Properties of Photonic

Crystal Fiber (PCF)

Presented by:
T. A. M. Ragib Shahriar
Ohidul Islam
Supervised by:
MD. Ishfak Tahmid
Lecturer of EEE, SUST
MD. Asaduz Zaman Mamun
Lecturer of EEE,SUST
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What is PCF?
 Photonic Crystal Fiber (PCF) is a periodic optical nanostructure with special optical properties due to
some materialistic arrangement of the crystal structure. (i.e. holes, impurity etc.) The periodic structure
affects the motion of photons, same as ionic lattice effects electron in solids.
 PCF was initially also called as ‘Holey Fiber’, because it contains its characteristics holes in the crystal
structure.

Holes all over the Crystal Fiber

Figure 1: Photonics Crystal Fiber

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History of PCF

 PCF was pioneered by Philip St. John Russell, the director of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of
Light, Germany. The idea of PCF workings were first demonstrated in 1996.
 The general Optical Fiber has evolved significantly since 1970 as conventional step index fiber, in which
light is guided by the variation of refractive index change.

𝜂𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒 > 𝜂𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔

Figure 2: Conventional Optical Fiber

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History of PCF

 The basic inspiration of PCF came from optical fiber. The PCF crystals have cross section
microstructure, usually made of two or more periodically arranged materials as ‘cladding’ surrounding a
core or sever cores, where light is confined. The difference of PCF with traditional optical fiber is its
nonlinear characteristics.

5 μm core
4 μm holes

Figure 2: PCF
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Types of PCF

 There are generally two types of PCF

 a) Core Type PCF: The Core Type PCF structure contains higher refractive index material at the center
for light wave guiding.
 b) Hollow PCF: The Hollow PCF structure contains holes in the center of the cross section for light
propagation.

Core Type Hollow Type

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How does PCF work?

 The optical properties (can be geometrical or materialistic) of PCF guides the optic wave using it special
structure such as variation in reflective index, change in structural decomposition, impurity (fluorine
doping) etc. This mechanism creates the wider field of photonic band gap structure, as well as it can
create specified guided light such as lasers.
 PCF can contain periodically changing dielectric constant, which coherently scatters light. As a result
interference will occur and some frequencies will not be allowed to propagate. This band gap is called
Photonic Band Gap.
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What is Photonic Crystal?

- Photonic Crystal are dielectric which arranged in a

periodic fashion.
- Lattice constants comparable to the wavelength of
light in the material.
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Photonic Crystal in nature

 Photonic Crystal occurs in nature in the form of Structural Coloration and Animal Reflectors.
a) Structural Coloration: This is produced by the microscopic surfaces of living creatures, which interferes
with the visible light.
b) Animal Reflectors: This type of mirrors are necessary for animal survival skills such as camouflage,
focusing light, increasing retinal sensitivity,

a) Structural Coloration of butterflies b) Cats behind the retina reflective composition

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Light propagation in dielectric media

For most λ, beam(s)

propagate through
crystal.
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Band structure of a two- dimensional
crystal

Wavevector determines the phase

between nearest neighbor unit cells.
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Bragg Scattering

r = reflectivity of each film

R = Total reflection

Diverges if:

→k = π / a

→ λ = 2a Bragg condition
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Maxwell equations
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Simplified Maxwell’s equation

Time Harmonic ( i.e. steady state) :

Maxwell equation for steady state :

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Similarities between electronics and
Photonics

Time independent Schrodinger equation:

Hamiltonian
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Materials used in PCF

 Silica : It also has a high nonlinear refractive index. However, the bandgap for
silicon is indirect which leads to long free carrier lifetime and thus free carrier
absorption.

 Chalcogens : Chalcogens are the chemical elements present in group 16 which

consists of Oxygen, Sulphur, Selenium, Tellurium and Polonium. Tellurium is a
semiconductor whereas some allotropes of selenium display properties of
semiconductor.

 Chalcogenide glasses : Chalcogenide glasses contain Sulphur, Selenium,

Tellurium or a combination of these elements The most important feature is high
nonlinear refractive index and low photon absorption.

The doping in the PCF can be of fluorine, ytterbium, erbium.

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How it is ensured that only desired mode will
propagate through the waveguide?

 From experiment it’s found that the holes arrangement into the PCF determines the geometrical
properties of the PCF. By appropriate designing of the geometry, dispersion-lessness can be achieved at a
specific frequency. This effect causes the desired mode propagation through the waveguide.
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Non-Linear Characteristics

 The Photonic Band Gap give rises to various Non-Linear Optical Phenomenon such as
1. Frequency doubling
2. Sum and difference frequency generation,
3. Self focusing,
4. non-instantaneous response (Raman Scattering)
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Applications

1. Fiber Lasers – Doped fiber as laser resonator

2. Amplifiers – Doped fiber as gain medium
3. Supercontinuum Generation – Spectral broadening of light
4. Fiber Optics Sensors – Optical Sensors based on fiber devices
5. Quantum Optics – The part of optics which deals with Quantum effect
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Future application

 Future holds many possibilities in photonics

1. Quantum information processing
2. Next generation lasers
3. Visible light (LiFi) communication
4. Optical Computers
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PCF for Super Continuum Generation

Super Continuum Generation is the process in which laser light is converted to a very wider broad band
range, using the nonlinear optical properties of photonic crystal fibers.
In communication engineering, we need to pack as much information possible into a wave packet. Super
continuum wave is the way to get a wider broad band.

Super Continuum PCF spectrograph

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Thank You!