JP2010049064A - Dual mode optical fiber - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a dual mode optical fiber which transmits both single mode optical signals and multi mode optical signals in a desired optical wavelength, reduces leakage to a cladding for single mode optical signals propagated only to a single mode core, even if bending is imparted to an optical fiber, and stably transmits both the optical signals. <P>SOLUTION: The dual mode optical fiber transmitting both single mode optical signals and multi mode optical signals includes: a core 121 which is arranged in the center and provided with a refractive index 131; a first cladding 122 which is arranged at the outer periphery of the core 121 and has a refractive index 132 smaller than the refractive index 131; a second cladding 123 which is arranged in the outer periphery of the first cladding 122 and has a refractive index 133 having an index diminishing from the center toward the outside; and a third cladding 124 which is arranged in the outer periphery of the second cladding 123 and has a refractive index 134 smaller than the refractive index 132. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a dual mode optical fiber, and more particularly, a dual mode capable of simultaneously transmitting a single mode (for example, a long wavelength band single mode) optical signal and a multimode (for example, a short wavelength band multimode) optical signal. The present invention relates to a mode optical fiber.

  As a known technique for propagating single-mode propagation light and multi-mode propagation light having different wavelengths through the same optical fiber, there is a “double clad optical fiber”. A first cladding for simultaneously guiding the output light from the pump laser is disposed outside the core to which a rare earth element for amplifying the optical signal amplitude is added. The second clad is arranged on the outer circumference of the first clad arranged on the outer circumference of the core. The output light from the pump laser is coupled to the first cladding and propagates as a multimode while crossing the core. At the time of crossing, the optical signal amplitude propagating through the core is amplified by being absorbed by the rare earth added to the core.

  The refractive index of each cladding is such that the refractive index of the first cladding is lower than the refractive index of the core, and the refractive index of the second cladding is higher than the refractive index of the first cladding. I am designing. As the second clad, a polymer resin is used, and the first clad is designed to cover the first clad. This is because the scattered light generated in the process of amplifying the optical signal amplitude is absorbed and removed by the coating with the polymer resin. This basic approach is described in Patent Document 1 for the purpose of removing a cladding mode in a high refractive index optical fiber applied as a gain fiber of an optical fiber amplifier, and is already a known technique.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-274613 Hiromasa Tanobe, Masaru Kobayashi, Ryo Nagase, Yoshihisa Kami, "SM / MM Shared Double Core Optical Fiber", 2007 IEICE Proceedings

  However, when the basic structure of “double-clad optical fiber” is used as a transmission path for single-mode and short-wavelength multimode optical signals of long-wavelength optical signals, the “double-clad optical fiber” has a small bending radius. When a large number of occurrences occur, the effective refractive index of the first cladding in the inner circumferential direction (inside the bending) of the “double-clad optical fiber” to which bending is applied decreases, and at the same time, the outer circumferential direction (outside the bending) On the other hand, the effective refractive index of the first cladding in () increases, and a region having an effective refractive index higher than the refractive index of the core may occur on the outer periphery of the first cladding.

  In this case, the guided long-wavelength single-mode optical signal is radiated from the core to the first cladding, and at the same time, propagates in the first cladding in a multimode. When the “double clad optical fiber” returns from the bent state to the straight state, the optical signal propagated in the multimode in the first clad is re-coupled to the core and interferes with the optical signal originally guided to the core. As a result, the bit error rate is increased. Furthermore, in the known “double clad optical fiber”, the first clad is designed to have a large aperture ratio in order to couple as much light output from the pump laser as possible. Therefore, in double-clad optical fibers, it is desirable to make the aperture ratio as large as possible without requiring axial alignment. Although optical coupling with the pump laser is good, optical loss is lost when connecting to short-wavelength multimode optical fibers. Will occur.

  Here, an example will be described. FIG. 1A is a refractive index profile of a “double clad optical fiber” described in Patent Document 1 used for an optical amplifier, and FIG. 1B is a refractive index profile shown in FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional structure diagram of a double clad optical fiber having

  In FIG. 1B, a first clad (first clad) 21 for simultaneously guiding the output light from the pump laser is provided outside the core 11 through which the optical signal is guided. A second clad (second clad) 31 made of molecular resin for covering is provided. In FIG. 1A, reference numeral 12 denotes the refractive index of the core 11, reference numeral 22 denotes the refractive index of the first cladding 21, and reference numeral 32 denotes the refractive index of the second cladding 31.

  When the “double clad optical fiber” is shaped as shown in FIG. 2 and bent around a certain point with a radius of curvature R, the refractive index profile on the outer peripheral side (the right side in FIG. 3) is as shown in FIG. Lift up. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 71 is the center of curvature, reference numeral 72 is the radius of curvature, reference numeral 73 is the outer peripheral side of the optical fiber when the optical fiber is bent, and reference numeral 74 is the optical fiber when the optical fiber is bent. It is the inner circumference side. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 75 denotes the maximum refractive index of the core when the radius of curvature R is.

