We propose a novel mode multiplexer based on phase plates followed by a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) with image inversion. After the higher-order modes are selectively converted from fundamental linear-polarized (LP) modes by the phase plates, the converted modes are coupled without fundamental loss using MZI with image inversion, in which the original spatial pattern and inverted pattern of the optical signal are interfered. Our scheme is also applicable to the coupling of degenerated LP modes such as LP(11a) and LP(11b). First, we numerically and experimentally evaluate the performance of the mode converter based on phase plates. The mode converter is suitable as long as the five LP modes such as LP(01), LP(11ab) and LP(21ab) are sustained in a few-mode fiber (FMF), although the crosstalk due to excitation of undesirable modes is unavoidable when the higher-order modes over LP(02) are sustained in FMF. Next, we develop and characterize the proposed mode multiplexers based on phase plates and MZIs with image inversion. The insertion loss is suppressed to around 3 dB for mode multiplexing of LP(11a) and LP(11b). Using a fabricated mode multiplexer for LP(31a) and LP(31b), we measure the bit-error rate performance of single-polarization mode-multiplexed quadrature-phase shift keying optical signals.
We numerically and experimentally evaluate the performance of higher-order mode conversion based on phase plates for 10-mode fibers (10MFs). The phase plates have the phase jump of π between multiple planes, which match the phase patterns of linearly polarized (LP) modes of 10MF. First, we numerically investigate the effects of the fabrication errors such as the phase-difference error and the slope in the phase jump of the phase plate. The simulation results for the mode conversion to LP11 indicate that such errors make the spatial pattern of the converted beam asymmetric. In order to maintain the symmetric pattern, the phase-difference error is required to be less than ± 2%, and the ratio of the slope width to the input beam waist should be suppressed to be less than 0.05. Next, we calculate the coupling power efficiencies of the excitation of LP modes in 10MF when the converted beams after the phase plate are launched into 10MF using a lens. As the calculation results, highly accurate adjustment of the input beam waist is required to suppress the crosstalk due to coupling of undesirable LP modes by less than -20 dB. For mode excitation of LP11 or LP12, crosstalk of more than -20 dB is not avoidable even if the input beam waist is carefully adjusted. In contrast, the crosstalk for the mode excitation of LP21 or LP31 is easily suppressed to be less than -20 dB without careful adjustment of the input beam waist. These results suggest that phase plates are not applicable to mode conversion to LP11 and LP12 in 10MF while they are suitable for conversion to LP02, LP21 and LP31. Finally, we experimentally demonstrate conversion from LP01 to LP21 and LP31 modes in 10MF using phase plates. We obtain nearly ideal LP21 and LP31 modes with the small crosstalk due to the coupling of the other undesirable LP modes.
We investigate mode conversion using phase plates for 10-mode fibers. Crosstalk from undesirable modes is unavoidable for mode conversion to LP11 or LP12 due to imperfection of phaseplate-based mode conversion, while it can be suppressed for LP02, LP21, and LP31.
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