Optical Fibres and Waveguides

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Describe the guidance mechanisms in optical fibre and planar waveguides
• Design optical waveguides for specific applications
• Understand key features of light propagation affected by chromatic dispersion and optical nonlinearity

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• Design of planar waveguides
• Basic concepts governing optical fibres
• Nonlinear light propagation

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Use a variety of information sources (lectures, web, journals) and software tools to understand & solve problems

Light propagation through optical waveguides

Maxwell’s equations

Wave equation

Optical fibres:

• Overview of optical fibre technologies
• Dispersion relations applied to different geometries
• Optical fields in solid-core optical fibres (guided modes, single and multi-mode guidance, losses)
• Signal guiding in ‘holey’ fibres

Planar dielectric waveguides:

• Loss mechanisms, propagation and insertion loss
• Waveguide design (using the Lumerical software package)
• Waveguide characterisation

Introduction to nonlinear optics in waveguides and fibres:

• Nonlinear susceptibility and phase matching
• Nonlinear wave equation
• Nonlinear interactions (SHG, SPM, XPM and FWM)

Teaching will consist of lectures, tutorials, computer workshops and feedback sessions. The lecturers will use electronic voting systems for in-class testing and peer instruction learning. Students will learn basics of photonic modelling software packages.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.