  At this time, in the refractive index 22 of the first cladding 21, there may be a region where the outer peripheral side is higher than the maximum value 75 of the refractive index 12 of the core 11 (shaded region in FIG. 3). For this reason, when a part of the optical signal guided through the core 11 becomes a radiation mode by bending and propagates to the first cladding 21, it is coupled to the shaded region and propagates in multimode. When the “double clad optical fiber” returns to the linear shape again, the refractive index profile also returns to FIG. 1, so that part of the optical signal that has propagated in multimode is coupled to the core 11 again and guided through the core 11. It causes optical interference with the optical signal. This phenomenon is not preferable because it causes an error during demodulation at the optical signal receiving end.

  On the other hand, optical fibers installed in buildings are classified and applied as short-wavelength single-mode fibers and long-wavelength multimode fibers for each installed device interface, and they are used together. . In fiber laying work that occurs each time a new device is installed or moved, a different optical fiber must be prepared for each interface. On the other hand, with long wavelength band single mode fiber, it has become possible to avoid new optical fiber laying in the building by wavelength multiplexing at low cost by Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing (CWDM) technology. Because there is no optical fiber that can be transmitted by multiplexing the mode with a single optical fiber, installation of optical communication equipment with optical interfaces having different propagation modes is required, or fiber installation work is required when moving It was general.

  Also, in recent years, research and development of optical backplanes that optically connect between boards arranged in equipment has been progressing in various research periods, and some products have been commercialized. Is generally a short wavelength multimode fiber. When considering the extension of the optical backplane that actively utilizes the nature of light that can be connected over long distances, it is desirable to introduce a single-mode fiber into a part of the optical backplane, and in this case, it is introduced into the optical backplane. The optical transmission line such as an optical fiber is preferably an optical transmission line that can support both the short wavelength band multimode transmission and the long wavelength band single mode transmission.

  In the “double clad optical fiber” described in Patent Document 1, the first clad 21 is designed to guide the output light from the pump laser, and in order to perform amplification more efficiently, that is, more In order to input the output light from the pump laser to the first cladding 21, the diameter of the first cladding 21 is made larger. Therefore, in a “double clad optical fiber”, it is a low-loss connection with a multimode optical fiber having an optical signal wavelength of 850 nm introduced in a LAN (Local Area Network), and a multimode optical signal is transmitted with a low loss. Is difficult because of the large difference.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and the object of the present invention is to transmit both single-mode optical signals and multi-mode optical signals at a desired wavelength, and bend the optical fiber. To provide a dual-mode optical fiber that can reduce the leakage of a single-mode optical signal that has propagated only to a single-mode core to the cladding, and can stably transmit any optical signal. is there.

  In order to achieve such an object, the invention described in claim 1 is a dual mode optical fiber capable of transmitting a single mode optical signal and a multimode optical signal, and is arranged at the axial center of the dual mode optical fiber. A first material having a first refractive index, and a second material having a second refractive index smaller than the first refractive index, disposed on the outer periphery of the first material, A third material disposed on the outer periphery of the second material and having a refractive index decreasing outward from the axial center; and the second refraction disposed on the outer periphery of the third material. A fifth material having a relative refractive index difference of approximately 0% between the fourth material having a third refractive index smaller than the refractive index and the second material disposed on the outer periphery of the fourth material And wherein the first material transmits the single mode optical signal. The first material, the second material, and the third material are second cores for transmitting the multimode optical signal, and the second material is the first core. A first clad for the second core, and the fourth material is a second clad for the second core.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the refractive index of the third material decreases linearly, quadratic, or stepwise from the axial center toward the outside. It is characterized by being.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the first material is physically excited only in a fundamental mode when the first core is excited in a predetermined wavelength band. The outer diameter (2 × a0) and the relative refractive index difference Δ1 between the second material and the fourth material have the relative refractive index difference Δ2 with respect to the second material. The outer diameter (2 × a0) satisfies 3.8 μm ≦ 2 × a0 <10 μm, and the distance a1 from the center of the axis to the outermost side of the second material is 5.0 μm ≦ a1 <31.25 μm is satisfied, and the distance a2 from the axis center to the outermost side of the third material satisfies 15.0 μm ≦ a2 ≦ 31.25 μm, and the magnitude relationship of a0 <a1 <a2 is satisfied. The relative refractive index difference Δ1 is 0.1% ≦ Δ1 ≦ 0.4%, and the relative refractive index difference Δ 2 is characterized in that −1.0% ≦ Δ2 ≦ −0.2%.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein a refractive index of the third material at an interface of the second material is smaller than the second refractive index. The fourth refractive index is larger than the third refractive index, and the relative refractive index difference Δ3 of the fourth refractive index with respect to the second refractive index is −0.9% ≦ Δ3 ≦ −0.1%. It is characterized by being.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the invention, the third material has a relative refractive index difference Δ3 with respect to the second material, and the relative refractive index difference Δ3 is , −0.9% ≦ Δ3 ≦ −0.1%.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the fifth material has higher mechanical strength than the fourth material.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to claim 6, wherein the distance from the axial center to the outermost side of the fifth material is 40 μm or 62.5 μm, and the width of the fourth material When the distance is 40 μm, (d is a length twice the wavelength of the input single mode optical signal) ≦ d <22.5 μm, and when the distance is 62.5 μm, The length is twice the wavelength of the single mode optical signal) ≦ d <45 μm.

