Features

Endlessly Single Mode Operation - No Higher Order Mode Cut-Off
Polarization-Maintaining Versions Available
Handles Very High Average Power
as well as High Peak Power
Low Nonlinearities
Low Fiber Loss
Mode Field Diameter is Wavelength Independent
Available with Core Sizes from 5 to 35 μm

Applications

Delivery of High-Power Broadband Radiation in a Single Spatial Mode
Short Pulse Delivery
Mode Filtering
Laser Pigtailing
Multiwavelength Guidance
Sensors and Interferometers

Thorlabs offers a selection of Endlessly Single Mode (ESM), Large-Mode-Area (LMA) Photonic Crystal Fibers (PCFs), including Polarization-Maintaining (PM) versions. A conventional single mode fiber is actually multimode for wavelengths shorter than the second-mode cutoff wavelength, limiting the useful operating wavelength range in many applications. In contrast, Crystal Fibre's endlessly single mode PCFs are truly single mode at all wavelengths for which fused silica is transparent.

In practice, the useful operating wavelength range is limited only by bend loss. Although the cladding possesses six-fold symmetry, the mode profile is very similar to the quasi-Gaussian fundamental mode of a conventional, axially symmetric, step-index fiber, resulting in a form overlap that is >90%. Unlike conventional fibers, these fibers are fabricated from a single material - undoped, high-purity, fused silica glass. The combination of material and very large mode area enables high power levels to be transmitted through the fiber without material damage or the adverse effects caused by the fiber's nonlinear properties.

The fibers can be spliced to standard single mode fibers or directly connectorized with standard FC/PC connectors or SMA 905 high power connectors. They can also be offered with end sealing or connectors as a custom item. Please contact your local Tech Support office for details or to receive a quotation.

Endlessly Single Mode, Large-Mode-Area, Single Mode, Photonic Crystal Fiber

Item #	ESM-12B	LMA-20	LMA-25	LMA-35
Optical Properties
Mode Field Diameter*	10 ± 1 µm	15.0 ± 1.5 μm	19.8 ± 2 μm	26.0 ± 0.5μm
Attenuation**	<1 dBm/km @ 1550 nm <15 dBm/km @ 1384 nm <4 dBm/km @ 1060 nm	<0.007 dB/m @ 780 nm	<3.5 dB/km @ 1064 nm <1.5 dB/km @ 1550 nm	<0.01 dB/m @ 1550 nm
Numerical Aperture	0.1 ± 0.05 @ 1550 nm	0.041 ± 0.01 @ 780 nm 0.055 ± 0.01 @ 1064 nm	0.04 ± 0.01 @ 1064 nm 0.046 ± 0.01 @ 1550 nm	0.046 ± 0.01 @ 1550 nm
Mode Field Area	80 ± 15 µm²	~175 µm²	~265 µm²	~530 µm²
Physical Properties
Signal Core Diameter	12 ± 1 µm	20.0 ± 0.4 μm	25.2 ± 0.4 μm	35.0 ± 0.5 μm
Outer Cladding Diameter, OD	125 ± 3 µm	229.5 ± 5 μm	268 ± 5 μm	283 ± 5 μm
Coating Diameter	240 ± 15 µm	340 ± 10 μm	410 ± 10 μm	426 ± 10 μm
Cladding Material	Pure Silica
Coating Material	Acrylate, Single Layer
Proof Test Level	0.5%	-

*Full width at points in the near field where intensity has dropped to 1/e of the peak value.
**Measured for a bend radius of 16 cm

Endlessly Single Mode, Large-Mode-Area, Polarization-Maintaining, Photonic Crystal Fiber

Item #	LMA-PM-5	LMA-PM-10	LMA-PM-15
Optical Properties
Mode Field Diameter*	4.2 ± 0.5 μm	8.0 ± 0.8 μm	12.5 ± 0.5μm
Attenuation **	<30 dB/km @ 470 nm <10 dB/km @ 800 nm	<30 dB/km @ 470 nm <5 dB/km @ 1060 nm <5 dB/km @ 1550 nm	<15 dB/km @ 1000 nm <10 dB/km @ 1550 nm <25 dB/km @ 800 nm
Numerical Aperture	0.09 ± 0.01 @ 470 nm	0.10 ± 0.05 @ 1060 nm	0.09 ± 0.02 @ 1060 nm
Cut-off Wavelength	None
Physical Properties
Signal Core Diameter	5.0 ± 0.5 μm	10.0 ± 1 μm	15.0 ± 0.5 μm
Outer Cladding Diameter, OD	125 ± 3 μm	230 ± 5 μm	230 +1/-5 μm
Coating Diameter	245 ± 10 μm	350 ± 10 μm	350 ± 10 μm
Cladding Material	Pure Silica
Coating Material	Acrylate, Single Layer
Proof Test Level	0.5%		10 N

