Polarization Dependent Azimuthal Scattering From Tilted Fibre Bragg Gratings

Abstract

Polarization sensitive mode coupling characteristics of tilted fibre Bragg gratings (FBGs) have been exploited to develop a number of useful devices including fibre polarimeters, gain flattening filters, spectrum analyzers, polarization dependent loss (PDL) compensators, reconfigurable optical add / drop multiplexers (ROADM), as well as interferometric, and surface plasmon based sensors. Recently it was demonstrated that a single grating structure could couple the light guided in a fibre to two azimuthally separated, polarization independent, radiated beams. However the reasons for such behaviour had not been fully explained, precluding the complete understanding, exploitation and optimization of this phenomenon. This thesis explains the mechanisms underlying such behaviour through a thorough analytical examination of an existing equation formulated with the Volume Current Method (VCM), quantifying the degree to which a tilted FBG's radiation field is directionally dependent on the phase matching characteristics of a grating's three-dimensional structure as well as the polarization dependent dipole response of the medium itself. Examination of the equation's parameter space, revealed the possibility of three-beam azimuthal responses as well, and resulted in some guidelines for the design and optimization of these devices. Experimental measurements of the out-tapped field are also provided, clearly confirming these theoretical findings and reporting the fabrication of a three-beam azimuthal response grating for the first time. Drawing upon these advances, an improved polarimeter design is proposed that samples more than four detected beams with only two tilted FBGs, theoretically resulting in average Stokes vector error reductions of roughly 20%, facilitating monitoring at lower signal to noise ratios (SNRs). Finally, this thesis undertakes an analysis and re-derivation of the VCM formulation itself, designed to expand its applicability to FBGs written with ultrafast pulsed lasers, address some of the potentially limiting assumptions identified by Li et al, and provide users with computationally efficient formulae that are as accurate as possible.