Chalcogenide-glass polarization-maintaining photonic crystal fiber for mid-infrared supercontinuum generation

In this paper, we report the design and fabrication of a highly birefringent polarization-maintaining photonic crystal fiber (PM-PCF) made from chalcogenide glass, and its application to linearly-polarized supercontinuum (SC) generation in the mid-infrared region. The PM fiber was drawn using the casting method from As38Se62 glass which features a transmission window from 2 to 10 $\mu m$ and a high nonlinear index of 1.13.10$^{-17}$m$^{2}$W$^{-1}$. It has a zero-dispersion wavelength around 4.5 $\mu m$ and, at this wavelength, a large birefringence of 6.10$^{-4}$ and consequently strong polarization maintaining properties are expected. Using this fiber, we experimentally demonstrate supercontinuum generation spanning from 3.1-6.02 $\mu m$ and 3.33-5.78 $\mu m$ using femtosecond pumping at 4 $\mu m$ and 4.53 $\mu m$, respectively. We further investigate the supercontinuum bandwidth versus the input pump polarization angle and we show very good agreement with numerical simulations of the two-polarization model based on two coupled generalized nonlinear Schr\"odinger equations.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figure

Generation of an ultrabroadband supercontinuum in the mid-infrared region using dispersion-engineered GeAsSe photonic crystal fiber

An ultrabroadband mid-infrared (MIR) region supercontinuum (SC) is demonstrated numerically through dispersion-engineered traditional chalcogenide (ChG) photonic crystal fiber (PCF). By varying structural parameters pitch (hole to hole spacing) and air-hole diameter to pitch ratio, a number of 10-mm-long hexagonal PCFs made employing GeAsSe ChG glass as a core and air-holes of hexagonal lattice running through their lengths as a cladding are optimized to predict an efficient mid-infrared region SC spectral emission by pumping them using a tunable pump source between 2.9 and 3.3 µm. Simulations are carried out using an ultrashort pump pulse of 100-fs duration with a low pulse peak powers of between 3 and 4 kW into the optimized designs. It is found through numerical analysis that efficient SC spectral broadening with flattened output can be obtained by increasing the PCF pitch rather than increasing the PCF cladding containing air-hole diameter although a larger nonlinear coefficient could be obtained through increasing air-hole diameter of an optimized design. Simulation results show that the SC spectra can be broadened up to 12.2 µm for a certain design with a peak power of 3 kW. Using a peak power of 4 kW, it is possible to obtain SC spectral broadening beyond 14 µm with an optimized design spanning the wavelength range from 1.8 to 14 µm which covers the electromagnetic spectrum required for MIR molecular fingerprint region applications such as sensing and biological imaging

Original designs of chalcogenide microstructured optical fibers for mid-IR applications

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Feasibility of Er3+-doped, Ga5Ge20Sb10S65 chalcogenide microstructured optical fiber amplifiers

International audienceThe feasibility of a microstructured optical fiber (MOF) amplifier, made of a novel Er3+-doped chalcogenide glass, has been demonstrated via accurate simulations performed by employing an oppositely implemented computer code. The optical and geometrical parameters measured on the first MOF sample together with other physical constants from literature have been taken into account in the simulations. The calculated optical gain of the optimized MOF amplifier, 2.79 m long, is close to 23 dB at the signal wavelength of 1.538 μm, by using a pump power of 200 mW and a signal power of 0.1 μW

Estimating optical feedback from a chalcogenide fiber in mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers

The amount of optical feedback originating from a chalcogenide fiber used to couple light from a mid-infrared quantum cascade laser is evaluated experimentally. Threshold reduction measurements on the fibered laser, combined with an analytical study of a rate equations model of the laser under optical feedback, allow estimating the feedback strength between 11% and 15% depending on the fiber cleavage quality. While this remains below the frontier of the chaotic regime, it is sufficient to deeply modify the optical spectrum of a quantum cascade laser. Hence for applications such as gas spectroscopy, where the shape of the optical spectrum is of prime importance, the use of mid-infrared optical isolators may be necessary for fibered quantum cascade lasers to be fully exploited

Mid-infrared continuous-wave parametric amplification in chalcogenide microstructured fibers

The persistent growth of interest in the middle infrared (MIR) is stimulating the development of sources and components. Novel waveguides and fibers for the efficient use of nonlinear effects in the MIR are being intensively studied. Highly nonlinear silica fibers have enabled record performances of highly versatile parametric processes in the telecommunication band. However, no waveguiding platforms (to our knowledge) have yet solved the trade-off among high nonlinearity, low propagation losses and dispersion in the MIR. As single waveguide designs have not yet hit this particular optimal point, only pulsed–pumped demonstrations have been carried out, hindering any application requiring narrow linewidth, continuous-wave (c.w.) operation, or signal modulation. Here, we show MIR c.w. parametric amplification in a Ge10As22Se68 tapered fiber. Leveraging state-of-the-art fabrication techniques, we use a photonic crystal fiber (PCF) geometry combining high nonlinearity and low dispersion, while maintaining single mode and low losses in the short-wave IR and MIR. We experimentally demonstrate 5 dB signal amplification and 3 dB idler conversion efficiency using only 125 mW of pump in the 2 μm wavelength range. Our result is not only the first c.w. parametric amplification measured at 2 μm in any waveguide, but it also establishes GeAsSe PCF tapers as the most promising all-fibered, high-efficiency parametric converter for advanced applications in the MIR

OH-free halo-tellurite glass mid-infrared optical fiber

We report the fabrication of a new halo-tellurite glass fiber with low attenuation from 2-4µm using a dehydration process. It shows a promising candidate for transmission and nonlinear applications in 2-5µm region

Caractérisation de la rétrodiffusion Brillouin dans une fibre optique chalcogénure AS42S58 microstructurée

International audienceDans ce document, nous présentons les résultats de caractérisation de la rétrodiffusion Brillouin dans une fibre optique microstructurée (FOM) en verre de chalcogénure As 42 S 58 . Les résultats obtenus montrent que cette fibre optique serait appropriée pour des applications en optique non-linéaire basées sur l'effet Brillouin. MOTS-CLEFS : Effet Brillouin ; verres chalcogénures ; fibres optiques microstructurées

Optical characterization of a single mode Mid Infrared microstructured optical fiber up to 10 μm Potential for supercontinuum generation and applications for QCLs based sensors

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