ABSTRACT
Experimental results are presented that illustrate the excellent reproducibility and thermal stability of fiber polarizers made by coiling highly birefringent bow-tie fibers. The effective extinction ratio of the polarizer when used in a fiber-optic gyroscope is shown to be 62 dB.
ABSTRACT
The total dispersion characteristics of the doubly clad Panda (or bow-tie) fibers have been investigated. It is shown that the contribution of the photoelastic effect to the total dispersion becomes of the order of several psec/km x nm in the 1.5-1.7-microm wavelength region. By careful adjustment of the cutoff wavelength, the total dispersion is reduced to within +/- 1 psec/km x nm over the 1.38-1.70-microm wavelength region for the HE(11)(x) mode and 1.38-1.68 microm for the HE(11)(y) mode, respectively.
ABSTRACT
Temperature cycling of highly birefringent optical fibers and preforms has been used to investigate the thermal properties of bow-tie and elliptically clad structures. The thermal hysteresis of the birefringence is shown to be a direct consequence of the thermal history of the fiber or preform and has been related to volume changes in the stress-producing borosilicate sections. Annealing increases the axial stress as well as the stress anisotropy and hence the birefringence. Increases of up to a factor of 2 in the birefringence on suitable thermal treatment indicate a new method for further improvement of high birefringence fibers. The implications of the results in the design, fabrication, and use of such fibers are discussed.
