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25 April 2012Optical temperature switch based on microstructured fibre filled with different chemical mixtures
Size, shape and location of the air holes allow to tailor microstructured fibre (MSF) parameters in a very wide range way
beyond classical fibres what opens up many possibilities for various applications. Additionally, the propagation
parameters of MSF can be actively tuned when the air-holes are filled with different gases, liquids (e.g., liquid crystals)
or solid materials (e.g., polymers). The mode confinement in such a filled MSF can be affected by temperature
dependent refractive index of material filling the fibre. This idea puts forward a new type of components for creating
novel fibre devices such as switches, attenuators and others.
Variable optical attenuators (VOAs) play an important role in optical communications as equalizers for dynamic channel
power and wavelength division multiplexing in a transmission system. Controlling and monitoring of optical power are
also necessary in sensing applications, and especially, in optical systems which require high power laser operation or
critical temperature threshold monitoring. Various types of VOA have been developed based on different mechanisms,
such as bending loss control, light leaking from the fibre cladding, temperature tuning of the polymer incorporated into
the tapered microstructured fibre or electrical tuning of the liquid crystal layers.
In this paper we would like to discuss the highly dynamic VOA based on a tuneable microstructured fibre filled with
different chemical mixtures used as an on/off temperature switch. Furthermore, the technology of low loss coupling and
splicing of the applied MSF with a standard single mode fibre has been developed. Therefore, in the proposed
application an optical signal can be transmitted to and from the switch by a standard telecom fibre which considerably
reduces transmission losses and allows for the use of standard off-the-shelf components reducing costs of the overall
system.
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P. Marc, P. Piliszek, M. Murawski, M. Szymanski, T. Nasilowski, L. R. Jaroszewicz, "Optical temperature switch based on microstructured fibre filled with different chemical mixtures," Proc. SPIE 8426, Microstructured and Specialty Optical Fibres, 842605 (25 April 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.922771