We report the fabrication of photonic crystal fibers with a continuously-decreasing zero-dispersion wavelength along their length. These tapered fibers are designed to extend the generation of supercontinuum spectra from the visible into the ultraviolet. We report on their performance when pumped with both nanosecond and picosecond sources at 1.064 µm. The supercontinuum spectra have a spectral width (measured at the 10 dB points) extending from 0.372 µm to beyond 1.75 µm. In an optimal configuration a flat (3 dB) spectrum from 395 to 850 nm, with a minimum spectral power density of 2 mW/nm was achieved, with a total continuum output power of 3.5 W. We believe that the shortest wavelengths were generated by cascaded four-wave mixing: the continuous decrease of the zero dispersion wavelength along the fiber length enables the phase-matching condition to be satisfied for a wide range of wavelengths into the ultraviolet, while simultaneously increasing the nonlinear coefficient of the fiber.

© 2006 Optical Society of America

1. R. R. Alfano, and S. L. Shapiro, "Emission in the region 4000 to 7000 °A via four-photon coupling in glass," Phys. Rev. Lett. 24,584-587 (1970). [CrossRef]
2. J. C. Knight, T. A. Birks, P. St. J. Russell, and D. M. Atkin, "All-silica single-mode optical fiber with photonic crystal cladding," Opt. Lett. 21,1547-1549 (1996). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
3. D. Mogilevtsev, T. A. Birks, and P. St. J. Russell, "Group-velocity dispersion in photonic crystal fibers," Opt. Lett. 23,1662-1664 (1998). [CrossRef]
4. W. H. Reeves, J. C. Knight, P. St. J. Russell, and P. J. Roberts, "Demonstration of ultra-flattened dispersion in photonic crystal fibers," Opt. Express 10,609-613 (2000).
5. W. J. Wadsworth, A. Ortigosa-Blanch, J. C. Knight, T. A. Birks, T.-P. Martin Man, and P. St. J. Russell, "Supercontinuum generation in photonic crystal fibers and optical fiber tapers : A novel source of light," J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 19,753-764 (2002). [CrossRef]
6. J. K. Ranka, R. S. Windeler, and A. J. Stentz, "Visible continuum generation in air silica microstructure optical fibers with anomalous dispersion at 800 nm," Opt. Lett. 25,25-27 (2000). [CrossRef]
7. J. C. Knight, J. Arriaga, T. A. Birks, A. Ortigosa-Blach, W. J. Wadsworth, and P. St. J. Russell, "Anomalous dispersion in photonic crystal fiber," IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 12,807-809 (2000). [CrossRef]
8. S. Coen, A. Hing Lun Chau, R. Leonhardt, J. D. Harvey, J. C. Knight,W. J. Wadsworth, and P. St. J. Russell, "Supercontinuum generation by stimulated Raman scattering and parametric four-wave mixing in photonic crystal fibers," J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 19,753-764 (2002). [CrossRef]
9. J. M. Dudley, L. Provino, N. Grossard, H. Maillotte, R. S. Windeler, B. J. Eggleton, and S. Coen, "Supercontinuum generation in air-silica microstructured fibers with nanosecond and femtosecond pulse pumping," J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 19,765-771 (2002). [CrossRef]
10. A. B. Rulkov, M. Y. Vyatkin, S. V. Popov, J. R. Taylor, and V. P. Gapontsev, "High brightness picosecond all-fiber generation in 525-1800nm range with picosecond Yb pumping," Opt. Express 13,377-381 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
11. J. Teipel, D. Trke, H. Giessen, A. Zintl, and B. Braun, "Compact multi-Watt picosecond coherent white light sources using multiple-taper fibers," Opt. Express 13,1734-1742 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
12. F. Lu, Y. Deng, W. H. Knox, "Generation of broadband femtosecond visible pulses in dispersion-micromanaged holey fibers," Opt. Lett. 30,1566-1568 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
13. J. C. Travers, S. V. Popov, and J. R. Taylor, "Extended blue supercontinuum generation in cascaded holey fibers," Opt. Lett. 30,3132-3134 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
14. T. A. Birks, D. Mogilevtsev, J. C. Knight and P. St. J. Russell, "Dispersion compensation using single-material fibers", IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 11,674-676 (1999). [CrossRef]
15. W. J. Wadsworth, N. Joly, J. C. Knight, T. A. Birks, F. Biancalana, and P. St. J. Russell, "Supercontinuum and four-wave mixing with Q-switched pulses in endlessly single-mode photonic crystal fibers," Opt. Express 12,299-309 (2004). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
16. P. K. A. Wai, C. R. Menyuk, H. H. Chen, and Y. C. Lee, "Soliton at the zero-group-dispersion wavelength of a single-model fiber," Opt. Lett. 12,628-630 (1987). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett.

