Single-mode fluoroindate coupler for mid-IR applications

Andrea Annunziato; Francesco Anelli; Antonella Maria Loconsole; Vito Vincenzo Francione; Solenn Cozic; Sebastien Venck; Samuel Poulain; Francesco Prudenzano

doi:10.1117/12.3017514

20 June 2024 Single-mode fluoroindate coupler for mid-IR applications

Andrea Annunziato, Francesco Anelli, Antonella Maria Loconsole, Vito Vincenzo Francione, Solenn Cozic, Sebastien Venck, Samuel Poulain, Francesco Prudenzano

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 13003, Fiber Lasers and Glass Photonics: Materials through Applications IV; 130030K (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3017514
Event: SPIE Photonics Europe, 2024, Strasbourg, France

Abstract

In this paper, a 2×2 single-mode coupler based on indium fluoride optical fibers from Le Verre Fluoré (Bruz, France) is designed and characterized in the mid-infrared wavelength range. Coupled mode theory and finite element method are employed for its design. The 2×2 optical fiber coupler is fabricated via fused biconical tapering technique, employing a Vytran® GPX-2400 glass processing system. The primary constraint associated with the limited temperature range for processing indium fluoride optical fibers has been successfully addressed. Two identical fluoroindate (InF3) step-index optical fibers having a core diameter d_co = 7.5 μm, cladding diameter d_co = 125 μm, and numerical aperture NA = 0.30 are inserted into a fluoroindate capillary with a lower refractive index. The whole structure is tapered down ~ 2.4 times the initial diameter for a waist length L_w = 21.6 mm to achieve power coupling between the two optical fibers. The device is characterized at the wavelength λ = 3.34 μm, employing an interband cascade laser pigtailed with a single-mode fluoroindate optical fiber. The 2×2 optical fiber coupler is characterized in terms of through port and cross port powers, showing perfect agreement with the numerical results. A coupling ratio CR = 48.1:51.9 is measured at the wavelength λ = 3.34 μm, with a reduced excess loss E_L < 1.2 dB. These results pave the way for reliable fabrication of highperformance fused optical fiber components that can boost research toward the development of all-in-fiber mid-infrared systems, such as in-band pumped mid-infrared amplifiers.

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Andrea Annunziato, Francesco Anelli, Antonella Maria Loconsole, Vito Vincenzo Francione, Solenn Cozic, Sebastien Venck, Samuel Poulain, and Francesco Prudenzano "Single-mode fluoroindate coupler for mid-IR applications", Proc. SPIE 13003, Fiber Lasers and Glass Photonics: Materials through Applications IV, 130030K (20 June 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3017514

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