This thesis describes the outcome of study to investigate methods of broadband matching to photonic devices such as lasers and high speed detectors. The thesis is divided into two areas of interest relating to the design of broadband fiber optic links. The first area is the application of numerical methods and commensurate line methods to the design of compact equalisers which allow an improved transducer power gain over a wide band. It is shown that physically small equalisers can yield an improvement of 4 dB over a 2 GHz bandwidth. The second area considered is the distortion inherent in a laser diode. Detailed measurements of the second order and intermodulation products are given. A small signal perturbation analysis is presented which helps to explain the observed distortion products. The results of numerical simulation of the distortion using a state variable implementation of the full rate equations and related first, second and intermodulation equations is presented and possible methods of reducing the distortion are explored. It is shown that in principle the distortion could be reduced by pre-generating the distortion and adding an inverted form of the distortion to the transmitted signal. The distortion can then be corrected in the fiber and simulation studies suggest that an improvement of 13 dB optical or 26 dB electrical may be possible.

External modulators will become key components in fiberoptical communica- tion systems operating at 40Gbit/s andhigher bitrates. Semiconductor electro- absorption (EA)modulators are promising candidates because of their high-speed potential, and their process compatibility with thecorresponding semi- conductor laser light sources. Thetraveling-wave (TW) electrode concept for electro-opticmodulators has been used for a long time in order to resolvethe con°ict between high modulation depth and highmodulation bandwidth. Re- cently, it has been adopted for EAmodulators as well. This thesis presents the work carried out on design,fabrication and analysis of traveling-wave EA modulators(TWEAM) based on InP-InGaAsP. The lengths of TWEAM arecomparable to the lengths of their lumped counterparts. Theexperimental data of this work were analyzed in order show thatthe traveling- wave concept results in better performance evenfor short EA modulators. One key issue is the impedancematching. The low intrinsic characteristic modulator impedancehas to be matched with a corresponding load. In this case, theTW con figuration leads to a much higher bandwidth than for alumped EA modulator with the same length and the same connectedload. An InP process was developed allowing the fabrication ofTWEAM with integrated termination resistors. Experimentalmicrowave properties were ob- tained for different TWEAMgeometries. It is reported on long TWEAM that showstate-of-the-art bandwidth. A 450&#956m long TWEAM reached43GHz, and 67GHz (beyond characterization limit) were indicatedfor a 250&#956m device. The experimental results onmicrowave properties were compared to full-wave, and circuitmodel simulations. The analysis reveals an impedance bandwidthtrade- off for the cross sectional electrode configuration. Results of a new high-impedance design in form of asegmented TWEAM are presented. The devices were processedwithin the frame of this work and record bandwidth performanceis reported. At 50&#937­ impedance a bandwidth in the90GHz region was indicated.

Wavelength Division Multiplexing Passive Optical Networks (WDM PONs) offer a great solution to satisfy the increasing demand of bandwidth. In addition, it offers a higher level of data security through virtual point to point connections. A great challenge in realizing cost-effective WDM PON is the need for a transmitter at each Optical Network Unit (ONU) with a dedicated wavelength, which overloads the total cost of the system, in addition to reducing the number of available wavelengths in the system. Remodulation scheme is an ultimate solution for these problems of WDM PONs as the downstream signal itself is remodulated with upstream data which saves the need for a laser source at the ONU side. In this thesis I propose and experimentally demonstrate a novel wavelength remodulation scheme for WDM PONs that employs Differential Phase Shift Keying (DPSK) for downstream and Return to Zero DPSK (RZ-DPSK) for upstream. The use of DPSK enhanced the system with improved receiver sensitivity and RZ-DPSK improved the tolerance toward chromatic dispersion. In addition, I investigate the Backreflection (BR) penalty resulting from beat noise of BRs with upstream signal in a bidirectional WDM PON system that uses remodulation and phase modulation as a modulation format. I experimentally demonstrate the optimal conditions to operate the system and minimize the BR penalty.

