JOURNAL OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS, VOLUME 24, ISSUE 1, MARCH 2014

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Improvements on Athermal All Fibre DPSK-
WDM based on Unbalanced Thermally
Expanded Core optical fibres Mach-Zehnder
Interferometer

Anouar Rahmouni
1,2
, Nawfel Azami
1
, Abdi Farid
2
and Driss El idrissi
1

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An innovalive melhod lo achieve assiveIy lemeralure-indeendenl fibre-lye Mach-Zehnder inlerferomeler design is
roosed. In lhis vork, ve demonslrale lhal lhe lemeralure deendence of lhe fundamenlaI mode effeclive index is Iinked lo
lhe exansion of singIe-mode fiber core. When lhe lhermaI deendence (dneff/dT of lhe lhermaIIy diffused olicaI fiber)
decreases, lhe mode fieId diameler increases. Using lhe olicaI fused biconicaI lechnique fabricalion (IT), a assiveIy
lemeralure indeendenl fiber-lye olicaI Mach-Zehnder inlerferomeler based on lhermaIIy exanded core olicaI fiber in
one arm has been deveIoed. The exerimenl resuIls are in good agreemenl vilh lhe numericaI simuIalion and execlalion.

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Introduction
OlicaI fiber based Mach-Zehnder inlerferomelers
(MZI) are key comonenls for dense vaveIenglh
division muIliIexer (DWDM) olicaI communicalion
syslems. OlicaI fiber slruclures aIIov high quaIily
devices such a Iov excess Ioss and Iov oIarizalion
deendanl effecls. OlicaI fiber based Mach-Zehnder
inlerferomelers are aIso used as DifferenliaI Ihase
Shifl Keying (DISK) demoduIalor. DISK is an
allraclive moduIalion formal for nexl-generalion
olicaI lransmission syslems since il exhibils high
loIerance lo chromalic disersion (CD) and
robuslness lo nonIinear effecls. esides lhese
advanlages, il aIso offers an imroved receiver
sensilivily by baIanced deleclion. In DISK
communicalions, one key device vhich is abIe lo
converl lhe differenliaI hase informalion inlo
inlensily informalion lo be delecled by lhe
holodiodes is a deIay inlerferomeler, such as Mach-
Zehnder inlerferomeler (MZI). UsuaIIy, MZI is used
for demoduIaling DISK signaIs because of ils simIe
slruclure. In recenl years, aII-fiber MZI is roosed lo
lake Iace of lhe slandard MZI for imroving lhe
erformance |1j. Hovever, lhe roosed design suffer
from lhermaI inslabiIilies vhich degrades lhe olicaI
erformances. Iiber based-MZI musl be slabIe over a
range of environmenlaI condilions, such as
lemeralures, vilhin a defined range, and during
resence of lemeralure varialions. Hovever, MZI
differenliaI hase shifl inslabiIily is observed because
of lemeralure deendence of lhe olicaI fiber
refraclive index. ConsequenlIy, channeI sacing of lhe
device as veII as lhe vaveIenglh eaks and assband
became unslabIe vhich causes significanl robIems for
DWDM aIicalions due lo lhe smaII searalion
belveen channeIs as veII as dynamic range
demoduIalion inslabiIilies. ThermaI slabiIizalion can
be achieved by comensaling lhe lemeralure induced
shifl so as lo mainlain lhe olicaI alh Ienglh
difference unchanged as lhe lemeralure varies. Ior
furlher imroving lhe erformance of aII-fiber MZI,


