Stable nonlinear Mach-Zehnder fiber switch

Digonnet, Michel J. F.; Shaw, H John; Pantell, Richard H; Sadowski, Robert W

Title: Stable nonlinear Mach-Zehnder fiber switch

Abstract

An all-optical fiber switch is implemented within a short Mach-Zehnder interferometer configuration. The Mach-Zehnder switch is constructed to have a high temperature stability so as to minimize temperature gradients and other thermal effects which result in undesirable instability at the output of the switch. The Mach-Zehnder switch of the preferred embodiment is advantageously less than 2 cm in length between couplers to be sufficiently short to be thermally stable, and full switching is accomplished by heavily doping one or both of the arms between the couplers so as to provide a highly nonlinear region within one or both of the arms. A pump input source is used to affect the propagation characteristics of one of the arms to control the output coupling ratio of the switch. Because of the high nonlinearity of the pump input arm, low pump powers can be used, thereby alleviating difficulties and high cost associated with high pump input powers.

Inventors:

Digonnet, Michel J. F. ^[1]; Shaw, H John ^[1]; Pantell, Richard H ^[2]; Sadowski, Robert W ^[3]

Palo Alto, CA
Menlo Park, CA
Camp Doha, KW

Issue Date:: 1999-01-01

Research Org.:: Stanford Univ., CA (United States)

OSTI Identifier:: 872375

Patent Number(s):: 5920666

Assignee:: Board of Trustees for Leland Stanford Junior University (Stanford, CA)

Patent Classifications (CPCs):: G - PHYSICS G02 - OPTICS G02F - DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS, THE OPTICAL OPERATION OF WHICH IS MODIFIED BY CHANGING THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIUM OF THE DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF THE INTENSITY, COLOUR, PHASE, POLARISATION OR DIRECTION OF LIGHT, e.g. SWITCHING, GATING, MODULATING OR DEMODULATING

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G - PHYSICS G02 - OPTICS G02F - DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS, THE OPTICAL OPERATION OF WHICH IS MODIFIED BY CHANGING THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIUM OF THE DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF THE INTENSITY, COLOUR, PHASE, POLARISATION OR DIRECTION OF LIGHT, e.g. SWITCHING, GATING, MODULATING OR DEMODULATING
G02F1/3517 - {using an interferometer}

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DOE Contract Number:: FG03-92ER12126

Resource Type:: Patent

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: stable; nonlinear; mach-zehnder; fiber; switch; all-optical; implemented; interferometer; configuration; constructed; temperature; stability; minimize; gradients; thermal; effects; result; undesirable; instability; output; preferred; embodiment; advantageously; cm; length; couplers; sufficiently; thermally; switching; accomplished; heavily; doping; arms; provide; highly; region; pump; input; source; affect; propagation; characteristics; control; coupling; ratio; nonlinearity; arm; powers; alleviating; difficulties; cost; associated; temperature stability; input power; temperature gradient; preferred embodiment; optical fiber; thermally stable; temperature gradients; thermal effects; output coupling; cost associated; pump power; minimize temperature; fiber switch; mach-zehnder interferometer; /385/372/

Citation Formats


                    Digonnet, Michel J. F., Shaw, H John, Pantell, Richard H, and Sadowski, Robert W. Stable nonlinear Mach-Zehnder fiber switch.  United States: N. p., 1999. 
        Web.

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                    Digonnet, Michel J. F., Shaw, H John, Pantell, Richard H, & Sadowski, Robert W. Stable nonlinear Mach-Zehnder fiber switch.  United States.

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                    Digonnet, Michel J. F., Shaw, H John, Pantell, Richard H, and Sadowski, Robert W. Fri .  
        "Stable nonlinear Mach-Zehnder fiber switch".  United States.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/872375.

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@article{osti_872375,

  title        = {Stable nonlinear Mach-Zehnder fiber switch},

  author       = {Digonnet, Michel J. F. and Shaw, H John and Pantell, Richard H and Sadowski, Robert W},

  abstractNote = {An all-optical fiber switch is implemented within a short Mach-Zehnder interferometer configuration. The Mach-Zehnder switch is constructed to have a high temperature stability so as to minimize temperature gradients and other thermal effects which result in undesirable instability at the output of the switch. The Mach-Zehnder switch of the preferred embodiment is advantageously less than 2 cm in length between couplers to be sufficiently short to be thermally stable, and full switching is accomplished by heavily doping one or both of the arms between the couplers so as to provide a highly nonlinear region within one or both of the arms. A pump input source is used to affect the propagation characteristics of one of the arms to control the output coupling ratio of the switch. Because of the high nonlinearity of the pump input arm, low pump powers can be used, thereby alleviating difficulties and high cost associated with high pump input powers.},

  doi          = {},

  journal      = {},
number       = ,

  volume       = ,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {1999},

  month        = {1}

}

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Works referenced in this record:

Wavelength-flattened 2 × 2 splitters made of identical single-mode fibers
journal, January 1991

Gonthier, F.; Ricard, D.; Lacroix, S.
Optics Letters, Vol. 16, Issue 15
https://doi.org/10.1364/OL.16.001201

All-optical switching using color centers in irradiated silica fibers
conference, October 1994

Sadowski, Robert W.; Digonnet, Michel J. F.; Pantell, Richard H.
SPIE's 1994 International Symposium on Optics, Imaging, and Instrumentation, SPIE Proceedings
https://doi.org/10.1117/12.188701

All-optical switching using color centers in an irradiated phosphorus-doped fiber
journal, July 1996

Sadowski, R. W.; Digonnet, M. J. F.; Pantell, R. H.
IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, Vol. 8, Issue 7
https://doi.org/10.1109/68.502263

Analysis of nonlinear optical switching in an erbium-doped fiber
journal, January 1993

Pantell, R. H.; Digonnet, M. J. F.; Sadowski, R. W.
Journal of Lightwave Technology, Vol. 11, Issue 9
https://doi.org/10.1109/50.241931

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Title: Stable nonlinear Mach-Zehnder fiber switch

Abstract

Citation Formats

Wavelength-flattened 2 × 2 splitters made of identical single-mode fibers journal, January 1991

All-optical switching using color centers in irradiated silica fibers conference, October 1994

All-optical switching using color centers in an irradiated phosphorus-doped fiber journal, July 1996

Analysis of nonlinear optical switching in an erbium-doped fiber journal, January 1993

Wavelength-flattened 2 × 2 splitters made of identical single-mode fibers
journal, January 1991

All-optical switching using color centers in irradiated silica fibers
conference, October 1994

All-optical switching using color centers in an irradiated phosphorus-doped fiber
journal, July 1996

Analysis of nonlinear optical switching in an erbium-doped fiber
journal, January 1993