This dissertation consists of two topics. One is a "Multi-pass Fiber Optic Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensor (SPR)" and the other is a "Nano-metallic Surface Plasmon Lens." Since both topics involved surface plasmon, the title of this dissertation is named "Surface plasmon coupled sensor and nanolens." For a multi-pass fiber optic SPR sensor, a fiber optic 4-pass SPR sensor coupled with a field-assist capability for detecting an extremely low concentration of charged particles is first demonstrated. The multipass feature increases the sensitivity by a factor equal to the number of passes. The field-assist feature forces charged particles/molecules to the SPR surface, increasing the sensitivity by an additional factor of about 100. Overall, the sensitivity exceeds the one-pass SPR device by a factor of about 400. A 10 pM concentration of 47 nm diameter polystyrene (PS) latex beads and 1 ?M concentration of salt dissolved in DI water were detected within a few seconds by the combined system. The equivalent index resolution for atomic size corresponding to ionized chlorine in salt is 10-8. This technique offers the potential for sensitive and fast detection of biomolecules in a solution. Secondly, a 44-pass fiber optic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor coupled with a field-assist capability for measurement of refractive index change due to positive and negative ions is shown. The field-assist feature forces ions to the SPR surface, causing the SPR signal response to change which reflects a decrease or increase in refractive index depending on whether positive or negative ions are being attracted to the surface. This technique offers the potential for the sensitive detection of cations and anions in a solution. For a nano-metallic surface plasmon lens, we analyze the transmission of a normally incident plane wave through an Ag/dielectric layered concentric ring structure using finite difference time domain (FDTD) analysis. The dependency of the transmission efficiency on the refractive index in slit is studied. The numerical analysis indicates that the focusing beyond diffraction limit is found even at the extended focal length comparable to the distance of 7" from the exit plane using a circularly polarized coherent plane wave, ?=405 nm. Especially, compared to an Ag-only structure, the Ag/ LiNbO3 structure amplifies the transmission power by a factor of 6. Therefore, this Ag/dielectric layered lens has the potential for significantly higher resolution imaging and optical data storage.

In this study a fiber optic interferometer (FOI) was designed and constructed to measure micron level clearances occurring in piston cylinder arrangements. A Cartesian model of the piston cylinder assembly is manufactured and lateral motion and vertical displacement are generated via a step motor, and micrometers, respectively. Clearance measurements are conducted in air and also in a lubricant. The range of vertical displacements is kept between 0-50 &amp / #956 / m, and the lateral motion is 13.5 mm. The effect of the step motor and lateral motion carriage on distance measurement is determined and this is used to correct displacement measurements.

<p>External modulators will become key components in fiberoptical communica- tion systems operating at 40Gbit/s andhigher bitrates. Semiconductor electro- absorption (EA)modulators are promising candidates because of their high-speed potential, and their process compatibility with thecorresponding semi- conductor laser light sources. Thetraveling-wave (TW) electrode concept for electro-opticmodulators has been used for a long time in order to resolvethe con°ict between high modulation depth and highmodulation bandwidth. Re- cently, it has been adopted for EAmodulators as well.</p><p>This thesis presents the work carried out on design,fabrication and analysis of traveling-wave EA modulators(TWEAM) based on InP-InGaAsP. The lengths of TWEAM arecomparable to the lengths of their lumped counterparts. Theexperimental data of this work were analyzed in order show thatthe traveling- wave concept results in better performance evenfor short EA modulators. One key issue is the impedancematching. The low intrinsic characteristic modulator impedancehas to be matched with a corresponding load. In this case, theTW con figuration leads to a much higher bandwidth than for alumped EA modulator with the same length and the same connectedload.</p><p>An InP process was developed allowing the fabrication ofTWEAM with integrated termination resistors. Experimentalmicrowave properties were ob- tained for different TWEAMgeometries. It is reported on long TWEAM that showstate-of-the-art bandwidth. A 450&#956m long TWEAM reached43GHz, and 67GHz (beyond characterization limit) were indicatedfor a 250&#956m device. The experimental results onmicrowave properties were compared to full-wave, and circuitmodel simulations. The analysis reveals an impedance bandwidthtrade- off for the cross sectional electrode configuration.</p><p>Results of a new high-impedance design in form of asegmented TWEAM are presented. The devices were processedwithin the frame of this work and record bandwidth performanceis reported. At 50&#937­ impedance a bandwidth in the90GHz region was indicated.</p>

