Ultralow bending loss fibers with higher-order mode strippers

Opt Express. 2010 Sep 13;18(19):19456-61. doi: 10.1364/OE.18.019456.

Abstract

We propose and demonstrate bend-insensitive fibers equipped with higher-order mode strippers. The mode stripper is realized by filling a section of air holes with epoxy to attenuate any higher-order modes that are excited at fiber junctions and are confined by the air holes surrounding the core. We found that the higher-order modes are well suppressed with 5 cm-long epoxy columns. An ultralow bending loss of 0.025 dB/turn at a bend diameter of 10 mm, together with single-modeness, is experimentally demonstrated in a bend-insensitive fiber with six air holes 16 μm in diameter.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Elastic Modulus
  • Energy Transfer
  • Equipment Design
  • Equipment Failure Analysis
  • Light
  • Optical Fibers*
  • Scattering, Radiation