RECONFIGURABLE OPTICAL INTERCONNECTION NETWORK FOR MULTIMODE OPTICAL FIBER SENSOR ARRAYS

A single-source, single-detector architecture has been developed to implement a reconfigurable optical interconnection network for multimode optical fiber sensor arrays. The network was realized by integrating LiNbO3 electro-optic (EO) gratings working at the Raman Nath regime and a massive fan-out waveguide hologram (WH) working at the Bragg regime onto a multimode glass waveguide. The glass waveguide utilized the whole substrate as a guiding medium. A 1-to-59 massive waveguide fan-out was demonstrated using a WH operating at 514 nm. Measured diffraction efficiency of 59% was experimentally confirmed. Reconfigurability of the interconnection was carried out by generating an EO grating through an externally applied electric field. Unlike conventional single-mode integrated optical devices, the guided mods demonstrated here has an azimuthal symmetry in mode profile which is the same as that of a fiber mode.