  According to the present invention, the first material and the second and third materials provided on the outer periphery of the first wavelength band (for example, the long wavelength band) single-mode transmission optical fiber, A single optical fiber has two aperture ratios different from the aperture ratio of an optical fiber for two wavelength bands (for example, a short wavelength band) multimode transmission, and optical signals of two different wavelength bands and different propagation modes are provided. It can be shared by a single optical fiber.

  Furthermore, since the refractive index of the third material that is the outermost region of the region that becomes the core for multimode is made smaller than the refractive index of the second material that is the other region of the region, Therefore, the number of higher order modes can be reduced, and the propagation characteristics of the multimode optical signal can be improved. Specifically, a signal of 1 Gbps can be transmitted for 100 m or more.

  Furthermore, since the relative refractive index difference between the second material and the fifth material is approximately 0%, the second material and the fifth material can be made the same material. By using the same material as described above, the manufacturing of the dual mode optical fiber can be facilitated.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings described below, components having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated description thereof is omitted.
An optical fiber according to an embodiment of the present invention is a dual mode optical fiber (double core optical fiber) capable of transmitting both a single mode optical signal and a multimode optical signal in the same optical fiber.
Here, the dual-mode optical fiber includes a single-mode transmission core and a multi-mode transmission core in one optical fiber at the same time, and the single-mode optical signal and the multi-mode optical signal are the same optical fiber. Means an optical fiber that can be transmitted over the network.

An embodiment of the present invention provides an optical fiber that enables a single mode optical signal and a multimode optical signal to be transmitted through the same optical fiber, that is, a dual mode optical fiber. Furthermore, even when the optical fiber is bent, it is possible to eliminate or reduce the occurrence of a region having an effective refractive index higher than that of the core in the optical fiber.
The conventional double clad optical fiber described in Patent Document 1 includes a core 11 for single mode transmission and two clads (a first clad 21 and a second clad 31). Then, the output light from the pump laser is input to the first cladding 21, and the input light propagates in the multimode in the core 11 and the first cladding 21, but this light is only transmitted through the core 11. It is light for amplification and not an optical signal for transmitting some information. Therefore, the optical signal to be transmitted is only one of the single mode optical signals transmitted through the core 11. Further, since it is the light for amplification that propagates in the multimode in the double clad optical fiber, the diameter of the first clad 21 is designed to be larger. In addition, since the optical signal is not propagated in the first cladding, it is not necessary to match the central axis, and a larger diameter can be realized as the diameter of the cladding 21 that is desired to be larger.

In contrast, in one embodiment of the present invention, a single-mode optical signal transmission core and a multi-mode optical signal transmission core are simultaneously provided in one optical fiber.
The core for single mode transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention is a core material having an index of refraction n ₁ at the innermost side of the optical fiber, and only the core is selected using an optical signal in a long wavelength band The mode field diameter of the specified mode is the same as the mode field diameter of a single mode optical fiber capable of single mode transmission in the long wavelength band. The same value or almost the same value. That is, the core for single mode transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention has an aperture ratio of a commonly used long wavelength band single mode transmission optical fiber.

The core for multimode transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a core material that is a core for single mode transmission, and a refractive index smaller than the refractive index n ₁ formed so as to cover the core material. A core formed by a combination with a material having a rate n ₂ , and the diameter of the core is a graded index type multimode fiber or a step index type multimode used as a transmission path for an optical signal in a short wavelength band It is the same value or almost the same value as the core diameter of the fiber. That is, the multimode transmission core according to an embodiment of the present invention has an aperture ratio of a commonly used short wavelength band multimode transmission optical fiber.
Therefore, when the dual mode optical fiber according to the embodiment of the present invention is used, it is possible to connect both the single mode optical fiber and the multimode optical fiber with low loss.

The material having the refractive index n ₂ functions as a clad for the core for single mode optical signal transmission, and for the core for multimode optical signal transmission, the multimode together with the core material. Functions as a core for optical signal transmission.

A clad material as a clad for the multimode optical signal transmission core is formed so as to cover the multimode optical signal transmission core. The clad material has a refractive index n ₃ smaller than the refractive index n ₂ . That is, the clad material functions as a clad for the multimode transmission core made of the core material and the material having the refractive index n _2, and therefore, good multimode optical signal transmission can be realized.

Further, the surrounding material having a refractive index n ₂ that is included in the core of the multimode optical signal for transmission, by the refractive index provided little cladding material than a material having a該屈Oriritsu n _2, as shown in FIG. 2 Even if the dual-mode optical fiber is bent, the generation of a region having an effective refractive index higher than that of the core material on which the single-mode optical signal is guided can be reduced. That is, since the cladding material having a refractive index lower than that of the material having the refractive index n ₂ is provided in a region including at least the hatched region shown in FIG. 3 or a part of the hatched region, the hatched region is eliminated. Or can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the coupling of the optical signal guided through the core material to the multimode.

