Lecture 10

Dielectric Waveguides and Optical Fibers

Slab Waveguide, Modes, V-Number

Modal, Material, and Waveguide Dispersions
Step-Index Fiber, Multimode and Single Mode Fibers
Numerical Aperture, Coupling Loss
Bit-Rate, dispersion and optical bandwidth
Graded-index fibers
Absorption and Scattering
Fiber Manufacture

Optical Fibers

The central region, the core, has greater refractive index than the outer
region, the cladding.
The fiber has cylindrical symmetry. The coordinates r, f, z
represent any point P in the fiber.
Cladding is normally much thicker than shown.
Normalized index difference: =
Need two integers to label a mode:

n1 n2
n1

(l , m)

are used to

Meridional & Skew Rays

Meridional ray enters the fiber through the fiber axis and hence also crosses the fiber axis on
each reflection as it zigzags down the fiber. It travels in a plane that contains the fiber axis.
Skew ray enters the fiber off the fiber axis and zigzags down the fiber without crossing the axis

Zigzag path

Helical path

Meridional Rays TE 0m , TM 0m

Ez = 0 or H z = 0

Skew Rays - Hybrid modes

HElm , EH lm

Ez 0 or H z 0

Modes LPlm (Linearly Polarized)

Meridional Rays TE 0m , TM 0m

Ez = 0 or H z = 0

Skew Rays - Hybrid modes

HElm , EH lm

Ez 0 or H z 0

Ez = 0 and H z = 0

Fundamental Mode (l=0 and m=1)

Electric field of the
fundamental mode

Intensity in the
fundamental mode LP01

The electric field distribution of the

fundamental mode, LP01, in the
transverse plane to the fiber axis z.
The light intensity is greatest at the
center of the fiber

Fundamental Mode (l=0 and m=1)

Intensity in LP01

Intensity in LP11

Intensity in LP21

2l=4 number of
maxima around
circumference
2l=2 number of
maxima around
circumference

m=1
number
of
maxima

m=1 number of
maxima

m number of maxima along r starting from the core center

2l number of maxima around a circumference.
l is the radial mode number. It represents the extent of the helical propagation

Optical Fiber Parameters (SMF vs MMF)

Modes in an Optical Fiber

Higher Order Modes

Group Velocity and Group Delay

Group Velocity and Group Delay

Numerical Aperture NA

Dispersion
Intermode (Intermodal) Dispersion: Multimode fibers only
Materials Dispersion
Group velocity depends on Ng and hence on
Waveguide Dispersion
Group velocity depends on waveguide structure
Chromatic Dispersion
Material dispersion + Waveguide Dispersion
Profile Dispersion
Polarization Dispersion

Intermode Dispersion (MMF)

c / n2
c/n1

Operating
frequency

Range of group
velocities for
65 modes

1
1
=

L vgmin v gmax

n1 n 2

L
c

(c/n1)sinc

(c/n1)sinc

c/n1

TEhighest

c / n1

vg

v gmin

c
c
c n2
sin c = v gmax
n1
n1 n1
n1

n12 n1 1 (n1 n2 )n1 (n1 n2 )

=
=

L cn2 c c
n2
c

(Since n1 and n2 are only slightly different.)

Intramode Dispersion (SMF)

Material Dispersion (SMF)

Material Dispersion (SMF)

Phase Velocity & Refractive Index

v=
k

c
n=
v

Group Velocity & Refractive Index

d
c
vg (medium) =
=
dk n dn
d

dn
Ng = n
d

Material Dispersion (SMF)

Waveguide Dispersion (SMF)

Waveguide Dispersion (SMF)

Chromatic Dispersion (SMF)

Chromatic Dispersion (SMF)

Mode Field Width 2w0

cladding

(V + 1)
2 wo 2a
V
Mode Field Width 2wo

1/ 2

2n2 n1
2
=
sin i 1
n2

2 2
V
2 1/ 2

( n1 n2 ) =

Mode Field Diameter

Profile Dispersion

Chromatic Dispersion

Polarization Dispersion

Nonzero Dispersion Shifted Fiber

Dispersion Flattened Fiber

Commercial Fibers

Dispersion Compensation

Dispersion Compensation