2 }OURNAL TITLI - MONTH YIAR
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severaI schemes have been roosed recenlIy. In |2j a
holonic cryslaI fiber (ICI) based MZI for DISK
signaI demoduIalion is resenled. In lhis scheme lhe
device is fabricaled by mismalch sIicing of a ICI
vilh slandard singIe mode fibers (SMIs). In |3j a
muIlimode fiber (MMI) based inlerferomeler for
differenliaI hase demoduIalion is roosed.
Hovever lhe Iasl lvo design do nol exhibil high
erformances such as Iov chromalic disersion, Iov
oIarizalion mode disersion since ICI and
muIlimode fibre are used.
Ifforls have been made lo design singIe mode olicaI
fibers Mach-Zehnder inlerferomelers so as lo achieve
high lhermaI slabiIily and minimize lemeralure
varialions and olher lhermaI effecls |4,5,6j and lo
mainlain high olicaI erformances. As an examIe,
ref |4j describes a lemeralure comensalion
lechnique of an aII-fiber Mach-Zehnder inlerferomeler,
vhere lvo connecling fibers are of differenl Ienglhs
and lhe lhermaI deendance of one fiber is modified
by UV radialion. Il has been shovn lhal exosing
olicaI fibers lo UV radialions aIIovs modifying lhe
lhermaI deendence roorlionaIIy lo lhe lime of
exosure.
In lhis aer ve roose an innovalive melhod lo
achieve lemeralure insensilive aII-singIe mode
olicaI fiber Mach-Zehnder Inlerferomeler. In lhe
simuIalions arl ve numericaIIy shov lhal lhe
lemeralure deendence of lhe effeclive index of an
olicaI fiber can be modified using lhermaIIy
exanded core (TIC) diffusion lechnique, and in lhe
exerimenlaI arl ve confirm lhese resuIls. This
lechnique aIIeviales lhe lemeralure slabiIily
requiremenls of Mach-Zehnder Inlerferomeler. WhiIe
TIC singIe mode olicaI fibres have been veII sludied
and shov exceIIenl olicaI erformances |7j, lhe
lemeralure deendence of lhe effeclive index of such
fibers have nol been sludied and reorled, lo lhe besl
of our knovIedge.
The aer is organized as foIIov: ve firsl describe lhe
rinciIes of lhe Mach-Zehnder Inlerferomeler (MZI)
and lhe condilions for a assiveIy-alhermaI MZI. In
seclion 3 numericaI invesligalions are erformed lo
sludy lhe lhermaI deendence of lhe effeclive index of
lhe fundamenlaI mode of a slandarl singIemode
olicaI fiber vhen lhis fiber is lhermaIIy exanded. A
assive-lemeralure insensilive Mach-Zehnder
inlerferomeler fiber-design is roosed.

2. Theory of Mach Zehnder thermal stability
AII-fiber Mach-Zehnder inlerferomelers lyicaIIy
incIude lvo olicaI couIers searaled by a hase shifl
region. The lvo fibers arms have differenl olicaI alh
Ienglhs so lhal olicaI signaIs roagale lhrough lhem
al differenl veIocilies in lhe hase shifl region. Lighl
Iaunched inlo lhe device asses lhrough lhe firsl
couIer vhere il is sIil and Ied lhrough lhe air of
olicaI fibers. olh Iighl vaves are lhen couIed again
by lhe second couIer and laken oul as an olicaI
signaI oulul from lhe lvo oulul orls of lhe second
couIer. If lhe Iighl orlions recombining al lhe
second couIer are in hase, lhey conslrucliveIy
inlerfere al one of lhe oulul orls of lhe second
couIer, if lhey are nol in hase, in arlicuIar if lhe
lvo Iighl orlions incur a ! differencing hase shifl,
lhey combine conslrucliveIy al lhe olher oulul orl of
lhe second couIer.
In an oulul arm of lhe MZI, lhe condilion for
observing a maximum or a minimum of lransmilled
over is generaIIy vrillen as |12j:
(1)
Where ko2!/" is lhe vave number, " being lhe
vaveIenglh in vacuum, neff1 and neff2 are lhe
effeclive indices of lhe olicaI fibers in lhe firsl and
second arm resecliveIy of lhe inlerferomeler, L1 and
L2 are lhe Ienglhs of lhe firsl and second arm
resecliveIy of lhe inlerferomeler, z1 and z2 are
inlegralion variabIes aIong lhe Ienglh of lhe firsl and
second arm, resecliveIy, and m is an inleger. The
lhermaI deendence of an MZI is caIcuIaled by
differenlialion of equalion (1) vilh resecl lo
vaveIenglh ", lemeralure T and Ienglhs L1 and L2.
The resuIl can be exressed in lhe foIIoving form:

(2)
Where #" is lhe fringe sacing, i.e. lhe vaveIenglh
searalion belveen lvo lransmission eaks in one
given oulul orl of lhe inlerferomeler. IIongalions of
lhe arms caused by lhermaI exansion of eilher lhe
fiber or of lhe subslrale are negIecled since lhe
lhermo-olic effecl is dominanl. The fringe sacing is
found by lhe foIIoving equalion:
JOURNAL OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS, VOLUME 24, ISSUE 1, MARCH 2014


