Low power field generation for magneto-optic fiber-based interferometric switches

Abstract

A new fiber-based, magneto-optic switch is proposed with a novel approach for low power and efficient operation. The switch, with reasonable switching speed compared to competitive designs, operates at considerably reduced power levels, which makes it a practical deployable solution. The basic switch setup consists of a Faraday rotator in a Sagnac fiber-optic interferometer in which optical switching is controlled by an electronic driving circuit. The electronic system generates a magnetic field through the Faraday rotator by driving current through a specially designed two-coil system. The new coil system allows for sufficient field generation at low quiescent power levels while maintaining very short optical rise and fall times. The design and considerations as well as the effect of mutual inductance between the two coils and its influence on switching times are investigated. The optical system consists of a Sagnac interferometer with a Faraday rotator within the Sagnac loop. Appropriate phase shift for interference is achieved by the proposed field generating system designed for the magneto-optical element. The theory of operation, design, experimental results, and optical and electronic setup are presented and analyzed.Keywords coil systems, driving current, electronic driving, electronic systems, Faraday rotators, fiber-optic interferometers, generating system, interferometric switches, low power, magneto-optic switch, mutual inductance, sagnac interferometer, sagnac loop, textile fibers Disciplines Electrical and Computer Engineering | Electromagnetics and Photonics CommentsThe following article appeared in Journal of Applied Physics 111 (2012) A new fiber-based, magneto-optic switch is proposed with a novel approach for low power and efficient operation. The switch, with reasonable switching speed compared to competitive designs, operates at considerably reduced power levels, which makes it a practical deployable solution. The basic switch setup consists of a Faraday rotator in a Sagnac fiber-optic interferometer in which optical switching is controlled by an electronic driving circuit. The electronic system generates a magnetic field through the Faraday rotator by driving current through a specially designed two-coil system. The new coil system allows for sufficient field generation at low quiescent power levels while maintaining very short optical rise and fall times. The design and considerations as well as the effect of mutual inductance between the two coils and its influence on switching times are investigated. The optical system consists of a Sagnac interferometer with a Faraday rotator within the Sagnac loop. Appropriate phase shift for interference is achieved by the proposed field generating system designed for the magneto-optical element. The theory of operation, design, experimental results, and optical and electronic setup are presented and analyzed.

Growth Parameters of Fully Crystallized YIG, Bi:YIG, and Ce:YIG Films With High Faraday Rotations

“…Both of these issues have a common solution in photonic circuits. Optical switches offer the ability to solve the limitations of data transmission across optical networks by using all optical signals [1]. The problem of interconnects can be resolved through the use of optical resonator structures [2], [3].…”

Broadband optically controlled switching effect in a microfluid-filled photonic bandgap fiber

“…The neotype optical switches always use special materials that are sensitive to environmental parameters such as temperature [5][6][7][8], electricity [9], magnetism [10] or light [11][12][13]. In particular, fiber-based optical switches have attracted considerable interest in recent years because they have numerous advantages, such as a small volume, anti-electromagnetic interference and easy compatibility in both optical fiber communication systems and fiber sensing systems [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. Two common methods are mainly used to manufacture fiber optical switches.…”

New developments in magneto-optic interferometric switching

“…The results of this study show the potential for a great improvement over currently researched solutions for fiber-based systems [40] [37]. In addition, the implications of such a device with a dynamic magnetic field generator extend to applications in which optical isolation needs to be reversed using low power.…”

“…Optical and electrical results are provided utilizing the Sagnac interferometer for stability reasons. This work was published in 2012 in the Journal of Applied Physics entitled, "Low power field generation for magneto-optic fiber-based interferometric switches" [37].…”

“…This type of field generator can be used where low power operation of optical pulses with long periods may be required. Recent works have shown that the use of one coil of low number of turns can be used to quickly magnetize the material while a second coil of much higher number of turns can be used to sustain the magnetization dissipating much less power(Figure 3.2(d), see also Chapter 4)[37].…”