System and method for plasmonic control of short pulses in optical fibers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10756503-B2
Application number	US-201816037837-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 17, 2018
Priority date	Jul 17, 2018
Publication date	Aug 25, 2020
Grant date	Aug 25, 2020

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an optical waveguide system. The system may include a first waveguide having a core-guide and a material portion surrounding and encasing the core-guide. The core-guide enables a core-guide mode for an optical signal travelling through the core-guide. A second waveguide forms a lossy waveguide on an outer surface of the first waveguide. The construction of the second waveguide is such as to achieve a desired coupling between the core-guide mode and the lossy waveguide to control an energy level of the optical signal travelling through the core-guide.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical waveguide system including:
a first waveguide having a core-guide and a cladding material portion fully surrounding and fully encasing the core-guide, the cladding material having an exposed, flat outer surface portion extending along a length of the first waveguide, and the core-guide enabling a core-guide mode for an optical signal travelling through the core-guide;
a second waveguide forming a lossy waveguide supported directly on the exposed, flat outer surface portion of the cladding material of the first waveguide;
the construction of the second waveguide being such as to achieve a desired coupling between the core-guide mode and the lossy waveguide to control an energy level of the optical signal travelling through the core-guide; and
an optical pump source configured to inject optical energy into the first waveguide from an angle non-parallel to the core-guide, using the coupling between the core-guide mode and the lossy waveguide.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second waveguide comprises metal which forms a plasmonic device, and which implements a plasmonic mode waveguide.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein a plurality of plasmonic devices are disposed along a length of the exposed, flat outer surface portion of the cladding material.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the plasmonic device comprises a lattice like structure having a plurality of spaced apart strips.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the spaced apart strips form grooves therebetween.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the grooves are further formed normal to a longitudinal axis of the core-guide.

7. The system of claim 2 , wherein the plasmonic device is formed by a plurality of metal sections with grooves formed therein, the grooves opening normal to the core-guide, and the plasmonic device forming an emitter for emitting optical energy.

8. The system of claim 7 , further comprising a mirror for directing optical energy from the optical pump source into the core-guide along an axis normal to the core-guide.

9. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a plurality of optical pump sources and mirrors disposed along a length of the exposed, flat outer surface portion of the cladding material, for coupling optical energy into the core-guide at a plurality of locations along the length of the core guide.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the optical pump source comprises a broad area diode.

11. The system of claim 2 , wherein the core-guide is arranged in a coil, and wherein the plasmonic device includes a plurality of independent plasmonic devices aligned adjacent to one another on the outer surface along a common longitudinal axis, which collectively form a two dimensional emitter.

12. The system of claim 2 , wherein the plasmonic device is constructed from at least one of:
copper;
gold; and
silver.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cladding material of the first waveguide has a D-shaped construction when viewed in cross section.

14. A surface emitting fiber laser including:
an optical fiber forming a first waveguide, and having a core-guide and a material portion surrounding and encasing the core-guide, the core-guide enabling a core-guide mode for an optical signal travelling through the core-guide;
a second waveguide formed from metal secured to an outer surface of the first waveguide, the second waveguide forming a plasmonic device which implements a plasmonic mode waveguide;
the construction of the second waveguide being such as to achieve a desired coupling between the core-guide mode and the plasmonic mode waveguide; and
an optical pump source for injecting optical pump energy into the core-guide via the coupling between the plasmonic device and the core-guide.

15. The surface emitting fiber laser of claim 14 , further comprising mirror for reflecting the optical pump energy from the optical pump source toward the plasmonic device.

16. The surface emitting fiber laser of claim 14 , further comprising a plurality of optical pump sources disposed along a length of the optical fiber.

17. The surface emitting fiber laser of claim 16 , further comprising a plurality of mirrors, one mirror of said plurality of mirrors being associated with each said optical pump source.

18. A method for forming an optical waveguide, including:
providing a first waveguide having a core-guide and a cladding material portion surrounding fully surrounding and fully encasing the core-guide, the cladding material having an exposed, flat outer surface portion extending along a length of the first waveguide, and the core-guide enabling a core-guide mode for an optical signal travelling through the core-guide;
disposing a second waveguide, formed from metal, on the exposed, flat outer surface portion of the cladding material of the first waveguide, the second waveguide forming a plasmonic device which implements a plasmonic mode waveguide; and
using the second waveguide to achieve a desired coupling between the core-guide mode and the plasmonic mode waveguide to control an energy level of the optical signal travelling through the core-guide; and
using an optical pump source to inject optical energy into the core-guide, using the plasmonic coupling between the plasmonic device and the core-guide, from a location along a length of the first waveguide and in a direction non-parallel to a longitudinal axis of the optical waveguide.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising disposing a plurality of second waveguides on the outer surface of the exposed, flat outer surface portion of the first waveguide at spaced apart locations along the length of the first waveguide.

20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising using the plasmonic device to channel optical energy outwardly from the optical waveguide, generally normal to the optical waveguide, at least at one selected location along the optical waveguide.

Assignees

• Feigenbaum Eyal
• Allen Graham S
• Dawson Jay W
• Noginov Mikhail A
• L Livermore Nat Security Llc

Inventors

• Feigenbaum Eyal
• Allen Graham S
• Dawson Jay W
• Noginov Mikhail A

Classifications

• G02B6/1226

  involving surface plasmon interaction · CPC title

• G02B5/008

  Surface plasmon devices (diffractive gratings with a pitch less than or comparable to the wavelength G02B5/1809; surface plasmons in integrated optics G02B6/1226; optical analysis of materials by means of surface plasmons G01N21/553) · CPC title

• H01S3/06729 Primary

  Peculiar transverse fibre profile · CPC title

• G02B6/29323

  Coupling to or out of the diffractive element through the lateral surface of the light guide (evanescent grating couplers G02B6/29332) · CPC title

• G02B6/02061

  Grating external to the fibre and in contact with the fibre, e.g. evanescently coupled, gratings applied to the fibre end (mechanically induced in the fibre G02B6/02071, surface relief on the fibre G02B6/02066) · CPC title