Gang-Ding Peng

Highly tunable Bragg gratings in single-mode polymer optical fibers

A Bragg grating in a single-mode polymer optical fiber (POF) has been created. The novel grating has a length of 1 cm with a reflectivity of 80% and a linewidth of about 0.5 nm. The wavelength tunability of the POF grating by stretching was investigated and a wavelength tunable range of 20 nm has been achieved. Based on the properties of the polymer, we believe that this kind of grating has a wavelength tuning potential of more than 100 nm.

Mode-division multiplexed transmission with inline few-mode fiber amplifier

We demonstrate mode-division multiplexed WDM transmission over 50-km of few-mode fiber using the fibers LP01 and two degenerate LP11 modes. A few-mode EDFA is used to boost the power of the output signal before a few-mode coherent receiver. A 6×6 time-domain MIMO equalizer is used to recover the transmitted data. We also experimentally characterize the 50-km few-mode fiber and the few-mode EDFA.

Strain and temperature sensor using a combination of polymer and silica fibre Bragg gratings

We show that a sensor scheme consisting of a combination of a polymer fibre Bragg grating and a silica fibre Bragg grating gives large discrimination against temperature and strain. It provides large sensitivity and dynamic range for sensing temperature and strain changes simultaneously and independently.

Investigation Into Time Response of Polymer Fiber Bragg Grating Based Humidity Sensors

In this work we experimentally investigate the response time of humidity sensors based on polymer optical fiber Bragg gratings. By the use of etching with acetone we can control the poly (methyl methacrylate) based fiber in order to reduce the diffusion time of water into the polymer and hence speed up the relative wavelength change caused by humidity variations. A much improved response time of 12 minutes for humidity decrease and 7 minutes for humidity increase, has been achieved by using a polymer optical fiber Bragg grating with a reduced diameter of 135 microns.

Asymmetric long period fiber gratings fabricated by use of CO2 laser to carve periodic grooves on the optical fiber

An asymmetric long period fiber grating (LPFG) with a large attenuation of −47.39dB and a low insertion loss of 0.34dB is fabricated by use of focused CO2 laser beam to carve periodic grooves on one side of the optical fiber. Such periodic grooves and the stretch-induced periodic microbends can effectively enhance the refractive index modulation and increase the average strain sensitivity of the resonant wavelength of the LPFG to −102.89nm∕me. The resonant wavelength and the peak attenuation of the LPFG can be tuned by ∼12nm and ∼20dB, respectively, by the application of a stretching force.

Thermal tuning of polymer optical fiber Bragg gratings

Bragg gratings in polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)-based polymer fibers were created and were tuned thermally. It is found that the tuning range is more than 18 nm over a temperature variation of 50/spl deg/C. More importantly, no hysteresis effect was observed as the gratings were heated up and cooled down.

Dye-doped step-index polymer optical fiber for broadband optical amplification

We report the development of a novel and simple technique for fabricating polymer optical fibers of good optical quality for special device applications. This technique aims at polymer fibers doped with various functional organic materials. On the basis of the technique, step-index polymer optical fibers doped with laser dyes have been fabricated. High-gain and high-efficiency optical amplification has been achieved in a Rhodamine B-doped polymer fiber with a low pump power of less 1 kW and pulse width 5 ns. Because a high dye concentration is used, the optimal wavelength range of optical amplification in this fiber is significantly red-shifted toward the center of the communication window (at 650 nm wavelength) of methyl methacrylate-based polymer optical fiber. The shift is from the originally 560 and 590 nm to presently 610 to 640 nm. We also present experimental results that show good photostability of the Rhodamine B-doped polymer fiber, compared with those recently reported in the improved polymer material systems. From the experimental observation, we identified the thermally induced bleach of dye molecules as the major contributing factor to the lifetime of our material system.

Highly Sensitive Bend Sensor Based on Bragg Grating in Eccentric Core Polymer Fiber

We report on an optical bend sensor based on a Bragg grating inscribed in an eccentric core polymer optical fiber. The device exhibits the strong fiber orientation dependence, the wide bend curvature range of ±22.7 m^-1, and high bend sensitivity of 63 pm/m^-1.

Highly sensitive liquid level monitoring system utilizing polymer fiber Bragg gratings.

A novel and highly sensitive liquid level sensor based on a polymer optical fiber Bragg grating (POFBG) is experimentally demonstrated. Two different configurations are studied and both configurations show the potential to interrogate liquid level by measuring the strain induced in a POFBG embedded in a silicone rubber diaphragm, which deforms due to hydrostatic pressure variations. The sensor exhibits a highly linear response over the sensing range and a good repeatability. For comparison, a similar sensor using a FBG inscribed in silica fiber is fabricated, which displays a sensitivity that is a factor of 5 smaller than the POFBG. The temperature sensitivity is studied and a novel multi-sensor arrangement proposed which has the potential to provide level readings independent of temperature and the liquid density.

Generalized Gaussian approximation for single-mode fibers

A variational method is presented that generalizes well-known Gaussian method for single-mode fibers. This method uses only simple elementary functions to approximate the fundamental mode fields. By applying it to practical cases such as step index and clad parabolic index fibers, where exact solutions can be found, it is demonstrated that the method is essentially simple and that it is accurate for the analysis of single-mode fibers and devices. This approximation provides much better eigenvalues and, in particular, evanescent fields than the traditional Gaussian. Significantly, the present approximations range of applicability covers the whole single-mode range, while being only slightly more complicated than the modified Gaussian method. >