• J. C. Knight, J. Arriaga, T. A. Birks, A. Ortigosa-Blach, W. J. Wadsworth, and P. St. J. Russell, "Anomalous dispersion in photonic crystal fiber," IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 12,807-809 (2000). [CrossRef]
• T. A. Birks, D. Mogilevtsev, J. C. Knight and P. St. J. Russell, "Dispersion compensation using single-material fibers", IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 11,674-676 (1999). [CrossRef]

J. Opt. Soc. Am. B

• W. J. Wadsworth, A. Ortigosa-Blanch, J. C. Knight, T. A. Birks, T.-P. Martin Man, and P. St. J. Russell, "Supercontinuum generation in photonic crystal fibers and optical fiber tapers : A novel source of light," J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 19,753-764 (2002). [CrossRef]
• S. Coen, A. Hing Lun Chau, R. Leonhardt, J. D. Harvey, J. C. Knight,W. J. Wadsworth, and P. St. J. Russell, "Supercontinuum generation by stimulated Raman scattering and parametric four-wave mixing in photonic crystal fibers," J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 19,753-764 (2002). [CrossRef]
• J. M. Dudley, L. Provino, N. Grossard, H. Maillotte, R. S. Windeler, B. J. Eggleton, and S. Coen, "Supercontinuum generation in air-silica microstructured fibers with nanosecond and femtosecond pulse pumping," J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 19,765-771 (2002). [CrossRef]

Opt. Express

• A. B. Rulkov, M. Y. Vyatkin, S. V. Popov, J. R. Taylor, and V. P. Gapontsev, "High brightness picosecond all-fiber generation in 525-1800nm range with picosecond Yb pumping," Opt. Express 13,377-381 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• J. Teipel, D. Trke, H. Giessen, A. Zintl, and B. Braun, "Compact multi-Watt picosecond coherent white light sources using multiple-taper fibers," Opt. Express 13,1734-1742 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• W. H. Reeves, J. C. Knight, P. St. J. Russell, and P. J. Roberts, "Demonstration of ultra-flattened dispersion in photonic crystal fibers," Opt. Express 10,609-613 (2000).
• W. J. Wadsworth, N. Joly, J. C. Knight, T. A. Birks, F. Biancalana, and P. St. J. Russell, "Supercontinuum and four-wave mixing with Q-switched pulses in endlessly single-mode photonic crystal fibers," Opt. Express 12,299-309 (2004). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Opt. Lett.

• P. K. A. Wai, C. R. Menyuk, H. H. Chen, and Y. C. Lee, "Soliton at the zero-group-dispersion wavelength of a single-model fiber," Opt. Lett. 12,628-630 (1987). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• J. K. Ranka, R. S. Windeler, and A. J. Stentz, "Visible continuum generation in air silica microstructure optical fibers with anomalous dispersion at 800 nm," Opt. Lett. 25,25-27 (2000). [CrossRef]
• J. C. Knight, T. A. Birks, P. St. J. Russell, and D. M. Atkin, "All-silica single-mode optical fiber with photonic crystal cladding," Opt. Lett. 21,1547-1549 (1996). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• D. Mogilevtsev, T. A. Birks, and P. St. J. Russell, "Group-velocity dispersion in photonic crystal fibers," Opt. Lett. 23,1662-1664 (1998). [CrossRef]
• F. Lu, Y. Deng, W. H. Knox, "Generation of broadband femtosecond visible pulses in dispersion-micromanaged holey fibers," Opt. Lett. 30,1566-1568 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• J. C. Travers, S. V. Popov, and J. R. Taylor, "Extended blue supercontinuum generation in cascaded holey fibers," Opt. Lett. 30,3132-3134 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Phys. Rev. Lett.

• R. R. Alfano, and S. L. Shapiro, "Emission in the region 4000 to 7000 °A via four-photon coupling in glass," Phys. Rev. Lett. 24,584-587 (1970). [CrossRef]

Click here to see a list of articles that cite this paper

Related Journal Articles

• Wavelength conversion by use of four-wave mixing in a novel optical loop configuration (OL)
• Engineering the dispersion of tapered fibers for supercontinuum generation with a 1064 nm pump laser (OL)
• Photosensitivity-enabled dispersion controllability for quasi-phase-matching in photonic crystal fibers (OL)
• Nonlinear photonic crystal fiber with a structured multi-component glass core for four-wave mixing and supercontinuum generation (OE)
• Broadband wavelength conversion in a germanosilicate-core photonic crystal fiber (OL)

Related Conference Papers

• Design and fabrication of dispersion-managed fibers by periodic etching during the MCVD process
• Polarimetric four-wave mixing between two wavelengths in a single-mode fiber
• Four-wave mixing resonances in dispersion slope-matched and non-zero-dispersion fiber maps:impact on system performance
• Quantum computation with femtosecond photon echo
• Quantum computation with femtosecond photon echo
• Extension of Supercontinuum Generation to the Blue in Cascaded Holey Fibers