Chromatic dispersion characteristics of single-mode mid-infrared fibers

The chromatic dispersion characteristics of several heavy metal fluoride fibers were evaluated as a function of wavelength, core diameter and index difference for a single-mode step-index fiber structure. The results show that, by appropriate choice of core diameter and index difference for each material, the total dispersion can be reduced to zero over a broad wavelength range. It has been demostrated that it is possible to have zero-dispersion fluoride fibers at the minimun loss wavelength of 2.5 μm, but further study of other core profiles as well as the role of the extrinsic losses is necessary for a complete design study of these single-mode fibers. © 1987 SPIE