EXAMINING DEFECTS IN SOLID CORE 2-D PHOTONIC BAND-GAP FIBERS WITH HIGH INDEX INCLUSIONS

Solid Core Photonic Band-Gap Fibers (SC-PBGF) are being closely examined today for use in the telecommunications industry because of their dispersive and spectral properties near the 1550nm wavelength. One of the benefits of these fibers, unlike the hollow core photonic band gap fibers, is the ease of fabrication and splicing. Research has shown that the optical properties of SC-PBG fibers depend on parameters including refractive index contrast, the wavelength of excitation, diameter of the high index cladding, and pitch. This research focuses on understanding the robustness of SC-PBG fibers and their ability to operate with defects in the periodic lattice. The effect of variations in size and position of these defects on the resulting optical properties will be examined.