3D waveguide for efficient coupling of multimode pump and signals to a multicore fiber amplifier
An optical communication substrate includes a plurality of cores to communicate optical signals; a rectangular input delivering a pump laser, and a shaped portion to combine the optical signals and the pump laser into a ring geometry at an output.
1. A fiber amplifier device, comprising:
a substrate having a plurality of optical signal carrying structures formed thereon, the substrate including:
an input section adapted to be coupled to a laser pump output and a plurality of cores, wherein the cores are optically coupled to the optical signal carrying structures; and
a 3D waveguide extending from the input section with a laser pump waveguide having a rectilinear shaped end and a ring-shaped end surrounding the plurality of optical signal carrying structures.
2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the amplifier comprises a multicore erbium-doped fiber (EDF) amplifier.
3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the 3D waveguide comprises a 3D direct laser written glass substrate.
4. The device of claim 1 , comprising a pump laser coupled to the rectilinear shaped end.
5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the pump laser comprises a laser diode, wherein the 3D waveguide brings a multimode pump laser from the laser diode to a substrate.
6. The device of claim 1 , comprising a pump laser launched into the 3D waveguide inside the substrate or launched using direct butt coupling.
7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the 3D waveguide supports multitude of modes.
8. The device of claim 1 , wherein pump laser is confined in the 3D waveguide.
9. The device of claim 1 , comprising a direct laser writing system to form the structures in the substrate.
10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the laser writing system is focused on a predetermined region of the glass to modify a refractive index only in the predetermined region where the laser is focused with a high intensity.
11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the 3D waveguides is used to couple light, split light, or filter light.
12. The device of claim 1 , wherein the pump and optical signals travel in opposite directions as a backward pumped amplifier.
13. The device of claim 1 , wherein the cores are evenly spaced apart or unevenly spaced apart.
14. The device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of cores comprise a multicore fiber (MCF).
15. An optical communication system, comprising:
a plurality of cores to communicate optical signals;
a rectangular input delivering a pump laser, and
a shaped portion to combine the optical signals and the pump laser into a ring geometry at an output.
16. The system of claim 15 , comprising a 3D waveguide with erbium-doped cores, wherein an amplification takes place inside a 3D-WG without multitude of EDFs.
17. The system of claim 15 , comprising 4 single-core fibers connecting to an input end, with each single-core fiber coupled to one core inside a 3D-WG.