Oz Optics Limited

Femtonics Corporation

Other

University of Ottawa

Omur M Sezerman

Garland Best

Lufan Zou

Kenneth O Hill

Shujie Lin

Michael Armstrong

Dwayne R J Miller

Luis Andre Fernandes

Mi Li Ng

Thoba Nguyen

Xiaoyi Bao

Evgueni Ponomarev

Steven Keeler

Nasser Y Aghdam

Farhana Baset

H Wayne Rock

Saidou Kane

Yun Li

Fabien Ravet

R J Miller

There is provided a system for measuring temperature and strain simultaneously utilizing Brillouin Scattering within an optical fiber. The system has a cladding, a first optical core within the cladding and a second optical core within the cladding and having a different refractive index profile and/or composition than the first core. Means to couple light into and out of said individual optical cores and/or from one optical core to the other within the fiber is provided along with means for calculating strain and temperature characteristics based on measured Brillouin frequencies for said optical cores.

Method and system for simultaneous measurement of strain and temperature utilizing dual core fiber

A device including an optical tap and waveguide in the core and cladding of an optical fiber together with a glass ferrule that is angle polished to provide a reflection surface (with or without total internal reflection) that produces a reflection of the light tapped from the optical fiber to reach the bottom of the glass ferrule and propagate in a direction that is perpendicular to (or at least different than the direction of propagation close to) the axis of the optical fiber. The fiber waveguide may be created using an ultrafast fabrication method and the glass ferrule can itself be modified by the same ultrafast laser technique to further manipulate the light traveling inside.

Glass ferrule coupling of in-line fiber taps and fiber cladding waveguides

There is provided a method to fabricate optical taps and waveguide devices in photonic crystal fibers and other fibers with hollow structures. The method involves a preparation step, where the hollow holes inside the fiber are collapsed or partially modified locally; and a waveguide fabrication step, where a femtosecond laser is focused inside the fiber and used to produce optical waveguides that interact in the region that was previously modified in the preparation step.

Method for the fabrication of optical waveguide devices in photonic crystal fibers and in waveguides with hollow structures

The present invention is directed to the creation of optical waveguiding devices from standard optical fibers by the creation of zones of permanently altered refractive index characteristics therein. A high intensity femtosecond laser beam is focused at a predetermined target region in the fiber so as to soften the glass material at the target region. After aligning the focal region with the target region in the fiber there will be relative movement between the focal region and the fiber, which has the effect of sweeping the focal region across the fiber in a predetermined path, so as to create a secondary waveguide path. A portion of the light traveling along the core is removed from the core along the secondary waveguide path such that the device can be utilized as an attenuator, an optical tap, or a polarimeter.

Microstructuring optical wave guide devices with femtosecond optical pulses

A method and system for simultaneously measuring strain and temperature characteristics of an object involves the attachment to the object of a pair of optical fibers having different refractive indices, the fibers being connected together at least one end thereof, and directing laser light into at least one end of the fibers. The Brillouin frequency of each of the fibers is measure and the strain and temperature characteristics are calculated based on the coefficients of strain and temperature and the measured Brillouin frequencies of the fibers.

Method and system for simultaneous measurement of strain and temperature

A distributed Brillouin sensor system is provided. The system has two distributed feedback (DFB) lasers, which are locked at the Brillouin frequency of the optical fiber through offset locking method by coupler splitting into two parts. The split parts are sent to two photodiodes, the outputs of which are sent to a mixer. A PID controller means follows the mixer and a current controller follows the PID controller. The lasers have a wavelength of 1550 nm. The PID controller locks the frequency difference. An optical delay line is used to produce the frequency tuning of the two DFB lasers around the Brillouin frequency of the optical fibers. The lock-in amplifier is used to keep the DC level of the optical modulator at minimum.

Distributed Brillouin sensor system based on DFB lasers using offset locking

An adjustable focus connector with spring action is especially adapted for use with common FC or SAM fiber optic receptacles. The connector includes a ferrule holder which mounts a fiber-carrying ferrule at a distal end thereof. At its proximal end the ferrule holder is threadedly connected to a lead screw member. A thrust collar surrounds the ferrule holder and traps a compression spring in the cavity between the thrust collar and the ferrule holder. Because of appropriate interengagement between the components the ferrule holder cannot rotate relative to the trust collar. A traveler is threadedly connected to the lead screw and abuts against the thrust collar. A connection nut is provided at the distal end of the connector to connect it to the fiber optic receptacle. The spring action of the connector prevents damage to the fiber end during connection of the connector to the fiber optic receptacle.

Adjustable focus connector with spring action

The present invention is directed to the creation of optical waveguiding devices from standard optical fibers by the creation of zones of permanently altered refractive index characteristics therein. A high intensity femtosecond laser beam is focused at a predetermined target region in the fiber so as to soften the glass material at the target region. After aligning the focal region with the target region in the fiber there will be relative movement between the focal region and the fiber, which has the effect of sweeping the focal region across the fiber in a predetermined path. The result is a zone within the fiber in which the refractive index characteristics of the fiber have been permanently altered so as to control amplitude, phase, spatial propagation or polarization states of light within the material.

A mechanism for achieving symmetrical stress loads on operating optical fibers () held in fiber optic arrays includes, in one embodiment, the provision of a pair of non-operating or dummy fibers(), each located outboard of the outermost or curb fibers(&#x2033;) of the array. All of the fibers, whether operating or dummy, are held in corresponding grooves () in a substrate (). A cover plate () may be positioned thereover while a low stress glue or potting compound () is introduced or applied so as to completely encapsulate the fibers. The glue or potting compound will symmetrically surround all of the operating fibers whereby not only any inboard operating fibers ('), but also the outboard operating curb fibers (&#x2033;), are symmetrically encapsulated. In this manner all of the operating fibers are subject to the same stresses and consequently will exhibit essentially the same polarization maintaining behavior. The invention is primarily beneficial with polarization-maintaining optical fibers, but will work effectively with other types of optical fibers as well, wherever stress are a concern.

Stress relief in fibre optic arrays

An adjustable connector for optically connecting one optical fibre to another fibre or a light source is disclosed. In one embodiment a base plate mounting the fibre is connected to another base plate with a resilient member between the base plates. The fibre terminates at a beam expanding or imaging lens. Sets of alternating first and second screws axially extend from one base plate to the other such that when a test signal is transmitted to the fibre the first screws can be adjusted to coarsely tilt one base plate relative to the other until approximately the desired signal strength is achieved. The second screws are then rotated to finely adjust the base plates to achieve the desired signal strength. In other embodiments adjusting screws extend radially with respect to a cylindrical housing holding the fibre so as to adjust the relative position thereof. Adjustment can also be achieved using a temporary jig which can be removed and reused. With the invention insertion and tilt losses at the connector are minimized.

Growing community of inventors

Kanata, Canada

Omur M Sezerman