Transverse closed-loop resonator

• US 20060072875A1
• Filed: 10/06/2004
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Inventors: Sutherland, James S., Garner, Sean M., Bhagavatula, Venkata A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,400,797 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/30
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/03605 Highest refractive index not on central axis
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/12007 forming wavelength selective elements, e.g. multiplexer, demultiplexer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/29319 With a cascade of diffractive elements or of diffraction operations forming interferometer by splitting and recombining G02B6/29347 - G02B6/29358
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/29332 Wavelength selective couplers, i.e. based on evanescent coupling between light guides, e.g. fused fibre couplers with transverse coupling between fibres having different propagation constant wavelength dependency non wavelength-selective light guide couplers G02B6/28
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/29334 Grating-assisted evanescent light guide couplers, i.e. comprising grating at or functionally associated with the coupling region between the light guides, e.g. with a grating positioned where light fields overlap in the coupler
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/29335 Evanescent coupling to a resonator cavity, i.e. between a waveguide mode and a resonant mode of the cavity wavelength selective means based on resonator cavity coupled non-evanescently G02B6/29356, G02B6/29358
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/29341 Loop resonators operating in a whispering gallery mode evanescently coupled to a light guide, e.g. sphere or disk or cylinder evanescent coupling for sensing fluorescence G01N21/648
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/29356 Interference cavity within a single light guide, e.g. between two fibre gratings G02B6/29347 - G02B6/2935 take precedence; evanescent coupling to a resonator cavity G02B6/29335

Abstract

A transverse closed-loop fiber resonator (10) includes an inner cladding (102) having a surface (300) peripherally forming a closed-loop shape for confining light to the surface (300). The inner cladding has a first diameter thickness (104) and a first index of refraction profile in a cross-sectional portion of the transverse closed-loop fiber resonator (10). A ringed-core (120) corresponding to the closed-loop shape is disposed on the corresponding surface of the inner cladding (102). The ringed-core (120) has a second thickness (124) of material thinner than the first diameter thickness (104), and a second index of refraction profile greater than the first index of the inner cladding by an index delta in the cross-sectional portion of the transverse closed-loop fiber resonator such that the ringed-core can guide light within the ringed-core traversely around the closed-loop shape.

Claims

1. A transverse closed-loop waveguide resonator comprising:

an inner cladding having a surface peripherally forming a closed-loop shape for confining light to the surface, the inner cladding having a first diameter thickness and a first index of refraction profile in a cross-sectional portion of the transverse closed-loop resonator; and

a ringed-core corresponding to the closed-loop shape disposed on the corresponding surface of the inner cladding, the ringed-core having a second thickness of material thinner than the first diameter thickness, and a second index of refraction profile greater than the first index of the inner cladding by an index delta in the cross-sectional portion of the transverse closed-loop resonator such that the ringed-core can guide light within the ringed-core traversely around the closed-loop shape.

2. The transverse closed-loop resonator of claim 1, wherein the closed-loop shape is substantially spherical.

3. The transverse closed-loop resonator of claim 1, wherein the closed-loop shape is substantially cylindrical for providing a substantially circumferential light propagation around the substantially cylindrical shape.

4. The transverse closed-loop resonator of claim 1, wherein the closed-loop shape is substantially cylindrical for providing a substantially circumferential light propagation around the substantially cylindrical shape for the ringed-core to support an index-guided resonant optical mode at a resonant wavelength having at least 0.1% of the optical power existing outside of the ringed-core.

5. The transverse closed-loop resonator of claim 1, further comprising an outer cladding corresponding to the closed-loop shape surrounding the corresponding surface of the ringed-core, the outer cladding having a third index of refraction profile less than the second index of refraction profile of the ringed-core.

6. The transverse closed-loop fiber of claim 5, wherein the outer cladding comprises air having the dielectric index of air.

7. The transverse closed-loop resonator of claim 5, wherein the outer cladding comprises a guided dielectric layer.

8. The transverse closed-loop resonator of claim 7, wherein the guided dielectric layer has a graded index.

9. The transverse closed-loop resonator of claim 7, wherein the guided dielectric layer comprises at least two different dielectric layers having a composite stepped-index.

10. The transverse closed-loop resonator of claim 1, wherein the inner cladding has an elongated aperture filled by the surrounding air.

11. The transverse closed-loop resonator of claim 1, wherein the inner cladding comprises a glass sphere fabricated from a fiber.

