Broadband fiber Bragg gratings for dispersion management

Abstract

This paper provides an overview and technology update of a dispersion management component made from chirped fiber Bragg gratings. The history and technology of fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) have been extensively covered in several excellent review articles, [1-6] book chapters, [7] and books. [8,9] We give a brief overview of fiber Bragg grating technology in this section and then focus on the details concerned with construction and performance of dispersion management devices in optical communications systems with a single broadband long-length grating used in reflection. Sampled chirped grating are sometimes referred to as broadband devices, but they actually have a narrow bandwidth of operation that is periodically repeated across a given spectral range. Although these periodic devices have shown promise as dispersion management devices in communications systems, they will not be discussed in this paper.

Technique for estimating the tuning speed of fiber Bragg gratings

“…The shift of the Bragg wavelength has been its most significant characteristic since it is related with the sensing of external stimulus such as strain and temperature [2]. The same sensitivity to strain and temperature makes them suitable for the implementation of useful tunable devices such as filters [3], fiber lasers [4], and dispersion compensators [5], to name only a few examples. Tuning is generally achieved through the application of tensile strength and/or compression [6] or induced temperature change mechanisms [7].…”