  It is conceivable to reduce the volume of the core for multimode optical signal transmission by reducing the radius of the first clad 112 shown in FIG. 4, but simply considering the mode matching at the time of connection with the multimode fiber, the radius It is not preferable to reduce the value.

Further, the refractive index than a material having a refractive index n ₂ is by providing a small clad material, exudation of light from a material having a refractive index n ₂ into the cladding material is suppressed.

FIG. 4A is a refractive index profile of a dual mode optical fiber according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4B is a cross section of the dual mode optical fiber having the refractive index profile of FIG. FIG.
In FIG. 4B, a core 111 as the core for single mode transmission is provided at the center, and a first clad 112 as a material having the refractive index n ₂ is sequentially placed outside the core 111, and as a clad material. The second clad 113 and the outermost clad 114 are provided. For the core 111, the first clad 112, the second clad 113, and the outermost clad 114, materials that are usually used for optical fibers, such as quartz glass, organic substances such as polymers and acrylics, can be used.

  In the present embodiment, the core 111 is quartz added with one of Ge, P, Sn, and B elements. The first cladding 112 and the outermost cladding 114 are pure quartz. Furthermore, the second cladding 113 is quartz to which different amounts of F element, B element, or both are added in order to lower the refractive index.

  In FIG. 4A, reference numeral 115 denotes the refractive index of the core 111, reference numeral 116 denotes the refractive index of the first cladding 112, reference numeral 117 denotes the refractive index of the second cladding 113, and reference numeral 118 denotes the outermost cladding. The refractive index is 114. As can be seen from FIG. 4A, the refractive index 116 of the first cladding 112 is smaller than the refractive index 115 of the core 111, the refractive index 117 of the second cladding 113 is smaller than the refractive index 116 of the first cladding 112, The refractive index 118 of the outermost cladding 114 is equal to the refractive index 116 of the first cladding 112.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, since it is important to enable transmission of a single mode optical signal and a multimode optical signal through the same fiber, the refractive index of the outermost cladding 114 is the same as that of the first cladding 112. It is not essential to be the same. Therefore, the refractive index of the outermost cladding 114 may be any value.

  According to such a configuration, the opening of the first wavelength band (for example, long wavelength band) single-mode optical signal transmission optical fiber is formed by the core 111 and the first and second claddings 112 and 113 provided on the outer periphery thereof. The optical fiber having two different aperture ratios, i.e., the second wavelength band (for example, the short wavelength band) and the aperture ratio of the optical fiber for multimode optical signal transmission, has two different wavelength bands. An optical signal in propagation mode can be shared by a single optical fiber. Further, by making the refractive index 117 of the second clad 113 smaller than the refractive index 116 of the first clad 112, the multi-mode propagation mode of the long wavelength band optical signal during core transmission is obtained at a certain radius of curvature R. And the stable single mode optical signal can be transmitted. Therefore, the dual mode optical fiber is a very useful configuration.

Such a very useful dual mode optical fiber becomes more useful by improving the transmission characteristics of the multimode optical signal.
In particular, when the volume of the core for multimode transmission (core 111 and first cladding 112) is large, the number of higher-order modes increases, and the delay time for each higher-order mode to propagate through the optical fiber is different. The delay time width is expanded. The frequency of appearance of higher-order modes with respect to the delay time when the radius of the core 111 which is a single mode core is 4.6 μm and the radius of the first cladding 112 which is the radius of the multimode core is 22.5 μm is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. In this way, a wide distribution in which the higher-order mode appearance frequency appears evenly over the delay time region (a wide distribution in which the frequency appears evenly) is also obtained in the calculation.

  Accordingly, if a wide distribution of delay times (a wide distribution in which frequencies appear evenly) as shown in FIG. 5 can be suppressed, the transmission band can be expanded, and multi-mode transmission characteristics can be obtained when transmitting a high-speed optical signal. Can be prevented.

(First embodiment)
The optical fiber according to the present embodiment is an optical fiber in which the transmission characteristics of a multimode optical signal are improved with respect to the dual mode optical fiber (double core optical fiber) described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional structure diagram of a dual mode optical fiber according to the present embodiment.
In FIG. 6, a core 121 for single mode transmission is provided at the axial center of the dual mode optical fiber, and a first cladding 122, a second cladding 123, a third cladding 124, and an outermost cladding are sequentially arranged outside the core 121. 125 is provided.

  In the present embodiment, the core 121 is a single mode optical signal transmission core, and the first cladding 122 is a single mode optical signal transmission clad. The core 121, the first cladding 122, and the second cladding 123 serve as a multimode optical signal transmission core, and the third cladding 124 serving as the lowest refractive index cladding serves as a multimode optical signal transmission cladding.

