Abstract
Mode division multiplexing (MDM) has been regarded as the promising approach [1-4] to compensate the exponential growth of the internet driven traffic in recent years. MDM system is effective for handling multiple modes and each mode represents an optical channel. As a result,the transmission capacity of a fiber optic system is increased in proportion to the number of propagating modes. Mode multiplexer/demultiplexer (mux/demux) is the fundamental device to spatially combine or separate different optical mode channels. Waveguide based mux/demux devices are popular to achieve high packing density and compatible with other Planar lightwave circuits (PLC) devices. PLC based waveguide device has the advantages of compactness, integration to other PLC devices and compatibility with fiber based devices.
In our work, we propose a PLC based three mode multiplexer and demultiplexer device that can multiplex and demultiplex signal carried by the fundamental, first-order and second-order modes. This device consists of an unbalanced three arm Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) sandwiched by three Y-junctions. The first Y-junction is used as power splitter whereas the second and third Y-junctions are connected back to back to form a three mode interferometer. The performance of the device is demonstrated through both simulation and experiment. For various multiplexing and demultiplexing conditions, the maximum simulated excess loss of the device is -0.37dB with a minimum simulated extinction ratio of 25.71 dB in the 1550 nm wavelength. The three mode mux/demux is fabricated using standard polymer waveguide micro fabrication process and characterized via a tunable laser source in the wavelength range of 1530-1565 nm (C-band). The experimental performance of the device agrees reasonably well with the simulated performance. This device offers high extinction ratio, have a simple structure and is easy to fabricate. The device will have application in future MDM system to further extend the fiber transmission capacity.
In our work, we propose a PLC based three mode multiplexer and demultiplexer device that can multiplex and demultiplex signal carried by the fundamental, first-order and second-order modes. This device consists of an unbalanced three arm Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) sandwiched by three Y-junctions. The first Y-junction is used as power splitter whereas the second and third Y-junctions are connected back to back to form a three mode interferometer. The performance of the device is demonstrated through both simulation and experiment. For various multiplexing and demultiplexing conditions, the maximum simulated excess loss of the device is -0.37dB with a minimum simulated extinction ratio of 25.71 dB in the 1550 nm wavelength. The three mode mux/demux is fabricated using standard polymer waveguide micro fabrication process and characterized via a tunable laser source in the wavelength range of 1530-1565 nm (C-band). The experimental performance of the device agrees reasonably well with the simulated performance. This device offers high extinction ratio, have a simple structure and is easy to fabricate. The device will have application in future MDM system to further extend the fiber transmission capacity.
| Original language | English |
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| Publication status | Published - Nov 2017 |
| Event | IONS KOALA 2017 : International OSA Network of Students - University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia Duration: 26 Nov 2017 → 1 Dec 2017 http://ionskoala.osahost.org/ |
Conference
| Conference | IONS KOALA 2017 |
|---|---|
| Place | Australia |
| City | Brisbane |
| Period | 26/11/17 → 1/12/17 |
| Internet address |