High extinction ratio in-fiber polarizers based on 45° tilted fiber Bragg gratings

We report a near-ideal in-fiber polarizer implemented by use of 45 degrees tilted fiber Bragg grating structures that are UV inscribed in hydrogenated Ge-doped fiber. We demonstrate a polarization-extinction ratio of 33 dB over a 100-nm operation range near 1550 nm. We further show an achievement of 99.5% degree of polarization for unpolarized light with these gratings. We also theoretically investigate tilted grating structures based on the Green's function calculation, therein revealing the unique polarization characteristics, which are in excellent agreement with experimental data. (c) 2005 Optical Society of America