  The core 121, the first clad 122 to the third clad 124, and the outermost clad 125 may be made of materials usually used for optical fibers, such as quartz glass, organic materials such as polymer and acrylic.

  In this embodiment, the core 121 is quartz to which one of Ge, P, Sn, and B elements is added. The first cladding 122 and the outermost cladding 125 are pure quartz. The third cladding 124 is quartz to which different amounts of F element, B element, or both are added in order to lower the refractive index.

As described above, in this embodiment, the refractive index is lowered by adding F element or the like to quartz in order to make the third cladding 124 function as a multi-mode clad. However, the cladding 124 is added by adding F element or the like. The strength of will decrease. However, as in the present embodiment, pure quartz or the like is applied to the outer periphery of the third clad 124 that requires a refractive index reduction due to addition of an F element or the like in order to function as a multimode clad, such as the outermost clad 125. By arranging, it is possible to ensure the same strength as a commonly used optical fiber.
In the present embodiment, as the outermost cladding 125 for reinforcing the strength of the optical fiber, as long as the strength (mechanical strength) is higher than the material of the third cladding 124 such as pure quartz as described above. Any material may be used.

  Further, the refractive index of the second cladding 123 is gradually inclined from the center of the optical fiber toward the outside, and the refractive index linearly decreases from the refractive index 132 of the first cladding 122 to the refractive index 134 of the third cladding 124. With a rate of 133. Therefore, the second clad 123 is quartz to which an element for lowering the refractive index is added so as to have such an inclined refractive index. The second cladding 123 can be formed by adding the F element so that the concentration of the F element is increased from the center of the optical fiber to the outside.

FIG. 7 shows a refractive index profile of the dual mode optical fiber shown in FIG.
In FIG. 7, reference numeral 131 is the refractive index of the core 121, reference numeral 132 is the refractive index of the first cladding 122, reference numeral 133 is the refractive index of the second cladding 123, and reference numeral 134 is the refraction of the third cladding 124. The reference numeral 135 denotes the refractive index of the outermost cladding 125. As can be seen from FIG. 7, the refractive index 132 of the first cladding 122 is smaller than the refractive index 131 of the core 121, and the relative refractive index difference is Δ1. The refractive index 134 of the third cladding 124 is smaller than the refractive index 132 of the first cladding 122, and the relative refractive index difference is Δ2. The refractive index 135 of the outermost cladding 125 is equal to the refractive index 132 of the first cladding 122. In addition, the refractive index 133 of the second cladding 123 decreases linearly so as to change from the refractive index 132 to the refractive index 134 from the center side to the outside of the optical fiber.

  Thus, in this embodiment, since the relative refractive index difference between the outermost cladding 125 and the first cladding 122 provided to ensure the strength of the dual mode optical fiber is set to approximately 0%, for example, the outermost cladding. By making 125 and the first cladding 122 the same material (quartz or the like), it is possible to easily manufacture a dual mode optical fiber. That is, by using the outermost cladding 125 having a relative refractive index difference with the first cladding 122 of approximately 0%, the material can be easily formed to improve the strength while ensuring the mechanical strength of the fiber. Can do.

In FIG. 7, a 0 indicates the radius of the core 111. Accordingly, the core 111 has a physical outer diameter (2 × a0) that is excited only in the fundamental mode when the single-mode optical signal transmission core is excited in a predetermined wavelength band.
Further, a1 is the radius of the first cladding 122, which is the distance from the center of the core 111 (the center of the optical fiber) to the outermost side of the first cladding 122, and a2 is the radius of the second cladding 123. The distance from the center of the core 111 to the outermost side of the second cladding 123. Further, d is the width of the third clad 124 that is the clad having the lowest refractive index, and is the distance from the outermost side of the second clad 123 to the innermost side of the outermost clad 125. Further, a_outer is a radius of the outermost cladding 125 and is a distance from the center of the core 111 to the outermost side of the outermost cladding 125.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the refractive index 133 of the second cladding 123 is linearly decreased from the first cladding 122 toward the fourth cladding 124. In the region functioning as the core, the higher-order mode delay time can be corrected simultaneously with the decrease in the number of higher-order modes. In the present embodiment, the cores for multimode optical signal transmission are the core 121, the first clad 122, and the second clad 123, so the range 136 in FIG. 7 is the core for multimode optical signal transmission. Compared with an optical fiber having a refractive index profile in which the hatched region 137 exists, in the dual mode optical fiber according to the present embodiment, high-order mode excitation is suppressed and simultaneously the high-order mode delay time is corrected.

  Thus, by gradually reducing the refractive index of a part of the second cladding 123 that bears the outermost region of the core for multimode optical signals, the number of higher-order modes can be reduced, and at the same time. The appearance frequency for each higher-order mode accompanying the decrease in the number of modes can be concentrated in a specific delay time region, and the appearance frequency distribution can be narrowed. Therefore, the transmission characteristics of the multimode optical signal can be improved.

