Compact optical isolator for fibers using birefringent wedges

Abstract

A new type of optical isolator for fibers is proposed in this paper. A birefringent wedge used to separate and combine the polarized light is developed, giving the isolator low forward loss and high isolation. The antire-flection process at the fiber endface reduces the forward loss and reflected return. A forward loss of 0.8 dB, a backward loss of 35 dB, and a reflected return of -32 dB were obtained. These characteristics were measured from fiber to fiber using multimode fibers with 50-/microm core diam at a wavelength of 1.3 microm. Details of the design, fabrication, and characteristics of this isolator are presented.

Tunable and switchable polarization rotation with non-reciprocal plasmonic thin films at designated wavelengths

“…[24][25][26][27][28][29] Furthermore, the presented structure geometry is suitable for large-area fabrication, 58,59 which makes it a promising candidate design for non-reciprocal coatings of optical elements, such as lenses, with active external control at specific wavelengths. In addition, the direct attachment onto optical fiber ends [60][61][62] or onto laser diodes could yield devices with extremely small volumes for a highly integrated environment.…”

“…This property leads to the most prominent application of Faraday rotators, i.e., as core elements in optical isolators. These devices realize one-way light propagation to suppress parasitic feedback in a multitude of optical systems, including optical telecommunication networks [24][25][26] and laser systems. [27][28][29] In addition, systems with less restricted symmetry properties that exhibit asymmetric transmission of light (both in a reciprocal and non-reciprocal manner) have gained considerable attention recently.…”

Magneto-Optical Nonreciprocal Devices for Silicon Photonics

“…In addition, an optical circulator is an important component for realizing highly functional photonic circuits. Current optical isolators and circulators comprise of bulk optics and employ the magneto-optical Faraday effect, in which a polarization plane rotates in different directions depending upon the light propagation direction [2][3][4].…”

Optical Properties of Rutile Single Crystals Grown Under Pressure by Tilting-Mirror-Type Floating Zone Method

“…It has excellent optical, mechanical and chemical properties, and the demand for rutile single crystals has therefore been increasing to use as polarizer in a variety of optical devices because of their large refractive indices and birefringence [1]. It is of urgent necessity to grow rutile single crystals of high optical quality.…”