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(3)
Where Ng1 (Ng2) is lhe effeclive grou index in arm 1
(res. arm 2). The condilion lo oblain an alhermaI MZI
can be exressed as:
(4)
When lhe difference in geomelricaI Ienglh belveen lhe
lvo arms is nol loo Iarge, lyicaIIy in lhe range of
aboul 1 mm for a sacing of 100 GHz, a smaII
difference in dn/dT suffices lo comensale for lhe
lhermaI unbaIance. In lhis aer ve numericaIIy shov
lhal dn/dT can be conlroIIed by lhermaIIy exanded
core olicaI fiber. IxerimenlaI resuIls are lhen
resenled.

3. Thermal stability of Thermally expanded
core fibres
WhiIe TIC singIe mode olicaI fiber have been veII
sludied and shov exceIIenl olicaI erformances, lhe
lemeralure deendence of lhe effeclive index of such
fibers have nol been sludied and reorled, lo lhe besl
of our knovIedge. In lhis seclion, numericaI
invesligalions on lhe lhermaI deendence of lhe
fundamenlaI mode of such fibers are reorled, and
viII be used in nexl seclion for a roosed design of
slabIe alhermaI MZI-based DISK demoduIalor for
olicaI nelvorks. ThermaIIy exanded core olicaI
fibers (TIC) are very veII knovn for lheir raclicaI
use in various aIicalions. TIC fiber can have very
Iov inserlion Ioss |7j, and soIve aIignmenl robIems of
connecling lvo singIe mode fibers (SMIs) vilh
differenl core sizes, couIing a SMI lo a Iaser diode,
and aIso of assembIing micro-olic comonenls |6j. A
TIC fiber has an enIarged mode fieId diameler (MID)
oblained by healing a convenlionaI singIe-mode fiber
IocaIIy al a high lemeralure (-1570-1900K) and
diffusing some doanls as Ge or I inlo lhe core. The
core exansion rale deends on lhe healing
lemeralure, lhe healing lime and lhe doanl inlensily
in lhe fiber core. The fabricalion lechnoIogy is acluaIIy
malure and aIIovs TIC fiber of mode fieId diameler as
high as 30 um. Ge is lhe doanl lhal has been mosl
frequenlIy reorled in diffusion sludies in olicaI
fibres. In lhis aer ve are inleresled in lhe sludy of
lhe effeclive index lemeralure deendence of
Germanium core-doed singIe mode olicaI fiber. In
order lo eslimale doanl diffusion during healing,
diffusion vas assumed lo occur according lo Iick's
Iav and lhe diffusion coefficienl vas assumed lo be
indeendenl of concenlralions bul deendenl on
lemeralure according lo Arrhenius equalion. The lvo
dimensions diffusion equalion is resenled in Iq. (1)
and Arrhenius equalion in Iq. (2).



vhere D is lhe diffusion coefficienl |m2/sj, CGe is
Germania doanls concenlralions |moI fraclionj, # is
lhe LaIacian oeralor, l is lime |sj, T is lemeralure
|Kj, D0 is lhe reexonenliaI lerm |m2/sj, I is
aclivalion energy |}/moIj and R is lhe gas conslanl,
8.314}/(KmoI). The foIIoving diffusion coefficienls
used in simuIalions is DGe 3.10-4 m2/s al 1600 K.
Once Germania rofiIe is knovn one can deduce lhe
refraclive index rofiIe of lhe TIC fibre by using
SeIImeier equalions. The invesligalion of lhe lhermaI
varialion of lhe olicaI fibre refraclive index (n)
requires SeIImeier equalion.
The sel of aramelers required lo comIeleIy
characlerize lhe lemeralure deendence of lhe
refraclive index is given beIov. SeIImeier equalion for
Germania doed SiIica maleriaI GeO2(CGe)+SiO2(1-
CGe) is under lhe form |9j :
(10)
vhere \ is lhe olicaI vaveIenglh. The SeIImeier
coefficienls as a funclion of lemeralure T and
Germania moIe fraclion CGe are given in ref |7j. The
refraclive index vaIues for core and cIadding are
deduced from seIImeier equalion (10) using SeIImeier
coefficienls for bolh ure siIica-cIadding (CGe 0) and
germania-codoed siIica core. NumericaI
invesligalions on dneff/dT are reaIized for TIC singIe
mode olicaI fibre Corning SMI-28. This fiber is
characlerized by 8.2 um core diameler, 0.14 numericaI
aerlure and a mode fieId diameler of 10.4 um al 1550
nm vaveIenglh. The germanium concenlralion in lhe
sle index core of SMI is CGe 3%. When healed,
SMI-28 core diffused in lhe cIadding and lhe Mode
fieId diameler increase as a funclion of lime healing.
The effeclive index (neff) of lhe fundamenlaI mode
LI01 of lhe TIC- SMI28 fiber is comuled by using


