Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-66644f4456-kglw6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-02-12T18:12:26.260Z Has data issue: true hasContentIssue false

16 - Optical fibers and waveguides

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2014

Christopher C. Davis
Christopher C. Davis
Affiliation:
University of Maryland, College Park
Get access

Summary

In this chapter we shall discuss both from a ray and from a wave standpoint how light can be guided along by planar and cylindrical dielectric waveguides. We shall explain why optical fibers are important and useful in optical communication systems and discuss briefly how these fibers are manufactured. Some practical details of how fibers are used and how they are integrated with other important optical components will conclude the chapter.

Introduction

We saw in the previous chapter that a Gaussian beam can propagate without beam expansion in an optical medium whose refractive index varies in an appropriate manner in the radial direction. This is a rather specific example of how an optical medium can guide light energy. However, we can discuss this phenomenon in more general terms. By specifying the spatial variation in the refractive index, and through the use of the wave equation with appropriate boundary conditions, we can show that dielectric waveguides will support certain “modes” of propagation. However, it is helpful initially to see what can be learned about this phenomenon from ray optics.

Type
Chapter
Information
Lasers and Electro-optics
Fundamentals and Engineering
 , pp. 481 - 538
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2014

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

[1] A. W., Snyder and J. D., Love, Optical Waveguide Theory, London: Chapman and Hall, 1983.Google Scholar
[2] A. W., Snyder, “Leaky-ray theory of optical waveguides of circular cross section,” Appl. Phys. 4, 273–298, 1974.Google Scholar
[3] A.W., Snyder and J. D., Love, “The Goos-Hänchen shift,” Appl. Opt. 15, 236–238, 1976.Google Scholar
[4] D., Gloge, “Weakly guiding fibers,” Appl. Opt. 10, 2252–2258, 1971.Google Scholar
[5] T., Okoshi, Optical Fibers, New York: Academic Press, 1982.Google Scholar
[6] P. K., Cheo, Fiber Optics and Optoelectronics, 2nd edn., Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990.Google Scholar
[7] J. E., Midwinter, Optical Fibers for Transmission, New York: Wiley, 1979.Google Scholar
[8] S.E., Miller and A. G., Chynoweth, eds., Optical Fiber Telecommunications, New York: Academic, 1979.
[9] P. C., Schultz, “Progress in optical waveguide process and materials,” Appl. Opt. 18, 3684–3693, 1979.Google Scholar
[10] D. B., Keck, “Single-mode fibers out perform multimode cables,” IEEE Spectrum March, 30–37, 1983.Google Scholar
[11] J., Gowar, Optical Communication Systems, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1984.Google Scholar
[12] T. A, Birks, P. J., Roberts, P. St. J., Russell, D. M., Atkin, and T. J., Shepherd, “Full 2-D photonic band gaps in silica/air structures,” Electron. Lett. 31, 1941, 1995.Google Scholar
[13] J. C., Knight, J., Broeng, T. A., Birks, and P. St. J., Russell, “Photonic band gap guidance in optical fibers,” Science 282, 1476–1478, 1998.Google Scholar
[14] R. F., Cregan, B. J., Mangan, J. C., Knight, T. A., Birks, P. St. J., Russell, P. J., Roberts, and D. C., Allan, “Single-mode photonic band gap guidance of light in air,” Science 285, 1537–1539, 1999.Google Scholar
[15] Y., Bing, K., Ohsono, Y., Kurosawa, T., Kumagai, and M., Tachikura, “Low-loss holey fiber,” Hitachi Cable Rev. 24, 1–4, 2005.Google Scholar
[16] T.M., Monro, Y.D., West, D.W., Hewak, N.G.R., Broderick, and D.J., Richardson, “Chalcogenide holey fibres,” Electron. Lett. 36, 1998–2000, 2000.Google Scholar
[17] F., Désévédavy, G., Renversez, J., Troles, P., Houizot, L., Brilland, I., Vasilief, Q., Coulombier, N., Traynor, F., Smektala, and J.-L., Adam, “Chalcogenide glass hollow core photonic crystal fibers,” Opt. Mater. 32, 1532–1539, 2012.Google Scholar
[18] H. A., Haus, Waves and Fields in Optoelectronics, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1984.Google Scholar
[19] A., Bjarklev, Optical Fiber Amplifiers: Design and System Applications, Boston, MA: Artech House, 1993.Google Scholar
[20] E., Snitzer and R., Woodcock, “Yb3+−Er3+ glass laser,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 6, 45–46, 1965.Google Scholar
[21] C. J., Koester and E., Snitzer, “Amplification in a fiber laser,” Appl. Opt. 3, 1182–1186, 1964.Google Scholar
[22] R. J., Means, L., Reekie, I. M., Jauncy, and D. N., Payne, “High-gain rare-earth-doped fiber amplifier operating at 1.54 μm,” Proceedings of the Conference on Optical Fiber Communications, OFC '87, Vol. 3, Washington, DC, 1987, p. 187.Google Scholar
[23] B. J, Ainslie, “A review of the fabrication and properties of erbium-doped fibers for optical amplifiers,” J. Lightwave Technol. 9, 220–227, 1991.Google Scholar
[24] Journal of Lightwave Technology, Special Issue on Optical Amplifiers, Vol. 9, No. 2, 1991.
[25] P. C., Becker, N. A., Olsson, and J. R., Simpson, Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifiers: Fundamentals and Technology.Amsterdam: Academic Press/Elsevier, 1999.Google Scholar
[26] D., Marcuse, “Loss analysis of single-mode fiber splices,” Bell. Sys. Tech. J. 56, 703–718, 1977.Google Scholar
[27] A. J., Fielding, K., Edinger, and C. C., Davis, “Experimental observation of mode evolution in single-mode tapered optical fibers,” J. Lightwave Technol. 17, 1649–1656, 1999.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×