12. The transverse closed-loop resonator of claim 11, wherein the glass inner cladding has a graded index.

13. The transverse closed-loop resonator of claim 11, wherein the glass inner cladding comprises at least two different dielectric layers having a composite stepped-index.

14. The transverse closed-loop resonator of claim 5, wherein the ringed-core comprises a dielectric core layer concentrically configured between the inner and outer claddings to provide a predetermined total internal reflection (TIR) index profile for supporting the index-guided resonant optical mode having a mode index of refraction greater then the average index of the first index of refraction profile of the inner cladding.

15. The transverse closed-loop resonator of claim 14, wherein the dielectric core layer has a graded index.

16. The transverse closed-loop resonator of claim 14, wherein the dielectric core layer comprises at least two different dielectric layers having a composite stepped-index.

17. The transverse closed-loop resonator of claim 2, wherein the substantially cylindrical closed-loop shape tapers at least on one arcuate side of the surface.

18. The transverse closed-loop resonator of claim 4, further comprising a transmission waveguide for evanescently coupling with the index-guided resonant optical mode of the ringed-core.

19. An orthogonal resonating coupler, comprising:

a transmission waveguide having a propagation direction parallel to an optical axis and having a guided longitudinal mode with a first external evanescent field;

a resonating fiber having a propagation direction circumferential to a longitudinal axis and having a guided circumferential mode with a second external evanescent field; and

an interaction region closely spaced between the transmission waveguide and the resonating fiber for orthogonally coupling the first and second evanescent fields.

20. The orthogonal resonating coupler of claim 19, wherein the resonating fiber comprises:

an inner cladding having a surface peripherally forming a closed-loop shape for confining light to the surface, the inner cladding having a first diameter thickness and a first index of refraction profile in a cross-sectional portion of the resonating fiber; and

a ringed-core corresponding to the closed-loop shape disposed on the corresponding surface of the inner cladding, the ringed-core having a second thickness of material thinner than the first diameter thickness, and a second index of refraction profile greater than the first index of the inner cladding by an index delta in the cross-sectional portion of the resonating fiber such that the ringed-core can guide light within the ringed-core traversely around the closed-loop shape.

21. The orthogonal resonating coupler of claim 19, wherein the resonating fiber comprises:

an inner cladding having a first average index of refraction for limiting whispering-gallery-modes to have a mode index of refraction lower than the average index of refraction of the inner cladding; and

a ringed-core surrounding the inner cladding sufficiently thin and having a second average index of refraction greater than the first average index of the inner cladding for supporting an index-guided resonant optical circumferential mode having a mode index of refraction greater then the average index of the first average index of refraction of the inner cladding.

22. The orthogonal resonating coupler of claim 19, wherein the interaction region comprises space aligned by polymeric grippers.

23. The orthogonal resonating coupler of claim 19, wherein the resonating fiber has a pair of lateral confinement sections for laterally confining the guided circumferential mode in the interaction region.

24. The orthogonal resonating coupler of claim 23, wherein the pair of lateral confinement sections comprises fiber Bragg gratings written on opposed ends of the resonating fiber outside of the interaction region.

25. The orthogonal resonating coupler of claim 23, wherein the pair of lateral confinement sections comprises opposed tapered ends of the resonating fiber outside of the interaction region.

26. The orthogonal resonating coupler of claim 19, wherein the resonating fiber further comprises a binding agent layer on at least one surface of the resonating fiber.

27. The orthogonal resonating coupler of claim 20, wherein the ringed-core is actively doped with at least one rare-earth ion.

28. The orthogonal resonating coupler of claim 19, wherein the transmission waveguide comprises an optical fiber having an exposed inner core.

29. The orthogonal resonating coupler of claim 20, wherein the first diameter thickness of the inner cladding is within a range about 12.5 μ

m to 500.35 μ

m.

30. The orthogonal resonating coupler of claim 20, wherein the first diameter thickness of the inner cladding is within a range about 10 μ

m to 2000 μ

m.

31. The orthogonal resonating coupler of claim 20, wherein the ringed-core has a second thickness of about 1.5-3 μ

m.

32. A method of orthogonally resonating evanescent fields, comprising:

providing an optical transmission in a propagation direction parallel to an optical axis and having a single guided longitudinal mode with a first external evanescent field;

providing a recursive path in an optical fiber having a propagation direction circumferential to a longitudinal axis and having a single guided circumferential mode with a second external evanescent field; and

orthogonally coupling the first and second evanescent fields.