Tunable thermo-optic switch based on fluid-filled photonic crystal fibers

Abstract

A tunable thermo-optic intensity-modulated switch is investigated theoretically and numerically. It is based on the infiltration of temperature-sensitive mixture liquids into index-guiding photonic crystal fibers (PCFs). The switching function attributes to the thermo-optic effect of the effective refractive index of the cladding. The simulation illustrates that the switch presents a tunable transition point according to the concentration of the mixture liquids, and the on-off switching functionality can be realized within a narrow temperature range of 2 °C. The switches have wide application for innovative all-in-fiber optical communication and logic devices.

Keywords

Mixture Liquid / Photonic Crystal Fiber / Perfectly Match Layer / Logic Device / Refractive Index Profile

References

[1] KnightJ.. Nature, 2003, 424: 847

[2] RussellP.. Science, 2003, 299: 358

[3] KnightJ., BirksT., RussellP., Atkinson. Opt. Lett., 1996, 21: 1547

[4] KnightJ. C., BroengJ., BirksT. A., RussellP. St. J.. Science, 1998, 282: 476

[5] ZhengY.-B., YaoJ.-Q., ZhangL., WangY., WenW.-Q., JingL., DiZ.-G., KangJ.-Y.. Optoelectronics Letters, 2012, 8: 13

[6] JingL., YaoJ.-Q., HuangX.-H., LuY.. Optoelectronics Letters, 2011, 7: 463

[7] WangR.-q., YaoJ.-q., ZhouR., WangJ.-l., LiJ.-h., WenW.-q., LuY., ZhongK., WenQ., ZhangH.-w.. Journal of Optoelectronics Laser, 2011, 22: 1609

[8] WangY.-P., JinW., JinL., TanX.-L., BarteltH., EckeW., MoerlK., SchroederK., SpittelR., WillschR., KobelkeJ., RothhardtM., LiyeS., BruecknerS.. Opt. Lett., 2009, 34: 3683

[9] WangY.-P., TanX.-L., JinW., YingD.-Q., HooL., LiuS.-J.. Opt. Lett., 2010, 35: 88

[10] WangJ.-f., HongY., MaJ.-d., ZhangZ., GongH.-p.. Journal of Optoelectronics Laser, 2010, 21: 1291

[11] KerbageC., HaleA., YablonA., WindelerR., EggletonB.. Appl. Phys. Lett., 2001, 79: 3191

[12] BirksT., MogilevtsevD., KnightJ., RussellP.. IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett., 1999, 11: 674

[13] MiaoY.-P., LiuB., ZhangK.-L., LiuY., ZhangH.. Appl. Phys. Lett., 2011, 98: 021103

[14] YuY.-Q., LiX.-J., HongX.-M., DengY.-L., SongK.-Y., GengY.-F., WeiH.-F., TongW.. Opt. Express, 2010, 18: 15383

[15] SamocA.. J. Appl. Phys., 2003, 94: 616

[16] XuY.-H., ChenX.-F., ZhuY.. Sensors, 2008, 8: 1872

[17] WeberM.. “Silicon (Si)” and “Fused Silica (SiO₂)” in Handbook of Optical Materials, 2003, Boca Raton, CRC Press