ABSTRACT

Maximizing the capacity of the fiber as a transmitting medium is the major challenge met by network operators. Solitonic propagation as well as wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) are among the solutions presently proposed to increase the flow of information propagating in these networks. Before tapering, one may laterally fuse two fibers together so as to create a more complex transverse structure in order to transfer power from one guide to another. Such structures are referred to as couplers. All-fiber short- and long-period gratings are periodically perturbed fibers. The number of periods ranges from ten to several thousand depending on the intensity of the index perturbation. The main advantage of the phase mask method over the holographic one is that the UV-source may have a limited spatial and temporal coherence. Passive components are defined as components that do not necessitate an external source of energy, as opposed to lasers, amplifiers and other active components.