Highly Nonlinear Composite-Photonic Crystal Fibers with Simplified Manufacturing Process and Efficient Mid-IR Applications

This paper reveals special design features of the proposed highly nonlinear circular-lattice-silicon-core and silica-doped-with-fluorine (1%) cladding-composite photonic crystal fiber (PCF) in the Mid-infrared region of the spectrum. A region of small negative group velocity dispersion (GVD), managed higher order dispersions (HODs), and unique nonlinearity of silicon have been used to demonstrate a supercontinuum broadening from 1500 nm to 4700 nm with consumption of low input power of 400 W over short fiber distances. It will be also shown that the fiber's high-level engineered structure finally results in a simple manufacturing process compared with other designed nano-sized silicon PCFs. The designed fiber could have massive potential in gas sensing, soliton effect pulse compression, spectroscopy, material processing, etc.