4 }OURNAL TITLI - MONTH YIAR
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lhe adequale refraclive index rofiI (eq. 10) knoving
lhe doanl concenlralion (eq. 8). SimuIalions of lhe
effeclive index are erformed using eamIro Rsofl
looI |11j. Iig.1 reresenls lhe lhermaI deendence of
lhe fundamenlaI mode effeclive index of SMI for
differenl TIC amIilude Mode fieId Diameler as a
funclion of lemeralure.

Iig. 1: dneff/dT of optical fiber SMF-28 as a function
of temperature for various thermally expanded core
Mode Field Diameters (MFD).
4. Experimental results

Mach Zehnder inlerferomeler has been fabricaled in
our Iaboralory using fusion-laering manufacluring
lechnique. 3d couIers are fabricaled by fusing
IaleraIIy lvo singIe mode fibers (SMI-28) logelher
using, a micro-lorch heal source (roane & oxygen).
Deending on lhe fusion duralion, one oblains a cross
seclion vilh a degree of fusion ranging lheorelicaIIy
from zero (for unfused fibres) lo 1 (corresonding lo a
circuIar cross seclion lheorelicaIIy oblained afler an
infinile duralion) |12j. Irom a raclicaI oinl of viev,
lhe degree of fusion using is 0.7. MZI have been
fabricaled vilh excess Ioss of aboul 1 d and 0.2 d
oIarizalion deendanl Ioss (IDL). IDL has been
measured al lhe minimum inserlion Ioss. The olicaI
isoIalion of fabricaled MZI is aboul -15d (Iig.4). As
shovn schemalicaIIy in Iig.2 An innovalive melhod lo
achieve assiveIy lemeralure-indeendenl fibre-lye
Mach-Zehnder inlerferomeler design is roosed by
using a lhermaIIy exanded core singIe mode olicaI
fiber in one arm.
In lhis arl ve demonslrale exerimenlaIIy lhal ve
can reduce lhe lhermaI deendence of Mach-Zehnder
Inlerferomeler by using a lhermaIIy exanded core
singIe mode olicaI fiber in one arm. The
inlerferomeler used in lhis exerience is a 100 GHz
frequency fringe sacing Mach Zehnder
Inlerferomeler in lhe C band. One fiber core arm of lhe
inlerferomeler is lhermaIIy exanded by healing using
a high lemeralure (1500C), for 20 minules lhrough
lhe use of a fIame lorch.

Iig.2: lhermaIIy exanded core olicaI fiber Mach-
Zehnder inlerferomeler

ThermaI sensilivily has been exerimenlaIIy measured
for bolh uncomensaled and comensaled 100 GHz
MZI using a conlinuous Iighl source al 1550 nm
vaveIenglh and a resislance healing for changing lhe
ambienl lemeralure for lhe lvo configuralions,
comensaled and lhe uncomensaled MZI design.
The lemeralure range over vhich ve have oblained
lhe exerimenlaI resuIls is belveen (303.15 K and
453.15 K). As shovn in Iig.4 lhe red curve resenls lhe
resonse of lhe uncomensaled MZI. hase
varialion is achieved by varying lemeralure from
293K lo 357K. Degradalion of lhe olicaI over from
0dm lo -15dm is observed for lhis range of
lemeralure. Degradalion is Iimiled by lhe isoIalion of
lhe fabricaled MZI. On lhe olher side, lhe
comensaled MZI (bIack curve) shov a hase
varialion of /10 in lhe same range of lemeralure.
The MZI hase-lemeralure deendence has been
reduced as a resuIl of lhe exansion of lhe fiber core of
one MZI arm. In our demonslralion lhe degradalion of
lhe olicaI over is aboul onIy 1d comare lo lhe
revious 15d degradalion of lhe uncomensaled MZI.
This olimized comensalion design has been
oblained by lhermaI exansion of lhe fibre core mode
for 20 minules of exosure lo a 1500C lorch fIame. ve
vere Iimiled by lhe exosure of lhe fiber lo lhe fIame
JOURNAL OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS, VOLUME 24, ISSUE 1, MARCH 2014


