MICROSTRUCTURED “OPTICAL” FIBERS TEAM: Carlos P Ortiz Y Pino Duc Nguyen SPONSOR: Dr. Ravi Jain Mike Klopfer

 Team / Sponsor Responsibilities  Introduction  Project Description  Project Goals  Why this is a good project  Major milestones  Deliverables  Challenges and concerns  Future plans

Our team:  Carlos P Ortiz Y Pino – team leader, schedule group meetings (MW 2PM-6PM), draw tower and laser lab operator, design and create pre-form, primary researcher.  Duc Nguyen – time keeper, collect data, draw tower and laser lab operator, and secondary researcher. Our sponsor:  Dr. Ravi Jain – ECE professor, funding, verify our analysis.  Mike Klopler – grad-student, supervise the project, provide training and guidance.

Conventional fiber optic cables experience increased power loss as laser wavelength are reduced. Conventional fiber optic cables experience increased power loss as laser wavelength are reduced. (less than 850nm, visible light) (less than 850nm, visible light) This is due to changes in refractive index from physical compression, tension and differences in the length of light paths. This is due to changes in refractive index from physical compression, tension and differences in the length of light paths.

 Therefore, in order to make fiber optic lasers feasible we need to develop a solution to minimize bend/power loss.

 Design and create a pre-form that will be used to form the Microstructure fiber  Use CHTM Draw Tower to draw fiber from pre-form (~125  m ).  Use laser lab for fiber characterization of bend loss.  If successful, design will be patented and a paper will be published.  Professional lab note book needs to be kept in order to patent.

 Theoretical analysis of Optoelectronics and Photonics principles.  Access to the only production quality fiber draw tower at a University in the U.S.  A chance to develop a patentable solution that has immediate applications.  Exercise problem solving skills both theoretically and physically.  Encompasses both the design and manufacturing process.

 Become certified to operate the CHTM Fiber Draw Tower.  Develop a repeatable process for drawing a holey fiber.  Develop a design that will counter-act the effect of bend loss.  Develop test techniques to precisely analyze power loss using available equipment in laser lab.  Iterations of this processes will be completed until design is satisfactory for publication.  Get Published and Patent Design !!!

 A microstructure “optical” fiber that is capable of being wrapped in a helical pattern (r = 10 cm) and channeling a laser source with a wavelength of 0.63  m with minimal bend loss.  Official lab notebook will be use to collect all data needed for publication.

 Never been done before!  Process problems related to operating, and manufacturing with the fiber draw tower.  Possibility that design will not be achievable using fiber insert technique which will necessitate switching to the So-Gel method.  Assumptions that scale for using average refractive index might not be valid.  Finding the perfect parameter for the holey fiber before time expires.

 Creating our first pre-form using our holey fiber design.  Fine tuning our manufacturing parameters so we can adjust the process based on results.  Determining if fiber insert technique is feasible.  Revise current design based on test data.

QUESTIONS ?