Abstract

Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have attracted much interest in the field of optical communications in recent years, due to their ultrafast nonlinear properties in the near IR. Their potential applications in optics include noise suppression in long-haul transmission systems, wavelength conversion and passive mode-locking [1]. In order to maximize their interaction with the light, SWNTs have been integrated in optical devices in numerous ways, such as thin films on substrates, polymer composites, or deposition on fiber ends. In all cases, these options involve breaking the guided structure. We present a novel solution where an optical fiber is coated by a SWNT layer, and the interaction of the in-core transmitted light with the SWNT coating is provided by a tilted fiber Bragg grating (TFBG). These gratings enhance the coupling of light from core mode to cladding modes resonances, and they have found many uses in sensing applications [2].

© 2011 Optical Society of America