Fabrication and Characterization of N×N Plastic Optical Fiber Star Coupler based on Fused Combining

Abstract

High performance plastic optical fiber (POF) N×N star couplers are implemented based on fusing and combining technology. A set of cladding-removed POFs are fused into a solid body by heating and pressing them together to form the transition region between the input and output sides. The operation principle of the proposed star coupler is explained based on ray optics. To demonstrate the performance of the device, 2×2, 4×4 and 6×6 type POF couplers were fabricated and characterized. Performances of the POF star couplers were evaluated in terms of the flatness of the coupling ratios and excess losses.