Kevin Wallace Bennett

146λ × 6 × 19-Gbaud Wavelength-and Mode-Division Multiplexed Transmission Over 10 × 50-km Spans of Few-Mode Fiber With a Gain-Equalized Few-Mode EDFA

We demonstrate wavelength- and mode-division multiplexed transmission over a fiber re-circulating loop comprising 50-km of low-DMGD few-mode fiber, and an optimized few-mode EDFA with reduced wavelength-dependent gain and mode-dependent gain. We characterize the channel matrix in terms of its singular value spread, and investigate its long-term stability.

980 nm band pump wavelength tuning of the gain spectrum of EDFAs

We report 2-3 dB changes in the gain spectra of EDFAs in response to nanometer changes in pump wavelength within the 980 nm pump band. The pump wavelength induced gain changes are characterized and several techniques are presented to use them to improve the gain flatness of EDFAs.

146λ×6×19-Gbaud wavelength- and mode-division multiplexed transmission over 10×50-km spans of few-mode fiber with a gain-equalized few-mode EDFA

We demonstrate wavelength- and mode-division multiplexed transmission over a fiber re-circulating loop comprising 50-km of low-DMGD few-mode fiber, and an optimized few-mode EDFA with a flat gain spectrum and low mode-dependent gain.

6×28-Gbaud few-mode recirculating loop transmission with gain-equalized inline few-mode fiber amplifier

Using a transmission fiber with a zero differential modal dispersion wavelength and a gain-equalized few-mode EDFA, we demonstrate mode-multiplexed transmission over a fiber recirculating loop with all few-mode components.

Few-mode fiber transmission with in-line few-mode erbium-doped fiber amplifier

We demonstrate wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) and mode-division multiplexed (MDM) transmission over a fiber recirculating loop comprising of a 25-km span of low differential mode group dispersion (DMGD) few-mode fiber carrying the LP01 and LP11 mode groups, and an inline few-mode erbium-doped fiber amplifier (FM-EDFA) providing low mode-dependent gain (MDG) per span. We successfully transmitted a 10λ × 6 × 28-Gbaud QPSK signal over a distance of 700 km.

Specialty Fibers for Discrete and Distributed Sensing Application

Over the past decades, discrete or distributed Fiber Optic Sensing (FOS) applications have seen an increased acceptance in many areas. High level optical and mechanical reliability of optical fiber is necessary to guarantee reliable performance of FOS. In this paper, we review recent research and development activities on new specialty fibers. The main approaches to enhancing fiber attributes include new refractive index profile design and fiber coating modification.

Specialty fibers for fiber optic sensor application

Over the last several years, Fiber Optic Sensor (FOS) applications have seen an increased acceptance in many areas including oil & gas production monitoring, gyroscopes, current sensors, structural sensing and monitoring, and aerospace applications. High level optical and mechanical reliability of optical fiber is necessary to guarantee reliable performance of FOS. In this paper, we review recent research and development activities on new specialty fibers. We discuss fiber design concepts and present both modeling and experimental results. The main approaches to enhancing fiber attributes include new index profile design and fiber coating modification.

Dual Core Optical Fiber for Distributed Brillouin Fiber Sensors

A dual core optical fiber is designed and fabricated for simultaneous measurements of strain and temperature in distributed Brillouin sensors. Brillouin frequency shift difference of 120 MHz between the two cores is demonstrated.

Optical fibers with mid and high temperature coatings for harsh environment applications

One of the fastest growing application areas for optical fiber is for use in sensing applications in harsh environments. The designation of harsh environment includes temperatures above 85C, hydrogen atmosphere, tight bending radii, radiation, chemically aggressive environments, etc. Actual operating environments may include a combination of several of the above listed factors. Fibers deployed in a harsh environment require specialized design of both the optical fibers and cabling to ensure long term, reliable operation. Optical fiber development for harsh environment operation includes both glass and coating material development. Glass development includes changes to the core and cladding composition and refractive index profile design changes. Coating development includes material changes to improve the thermal characteristics.

Bend-insensitive optical fiber with high-mechanical reliability for silicon photonic packaging

In this paper, we propose bend insensitive fiber designs that can meet both the bend loss and mechanical reliability needs for silicon photonic packaging. To improve the bend loss, we adopt profile designs with a low index trench that allow us to reduce the bending loss while keeping the mode field diameter compatible with the standard single mode fiber. To improve the mechanical reliability, we put a Titania-doped glass layer on the surface of the fiber cladding, which improves the fiber reliability under tight bending conditions. We describe both the core and Titania layer designs and present results on fiber optical and mechanical performances.