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lime. Indeed, loo Iong lime exosure deslroys lhe
inlegrily of lhe fiber vhich lhen have more inlrinsic
Iosses. These fibers vere observed under lhe
microscoe and shoved a Ioss of maleriaI in lhe
cIadding and an excessive fragiIily, lhus reducing lheir
use.











Iig. 4: IxerimenlaI resonse of lhe comensaled and
lhe Uncomensaled 100GHz-MZI as a funclion of
lemeralure.

Conclusions
In lhis aer ve roose an innovalive melhod lo
achieve lemeralure insensilive Mach-Zehnder
Inlerferomeler. The noveI comensalor Mach-Zehnder
Inlerferomeler is described by using a lhermaIIy
exanded core singIe mode olicaI fiber in one arm.
We shov lheorelicaIIy and exerimenlaIIy more slabIe
behavior over a vide lemeralure range from 293K lo
357K. This soIulion has lhe advanlages lo be
embedded vilh differenl lyes of MZIs and olicaI
receivers.

REFERENCES
|1j I. Seguin, and I. Gonlhier, ''T uneabIe AII-Iiber
DeIay-Line Inlerferomeler for DISK DemoduIalion,''
in Tech. Dig. OIC'2005 , : OIL5 (2005)
|2j }iangbing Du, Yongheng Dai, Gordon K. I. Lei,
Wei|un Tong, and Chesler Shu, Iholonic cryslaI fiber
based Mach-Zehnder inlerferomeler for DISK signaI
demoduIalion, Olics Ixress, VoI. 18, No. 8, :
7917-7922 (2010)
|3j Yannick Keilh Lize, Roberl Go mma and Raman
Kashya, Lov-cosl muIlimode fiber Mach-Zehnder
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in roc. SIII 2006, Sa n Diego, USA, Augusl (2006)
|4j N. Azami, A. ViIIeneuve, I. Gonlhier, Melhod of
ad|usling lhermaI deendence of an olicaI fiber,
Olics Communicalions, VoI. 251, Issues 1-3, . 6-9,
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|5j N.azami, Melhod of ad|uslmenl of lhermaI
deendence in an olicaI fiber Uniled Slales Ialenl
No: US 6,631,232 1. Dale of Ialenl: Ocl. 7, 2003.
|6j I. Gonlhier, I. Seguin, Irancois, N. Godboul, A.
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No: US 6,850,654. Dale of Ialenl: Ieb. 1, 2005.
|7j K. Shiraishi, Y. Aizava and S. Kavakami, "eam
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Hanafusa, Conneclion Ioss reduclion by lhermaIIy-
diffused exanded core fiber, IIII Iholonics Techn.
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|9j G. S. KIiros, I. C. Divari, CouIing characlerislics
of Iaser diodes lo high numericaI aerlure lhermaIIy
exanded core fibers }. Maler. Sci: Maler. IIeclron. 20,
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|10j G. S. KIiros, N. Tsironikos, VarialionaI anaIysis of
roagalion characlerislics in lhermaIIy diffused
exanded core fibers, Olik: InlernalionaI }ournaI for
Lighl and IIeclron Olics 116, 365 (2005).
|11jMode caIcuIalion and roagalion looI.
Descrilion avaiIabIe al vvv.rsofldesign.com.
|12j NavfeI Azami and Suzanne Lacroix, OlicaI
Iibers Research Advances, Chaler 7 of Recenl
DeveIomenls In aII Iiber Devices for OlicaI
Nelvorks: Design and AIicalions Idilor }urgen C.
SchIesinge, . 205-229 2007 Nova Science
IubIishers.

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