离子辐照磁旋光玻璃波导隔离器的制备和特性研究

The optical isolator allows light waves to propagate only in a specified direction. It is indispensable for preventing unwanted reverse propagation of optical signals. It can relieve the symptoms caused by reflected light, such as optical communication system instability and error rate. With the rapid development of integrated optics, the traditional large-scale isolator can not be integrated in the micro-scale optical circuits. Therefore, the demand for waveguid isolators becomes more and more urgent. Optical planar and channel waveguides will be firstly produced in magneto-optical glasses by ion irradiation with standard lithographic process in this project. Secondly, the optical properties of optical waveguides will be analyzed by equipments of prism-coupling and end-face coupling systems and simulation programs of reflection calculation method and beam propagation method. Waveguide isolators will be constructed on ion-irradiated magneto-optical glass waveguide that has excellent optical properties. Its performance indicators such as insertion loss and isolation ratio will be investigated. The research provides a new way to fabricate waveguide isolators. It has important prospects on optical fiber communication and and all-optical communication.

光隔离器只允许光波沿光路正向传输，抑制反向传输光波，解决了反射光引起的光通信系统不稳定和误码率增加的问题。但是，随着集成光学的迅速发展，传统的大型隔离器不能被集成在微纳尺度上。所以，对波导型光隔离器的需求越来越紧迫。本项目将首先结合光刻工艺，利用离子辐照的方法在磁旋光玻璃上制备平面和条形光波导。其次，通过棱镜耦合系统、端面耦合系统等实验设备和反射计算法、光束传播方法等模拟程序分析光波导的光学性质。最后，选择导波性能优良且波导区费尔德常数改变较小的光波导构建波导型磁光隔离器并且研究正向插入损耗和反向隔离度等表征隔离器性能的指标。本项目的研究将为波导型磁光隔离器的制备提供新思路，在光纤通信系统和全光通信网络等领域都具有重要的应用前景。

磁光隔离器能够阻止反射光对器件的不利影响。但是，传统的体型结构的光隔离器已经无法适应现代集成光路对光学器件的集成化和功能化等方面提出的要求。因此，与集成光路技术相匹配的波导型磁光隔离器的研究成为热点领域。本项目系统地利用了单能量质子辐照、双能量质子辐照、碳离子辐照和硅离子辐照等离子辐照技术在磁旋光玻璃上形成了光波导。并且，在硅离子辐照磁旋光玻璃平面光波导上，通过飞秒激光烧蚀的方法制备了磁旋光脊形波导结构。另外，采用棱镜耦合仪和端面耦合系统等实验仪器测试了离子辐照磁旋光玻璃光波导的导模特性、近场光强分布和传输损耗等波导特性。最后，以飞秒激光烧蚀结合硅离子辐照磁旋光玻璃脊形光波导为法拉第旋转器，在该波导的前后两端分别放置起偏器和检偏器构建波导型磁光隔离器。该波导型磁光隔离器装置在集成光学和光通信中具有潜在的应用价值。