We evaluate the changes in fluorescence from endogenous fluorophores such as amino acids, structural proteins and enzymatic co-factors to predict malignancy and risk of developing ovarian cancer. 249 ovarian biopsies of the surface epithelium were interrogated in vitro, over 270-550 nm excitation, and fluorescence was collected from 290-700nm. Spectroscopic data was analyzed using parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) to determine excitation and emission spectra of the underlying fluorophores that contribute to the total detected fluorescence intensity. Using multivariate normal distribution fits and cross-validation techniques, sensitivity (SN) and specificity (SP) of 88 and 93 percent, respectively, were achieved when classifying malignant samples versus others, while 88 and 80 percent, respectively, were achieved when classifying normal post menopausal patients as being either at low- or high-risk of developing ovarian cancer based on their personal and family history of cancer. Also, the performance of classifying cancer increases when the normal group excludes benign neoplasm and endometriosis samples, while the performance of low- v. high-risk decreases when both pre- and post-menopausal samples are included. These results could potentially be useful in screening women at increased risk of developing ovarian cancer. This motivated our study to investigate similar changes in ovarian autofluorescence in vivo. 40 patients were recruited and a total of 189 samples were imaged using a fiber optic bundle and biopsied. Using PARAFAC, the factors computed from in vitro data analysis and in vitro data as a training set; pathology from each in vivo site biopsied was compared to calibrated tissue-fluorescence. It resulted in a SN and SP of 100 and 94 percent, respectively, for classifying normal versus malignant. In the case of risk assessment, cross validated in vivo data gave a SN and SP of 68 and 93%. Results obtained were consistent with those obtained in vitro, except for the presence of blood absorption peaks which affected risk assessment. Assessing endogenous fluorescence has diagnostic potential and if adapted to trans-vaginal access, would make the screening procedure less costly and less invasive, and would be most useful and economical in women at increased risk of developing ovarian cancer and might determine the ideal time to undergo an oophorectomy.

This thesis studies frequency-shifted interferometry (FSI), a useful and versatile technique for fiber-optic sensing. I first present FSI theory by describing practical FSI configurations and discussing the parameters that affect system performance. Then, I demonstrate the capabilities of FSI in fiber-optic sensor multiplexing and high sensitivity chemical analysis. We implemented a cryogenic liquid level sensing system in which an array of 3 fiber Bragg grating (FBG) based sensors was interrogated by FSI. Despite sensors' spectral overlap, FSI is able to separate sensor signals according to their spatial locations and to measure their spectra, from which whether a sensor is in liquid or air can be unambiguously determined. I showed that a broadband source paired with a fast tunable filter can be used in FSI systems as the light source. An array of 9 spectrally overlapping FBGs was successfully measured by such a system, indicating the potential of system cost reduction as well as measurement speed improvement. I invented the the FSI-CRD technique, a highly sensitive FSI-based fiber cavity ring-down (CRD) method capable of deducing minuscule loss change in a fiber cavity from the intensity decay rate of continuous-wave light circulating in the cavity. As a proof-of-principle experiment, I successfully measured the fiber bend loss introduced in the fiber cavity with FSI-CRD, which was found to be 0.172 dB/m at a bend radius of 12.5 mm. We then applied FSI-CRD to evanescent-field sensing. We incorporated fiber tapers as the sensor head in the system and measured the concentration of 1-octyne solutions. A minimum detectable 1-octyne concentration of 0.29% was achieved with measurement sensitivity of 0.0094 dB/% 1-octyne. The same system also accurately detected the concentration change of sodium chloride (NaCl) and glucose solutions. Refractive index sensitivity of 1 dB/RIU with a measurement error of 1*10^-4 dB was attined for NaCl solutions. Finally, I proposed a theoretical model to study the polarization effects in FSI systems. Preliminary results show that the model can already explain the experimental observations. It not only provides insight into how to improve system performance but also suggests potential new applications of the technique.

