as 43 µm. In this case, D(cl) is about 220.4 µm, inter-core crosstalk (XT) is lower than -40 dB/500 km and the relative core multiplicity factor (RCMF) reaches 15.93.

Polarizing ytterbium-doped all-solid photonic bandgap fiber with ~1150µm(2) effective mode area.

We demonstrate an Yb-doped polarizing all-solid photonic bandgap fiber for single-polarization and single-mode operation with an effective mode area of ~1150µm(2), a record for all-solid photonic bandgap fibers. The differential polarization mode loss is measured to be >5dB/m over the entire transmission band with a 160nm bandwidth and >15dB/m on the short wavelength edge of the band. A 2.6m long fiber was tested in a laser configuration producing a linearly polarized laser output with a PER value of 21dB without any polarizer, the highest for any fiber lasers based on polarizing fibers.

PLC-based LP11 mode rotator for mode-division multiplexing transmission.

A PLC-based LP11 mode rotator is proposed. The proposed mode rotator is composed of a waveguide with a trench that provides asymmetry of the waveguide. Numerical simulations show that converting LP11a (LP11b) mode to LP11b (LP11a) mode can be achieved with high conversion efficiency (more than 90%) and little polarization dependence over a wide wavelength range from 1450 nm to 1650 nm. In addition, we fabricate the proposed LP11 mode rotator using silica-based PLC. It is confirmed that the fabricated mode rotator can convert LP11a mode to LP11b mode over a wide wavelength range.

Simple analytical expression for crosstalk estimation in homogeneous trench-assisted multi-core fibers.

An analytical expression for the mode coupling coefficient in homogeneous trench-assisted multi-core fibers is derived, which has a simple relationship with the one in normal step-index structures. The amount of inter-core crosstalk reduction (in dB) with trench-assisted structures compared to the one with normal step-index structures can then be written by a simple expression. Comparison with numerical simulations confirms that the obtained analytical expression has very good accuracy for crosstalk estimation. The crosstalk properties in trench-assisted multi-core fibers, such as crosstalk dependence on core pitch and wavelength-dependent crosstalk, can be obtained by this simple analytical expression.

Ytterbium-doped large-mode-area all-solid photonic bandgap fiber lasers.

Single-mode operation in a large-mode-area fiber laser is highly desired for power scaling. We have, for the first time, demonstrated a 50µm-core-diameter Yb-doped all-solid photonic bandgap fiber laser with a mode area over 4 times that of the previous demonstration. 75W output power has been generated with a diffraction-limited beam and an efficiency of 70% relative to the launched pump power. We have also experimentally confirmed that a robust single-mode regime exists near the high frequency edge of the bandgap. These fibers only guide light within the bandgap over a narrow spectral range, which is essential for lasing far from the gain peak and suppression of stimulated Raman scattering. This work demonstrates the strong potential for mode area scaling of in single-mode all-solid photonic bandgap fibers.