  The dual mode optical fiber according to the present embodiment is a fiber that can transmit not only a multimode optical signal but also a single mode optical signal. Therefore, when realizing the improvement of the transmission characteristics of the multi-mode optical signal as described above, it is preferable to perform it within a range that does not affect the transmission of the single-mode optical signal. As described above, in order to successfully transmit a single mode optical signal, it is preferable that 3.8 μm ≦ 2 × a0 <10 μm, 5.0 μm ≦ a1 <31.25 μm, and a0 <a1.

  FIG. 8 shows a delay time distribution in the dual mode optical fiber having the refractive index profile shown in FIG. In FIG. 7, a0 is 4.4 μm, a1 is 8.0 μm, and a2 is 22.5 μm. D is 5.0 μm.

  As shown in FIG. 8, as in the dual mode optical fiber of the present embodiment, the core region for multimode is cut (reduced) within a range not affecting the propagation in the single mode. As the area decreases, the number of higher-order modes is reduced, and at the same time, in the delay time distribution, a distribution in which the appearance frequency of higher-order modes is concentrated in a specific delay time can be realized. Therefore, a distribution with a narrow delay time can be realized.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the core 121, the first cladding 122, and the second cladding 123 form a core for multimode optical signal transmission. Therefore, in order for this to function as a core for multimode optical signal transmission, it is preferable that 15.0 μm ≦ a2 ≦ 31.25 μm is satisfied. However, a0, a1, and a2 each satisfy the relationship of a0 <a1 <a2.

  In addition, in each refractive index relationship, the relative refractive index difference Δ1 is preferably 0.1% or more and 0.4% or less, and the relative refractive index difference Δ2 is −1.0% or more and −0.2%. The following values are preferred. Thus, the single mode condition is adjusted by Δ1, and the optical signal can be guided even when bent by Δ2 having a negative value.

  Further, when the diameter of the dual mode optical fiber of the present embodiment is set to 80 μm or 125 μm, the width d of the third clad 124 functioning as a multimode clad is set to the confinement effect of the multimode optical signal and the outermost It is preferable to set in consideration of ensuring sufficient strength using the clad 125. The light confinement effect can be satisfactorily secured if it is about twice the length of the input single mode optical signal wavelength. Further, the maximum value of d may be set so that the outer diameter of the dual mode optical fiber is within 80 μm or 125 μm and the desired mechanical strength obtained by introducing the outermost cladding 125 is not reduced. Considering these, the width d is preferably (a length twice as long as the input single mode optical signal wavelength) ≦ d <22.5 μm when a_outer is 40 μm, and when a_outer is 62.5 μm. , (Double length of input single mode optical signal wavelength) ≦ d <45 μm.

(Second Embodiment)
The first embodiment functions as a multimode optical signal transmission core in order to improve the multimode optical signal transmission characteristics of a dual mode optical fiber capable of transmitting both a single mode optical signal and a multimode optical signal. The refractive index of the outermost part (second clad 123) of the region (core 121, first clad 122, and second clad 123) is linearly decreased from the center of the dual mode optical fiber toward the outside.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the outermost refractive index is nonlinearly decreased from the center of the dual mode optical fiber to the outside. For example, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the refractive index 133 of the second cladding 123 is changed from a refractive index 132 to a refractive index 134 from the center of the fiber toward the outer side in a quadratic function. May be reduced. FIG. 10 shows the delay time distribution at this time.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the refractive index of the second cladding 123 that is the outermost part of the core for multimode optical signal transmission is not only linearly decreased but also nonlinearly (for example, a quadratic function). However, the core area for multi-mode optical signal transmission will be cut, reducing the number of higher-order modes and at the same time concentrating the appearance frequency of higher-order modes in a specific delay time in the delay time distribution. Distribution can be realized. Therefore, improvement in the transmission characteristics of the multimode optical signal can be obtained by realizing a distribution with a narrow delay time.

(Third embodiment)
In the first and second embodiments, the refractive index of the second cladding 123 at the boundary surface with the first cladding 122 is equal to the refractive index 132 of the first cladding 122, and at the boundary surface with the third cladding 124. The refractive index 133 of the second cladding 123 is set so that the refractive index is equal to the refractive index 134 of the third cladding 124. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the value of the refractive index at both interfaces of the second cladding 123 may be different from the refractive index of the other material in contact therewith.

FIG. 11 shows a refractive index profile when the refractive index of the interface between the second cladding 123 and the first cladding 122 is different from the refractive index 132. In Figure 11, _{n a} is the refractive index of the interface between the first cladding 122 of the second cladding 123, _{n b} is the refractive index of the interface between the third cladding 124 of the second cladding 123.

In the present embodiment, the refractive index n _b is equal to the refractive index 134, the refractive index n _a is a value different from the refractive index 132. In the present embodiment, the refractive index 133 of the second cladding 123, the refractive index towards the third cladding 124 from the first cladding 122 is reduced, the refractive index na is greater than the refractive index _{n b.} The second cladding 123 is an area of the core of the multimode optical signal for transmission, and since the third cladding 124 functions as a cladding for the core for transmitting the multi-mode optical signal, the refractive index n _a is the refractive index Greater than 134.

