Steven R. Vigil

All-optical devices in polymer optical fiber

Abstract We report on polymer optical fiber devices for sensors, optical switches/logic, and optical actuators. In this paper, we give a brief overview of polymer fibers, discuss recent all-optical switching results, and describe how an optical sensor and actuator can be built into a single fiber device. Future technologies that are made possible with such optical devices and photomechanical mechanisms are also discussed.

CHARACTERIZATION OF SINGLE-MODE POLYMER OPTICAL FIBER AND ELECTROOPTIC FIBER DEVICES

Abstract Polymer optical fiber can be used to make a wide variety of devices such as transmission systems, optical sensors, optical switches/logic, and optical actuators. In this paper, we give a brief overview of devices that are made in fiber and discuss the first demonstration of single-mode polymer optical fiber with embedded electrodes. Future technologies that are made possible with optics are also discussed.

Polymer fibers as optical device components

Single mode polymer optical fibers are promising candidates for all-optical devices because of fabrication flexibility, ability to tailor materials to meet a given application, and ease of fiber fabrication. In this paper, we discuss the fabrication process that is used to make single-mode polymer fibers and more complex fiber structures such as dual-core fibers. We also report on linear characterization studies of these fibers. In particular, we discuss refractive index profile measurements in both graded index and step index fiber preforms, dye concentration profiles, and waveguiding studies in dual-core optical fibers. Such linear-optical characterization is an essential input into the design of all-optical devices.

Ultrafast multistability in miniature photomechanical vibration suppressors

It is well known that light has the ability to carry large amounts of information by virtue of its high intrinsic bandwidth and transmission speed. We report on a new class of mechanical fiber devices that are powered by light. In particular, we show that a sensor, logic unit, and actuator function can be built into a mesoscopic polymer optical fiber: The stress sensor converts stress to light, the logic element manipulates the light according to a preprogrammed response, and the actuator provides mechanical displacement. A device that combines all three of these devices into a single monolithic unit can be designed to perform many different smart mechanical and optical logic functions. Furthermore, because optical devices use no electronic components, they allow for highly interconnected architectures of multiple units that result in ultrasmart operation. Such associations of devices, when embedded in a host material, would form an ultrasmart material. We report on the multistable operation of a highly miniaturized vibration stabilizer in a polymer fiber and show that it has an ultrafast photomechanical response. The theory behind the response is also discussed.