This thesis studies frequency-shifted interferometry (FSI), a useful and versatile technique for fiber-optic sensing. I first present FSI theory by describing practical FSI configurations and discussing the parameters that affect system performance. Then, I demonstrate the capabilities of FSI in fiber-optic sensor multiplexing and high sensitivity chemical analysis. We implemented a cryogenic liquid level sensing system in which an array of 3 fiber Bragg grating (FBG) based sensors was interrogated by FSI. Despite sensors' spectral overlap, FSI is able to separate sensor signals according to their spatial locations and to measure their spectra, from which whether a sensor is in liquid or air can be unambiguously determined. I showed that a broadband source paired with a fast tunable filter can be used in FSI systems as the light source. An array of 9 spectrally overlapping FBGs was successfully measured by such a system, indicating the potential of system cost reduction as well as measurement speed improvement. I invented the the FSI-CRD technique, a highly sensitive FSI-based fiber cavity ring-down (CRD) method capable of deducing minuscule loss change in a fiber cavity from the intensity decay rate of continuous-wave light circulating in the cavity. As a proof-of-principle experiment, I successfully measured the fiber bend loss introduced in the fiber cavity with FSI-CRD, which was found to be 0.172 dB/m at a bend radius of 12.5 mm. We then applied FSI-CRD to evanescent-field sensing. We incorporated fiber tapers as the sensor head in the system and measured the concentration of 1-octyne solutions. A minimum detectable 1-octyne concentration of 0.29% was achieved with measurement sensitivity of 0.0094 dB/% 1-octyne. The same system also accurately detected the concentration change of sodium chloride (NaCl) and glucose solutions. Refractive index sensitivity of 1 dB/RIU with a measurement error of 1*10^-4 dB was attined for NaCl solutions. Finally, I proposed a theoretical model to study the polarization effects in FSI systems. Preliminary results show that the model can already explain the experimental observations. It not only provides insight into how to improve system performance but also suggests potential new applications of the technique.

This thesis concerns with the development of a dual-parameter sensor based on fiber Bragg grating (FBG) and a packaging design for high pressure sensing in harsh environment. This thesis starts by introducing a novel design of a partially coated FBG, using a metallic insert and a thermal curing epoxy. An analytical opto-mechanical model, based on couple mode theory, was developed and presented. The experimental and modelling result of the optical response of the partially coated FBG were compared and shown to be in excellent agreement. The experiments were executed on a custom-built fiber optic calibration station. The coated FBG sensor has a temperature sensitivity of 26.9 ± 0.3 pm/°C, which is 2.7 times higher than a bare fiber; and a force sensitivity of 0.104 nm/N, which is 13 times smaller than a bare fiber. The zero reference of the sensor has a drift of a maximum of 70 pm but the sensor is shown to settle within ±5 pm after 3 thermal cycles and 10 tensile loading cycles. A low profile packaging design is presented for a maximum pressure of 20.68 MPa (3000 psi) for harsh environment applications. A detailed study with FEM analysis revealed the optimal design for the package’s sleeve thickness is 0.5 mm. The temperature sensitivity is in close agreement with the unpackaged coated sensor with 10% difference. Compared to the modelling, the equivalent force sensitivity is 27% lower due to prototype dimensional uncertainties and modelling uncertainties with the material properties. The lack of pre-tension of the FBG sensor in the package also attributed to lower force sensitivity at pressure level lower than 4.13 MPa (600 psi).