Optical fiber delay-line signal processing using reflective taps.

摘要

Fabrication of internal mirrors in multimode and singlemode fibers was demonstrated and optical properties of the mirrors were characterized. Delay-line applications of the fiber mirrors have been investigated. A fiber optic transversal filter using internal mirror techniques has been operated over the frequency range from 0 to 12.5 GHz. The reflectivity monitored delay-line contains sixteen mirrors arranged in serial fashion. Programmable signal storage has been demonstrated in a continuous length of singlemode fiber containing three Fabry-Perot interferometers arranged in serial fashion. A bandwidth of over 25 GHz is calculated for the 2 mm-long FPIs, and switching between reflecting and transmitting states in 1 msec or less should be possible. As a future research topic, calorimetric sensors using a fiber optic interferometer are proposed. Applications in electronic instrumentation, communications, radar, and electronic warfare systems are foreseen.