Mode locking is achieved passively with either intracavity second-harmonic generation or a semiconductor saturable absorber. Reflections from discontinuities, such as fiber alignment mismatches, are studied both in the time domain and, using spectral analysis, in the frequency domain. Integrated optical structures are studied and students investigate the behavior of different substrates and fiber materials with respect to system performance. Directional couplers, power dividers and combiners, and band-pass filters are among the devices that are analyzed. Rigorous numerical simulation of dispersion and non-linear effects, such as soliton propagation, is also investigated.
Students learn how to fabricate and characterize a single-mode polymer optical fiber.
In particular, students are taught how to make polymers by polymerization from monomers, incorporate chromophores as dopants, and how to draw fiber using a drawing tower. Students then learn how to couple light into such fibers, measure loss, and waveguiding modes. Thermo-optic and electrooptic modulation is demonstrated in prototype devices. A total of 8 laboratories are taught within the modules described below. In this semester we expect the students to experience advanced physics concepts requiring a good understanding of quantum mechanics applied to optoelectronic devices.