  In the present embodiment, as in the first and second embodiments, the refractive index 133 is inclined so that the refractive index decreases toward the outer side of the dual mode optical fiber, so the number of multimodes can be reduced. .

In the present embodiment, the first cladding 122 functions as a cladding from the viewpoint of transmission of a single mode optical signal. Therefore, it is possible to more relative refractive index difference of the refractive index n _a to the refractive index 132 of the first cladding 122 [Delta] 3 is greater, to reduce the bending loss when bent optical fiber. That is, the bending loss can be reduced as the relative refractive index difference Δ3 is increased. Thus, in order to reduce bending loss, −0.9% ≦ Δ3 ≦ −0.1% is preferable.

  FIG. 12 shows a delay time distribution in the dual mode optical fiber having the refractive index profile shown in FIG. In FIG. 11, a0 is 4.3 μm, a1 is 16.3 μm, and a2 is 22.8 μm. D is 5.0 μm. Further, Δ3 is −0.75%.

  As shown in FIG. 12, also in this embodiment, since the refractive index of the second cladding 123 decreases toward the outside of the dual mode optical fiber, the core region for multimode optical signal transmission is reduced. As a result, the number of higher-order modes can be reduced, and at the same time, in the delay time distribution, a distribution in which the appearance frequency of higher-order modes is concentrated on a specific delay time can be realized. Therefore, improvement in the transmission characteristics of the multimode optical signal can be obtained by realizing a distribution with a narrow delay time.

In the present embodiment, for the refractive index n _b, it may be set to a value different from the refractive index 134 of the third cladding 124. However, considering that the second cladding 123 functions as one region of the core for multimode optical signal transmission and the third cladding 124 functions as a cladding for multimode optical signal transmission, the refractive index _nb is refracted. It is necessary that the rate is 134 or more.

  Thus, in the present invention, the refractive index of the second cladding 123 decreases from the first cladding 122 toward the third cladding 124, and the maximum refractive index (the refractive index at the interface with the first cladding 122). ) Is equal to or lower than the refractive index 133 of the first cladding 122, and the minimum refractive index (the refractive index at the interface with the third cladding 124) is equal to or higher than the refractive index 134 of the third cladding 124.

(Fourth embodiment)
In the first to third embodiments, the refractive index 133 of the second cladding 123 decreases from the center side of the fiber (first cladding 122) toward the outside (third cladding 124). The refractive index profile of 123 is not limited to this form. What is important in the present invention is to reduce the number of higher-order modes by reducing the volume of the core for effective multimode optical signal transmission according to the refractive index state of the second cladding 123. Therefore, as in the first to third embodiments, the refractive index of the outermost part (second clad 123) of the core (core 121, first clad 122, second clad 123) for multimode optical signal transmission is continuously set. However, the outermost refractive index may be decreased stepwise as in the present embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a refractive index profile of the dual mode optical fiber according to the present embodiment.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, the refractive index 133 of the second cladding 123 is not inclined outward from the center of the dual mode optical fiber. That is, the refractive index 133 of the second cladding 123 is smaller than the refractive index 132 of the first cladding 122 and larger than the refractive index 134 of the third cladding 124.

  In the present embodiment, since the first cladding 122 is pure quartz, the second cladding 123 can be formed by adding F element or the like to pure quartz so that the refractive index is higher than the refractive index 134. .

  As described above, by setting the refractive index 133 of the second cladding 123 to a refractive index smaller than the refractive index 132 and larger than the refractive index 134, the region functioning as the core for multimode optical signal transmission is reduced. be able to. Also in this embodiment, since the cores for multimode optical signal transmission are the core 121, the first cladding 122, and the second cladding 123, the range 136 in FIG. 13 is the core for multimode optical signal transmission. However, since the refractive index 133 of the second cladding is smaller than the refractive index 132 of the first cladding 122, the hatched region 138 in FIG. 13 does not function as a core. Therefore, the number of higher order modes can be reduced, and the delay time distribution width can be reduced.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, unlike the first to third embodiments, the refractive index 133 of the second cladding 123 does not have an inclined refractive index profile. Therefore, the production of the second cladding 123 can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

  Also in this embodiment, the first cladding 122 functions as a cladding from the viewpoint of single mode optical signal transmission. Therefore, as the relative refractive index difference Δ3 of the refractive index 133 with respect to the refractive index 132 of the first cladding 122 is larger, the bending loss when the optical fiber is bent can be reduced. That is, the bending loss can be reduced as the relative refractive index difference Δ3 is increased. Thus, in order to reduce bending loss, −0.9% ≦ Δ3 ≦ −0.1% is preferable.

  FIG. 14 shows a delay time distribution in the dual mode optical fiber having the refractive index profile shown in FIG. In FIG. 13, a0 is 4.3 μm, a1 is 16.5 μm, and a2 is 27.5 μm. D is 5.0 μm. Further, Δ3 is −0.75%.

  As shown in FIG. 14, in this embodiment, the refractive index 133 of the second cladding 123 is made smaller than the refractive index 132 of the first cladding 123 so that the core region for multimode optical signal transmission is scraped. Thus, the number of higher order modes can be reduced. Therefore, the distribution width of the delay time for each mode can be reduced, and the transmission characteristics in multimode optical signal transmission can be improved. That is, in the delay time distribution, it is possible to realize a distribution in which the appearance frequency of higher-order modes is concentrated on a specific delay time. Therefore, the transmission characteristics of the multimode optical signal can be improved by realizing a narrow delay time distribution.

(A) is a refractive index profile of the conventional double clad optical fiber, (b) is a cross-sectional structure diagram of a double clad optical fiber having the refractive index profile of (a). It is explanatory drawing in the case of bending an optical fiber centering on one point which is a curvature radius R. It is the refractive index profile which changed when the double clad optical fiber shown to Fig.1 (a) and (b) was bent by the curvature radius R. FIG. (A) is a refractive index profile of the dual mode optical fiber which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, (b) is a cross-section figure of the dual mode optical fiber which has the refractive index profile of (a). It is a figure which shows distribution of the delay time at the time of a multimode optical signal transmitting in the dual mode optical fiber which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a cross-sectional structure diagram of a dual mode optical fiber according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a refractive index profile of the dual mode optical fiber shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows distribution of the delay time at the time of a multimode optical signal transmitting in the dual mode optical fiber which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a refractive index profile of the dual mode optical fiber which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows distribution of the delay time at the time of a multimode optical signal transmitting in the dual mode optical fiber which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a refractive index profile of the dual mode optical fiber which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows distribution of the delay time at the time of a multimode optical signal transmitting in the dual mode optical fiber which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a refractive index profile of the dual mode optical fiber which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows distribution of the delay time at the time of a multimode optical signal transmitting in the dual mode optical fiber which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

121 Core 122 First clad 123 Second clad 124 Third clad 125 Outermost clad 131 Refractive index of core 121 132 Refractive index of first clad 133 Refractive index of second clad 123 134 Refractive index of third clad 124 135 Refractive index of outer cladding 125

Claims (7)

A dual mode optical fiber capable of transmitting a single mode optical signal and a multimode optical signal,
A first material having a first refractive index disposed at the axial center of the dual mode optical fiber;
A second material having a second refractive index smaller than the first refractive index, disposed on an outer periphery of the first material;
A third material disposed on an outer periphery of the second material and having a refractive index decreasing from the axial center toward the outside;
A fourth material having a third refractive index less than the second refractive index, disposed on an outer periphery of the third material;
A fifth material disposed on the outer periphery of the fourth material and having a relative refractive index difference of about 0% with respect to the second material;
The first material is a first core for transmitting the single mode optical signal;
The first material, the second material, and the third material are a second core for transmitting the multimode optical signal;
The second material is a first cladding for the first core;
The dual mode optical fiber, wherein the fourth material is a second clad for the second core.   2. The dual mode optical fiber according to claim 1, wherein the refractive index of the third material decreases linearly, quadratic, or stepwise from the axial center toward the outside. The first material has a physical outer diameter (2 × a0) excited only in a fundamental mode when the first core is excited in a predetermined wavelength band, and a relative refractive index of the second material. Has a difference Δ1,
The fourth material has a relative refractive index difference Δ2 with respect to the second material,
The outer diameter (2 × a0) satisfies 3.8 μm ≦ 2 × a0 <10 μm,
The distance a1 from the axial center to the outermost side of the second material satisfies 5.0 μm ≦ a1 <31.25 μm,
The distance a2 from the axial center to the outermost side of the third material satisfies 15.0 μm ≦ a2 ≦ 31.25 μm,
satisfies the magnitude relationship of a0 <a1 <a2.
The relative refractive index difference Δ1 is 0.1% ≦ Δ1 ≦ 0.4%,
3. The dual mode optical fiber according to claim 1, wherein the relative refractive index difference Δ2 is −1.0% ≦ Δ2 ≦ −0.2%. The refractive index of the third material at the boundary surface of the second material is a fourth refractive index that is smaller than the second refractive index and larger than the third refractive index,
3. The dual according to claim 1, wherein a relative refractive index difference Δ3 of the fourth refractive index with respect to the second refractive index is −0.9% ≦ Δ3 ≦ −0.1%. Mode optical fiber. The third material has a relative refractive index difference Δ3 with respect to the second material,
3. The dual mode optical fiber according to claim 1, wherein the relative refractive index difference [Delta] 3 is -0.9% ≤ [Delta] 3≤-0.1%.   The dual mode optical fiber according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the fifth material has higher mechanical strength than the fourth material. The distance from the axial center to the outermost side of the fifth material is 40 μm or 62.5 μm,
The width d of the fourth material is:
When the distance is 40 μm, (the length of twice the wavelength of the input single mode optical signal) ≦ d <22.5 μm,
7. The dual mode optical fiber according to claim 6, wherein when the distance is 62.5 [mu] m, (length twice as long as the wavelength of the input single mode optical signal) ≤d <45 [mu] m.

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