*Full width at points in the near field where intensity has dropped to 1/e of the peak value.
**Measured for a bend radius of 16 cm

LMA-PM-5

LMA-PM-5 Attenuation

LMA-PM-10

LMA-PM-10 Attenuation

ESM-12B

ESM-12-02 Attenuation

LMA-PM-15

LMA-PM-15 Attenuation

LMA-20

LMA-20 Attenuation

LMA-25

LMA-25 Attenuation

LMA-35

LMA-35 Attenuation

This application note addresses general handling of fibers from NKT Photonics, including how to strip the protective coating, how to cleave the fibers and tips for coupling light to and from the fibers. This is ideal for customers new to photonic crystal fibers.

Application_Note-_Stripping_Cleaving_&_Coupling.pdf

The application note below addresses general advice about fusion splicing of photonic crystal fibers (PCFs). The note is limited to the work related directly to the fusion splicer, whereas guidelines for general handling of the PCFs can be found in the application note to the left.

Application Note-_Splicing_Single Mode_PCF.pdf

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Posted Comments:

Poster: sky.rover

Posted Date: 2013-04-22 00:41:06.067

I want to buy LMA-PM-10 fiber and the matching FC/APC cable and fiber collimation package using at 1um of the wavelength of light. Do the LMA-PM-10, P3-980PM-FC-2, F280APC-B match? Or any more advice? Thank you.

Poster: cdaly

Posted Date: 2013-05-02 13:52:00.0

Response from Chris at Thorlabs: F280APC-B is pre-aligned for 633nm collimation and would likely not work very well for 1 um. We do have a 1064 version, F220APC-1064, which is a shorter focal length at ~11mm, but if you have a specified wavelength in mind we can also custom align this or possible the 18mm version for you. Please note as well that the LMA-PM-10 is not connectorized and is sold as bare fiber. I will contact you directly to discuss this further.

Poster: tcohen

Posted Date: 2012-04-09 11:03:00.0

Response from Tim at Thorlabs: Thank you for your feedback. For the LMA-PM-10 the attenuation at 470nm will be <30 dB/km measured for a bend radius of 16cm. PCF can be spliced to small core silica fiber. In the “Handling” tab you can find application notes discussing splicing and I have contacted you with some information.

Poster: mchen

Posted Date: 2012-04-06 15:03:36.0

1. If using LMA-10 @ 470nm, the attenuation will be how much? 2. Can this type of fiber be spliced with a regular fiber?

Poster: jjurado

Posted Date: 2011-06-27 11:39:00.0

Response from Javier at Thorlabs to last poster: Thank you very much for submitting your inquiry. The Signal Core Diameter spec for the LMA fibers is really just the geometrical (or physical) core diameter of the fiber. So, for the LMA-20, the core diameter spec is 20 +/- 0.4 um.

Poster: jjurado

Posted Date: 2011-06-24 18:52:00.0

Response from Javier at Thorlabs to last poster: Thank you very much for contacting us. For the LMA (and ESM) fibers, dispersion effects are mainly driven by chromatic dispersion, very much like the dispersion of silica. So, in this case, the amount of waveguide dispersion is minimal. On the other hand, the waveguide of nonlinear PCF fibers is designed such that specific dispersion properties that are needed for supercontinuum and other nonlinear phenomena are achieved.

Poster:

Posted Date: 2011-06-23 17:09:34.0

I am just wondering why the dispersion curve here is different from the dispersion curve for highly nonlinear PCF. Is the dispersion curve refers to chormatic dispersion or simply material dispersion?

Poster:

Posted Date: 2011-06-23 16:54:16.0

I am just confuse about the term "signal core diameter". Is it the core diameter? If not, what is the core diameter of the fibre LMA20?

Poster: acable

Posted Date: 2008-06-04 14:35:46.0

One trick, obvious once said, is to ensure that the coupled light field is focused in air in front of the fiber. This ensures that the first waist that forms within the fiber is highly aberrated from the first bounce at the core cladding interface. This results in a lower power density than would be realized if the light field is focused directly on (worst case) or near the outer face of the fiber.

Poster: Tyler

Posted Date: 2008-06-04 14:11:20.0

A response from Tyler at Thorlabs to Daniel: As you know, many factors can influence the power damage threshold. In general, these fibers can be treated similarly to bulk silica, but in practice, things like imperfect coupling, contaminants, and other factors reduce the damage threshold. Each LMA fiber has a different mode field area and thus would have a different damage threshold. A good guideline would be to determine the mode field area and limit the power so that the peak power density is less than the damage threshold of silica, which is on the order of 400GW/cm^2. For safety, a factor of 10 or so might be prudent to use when using the fiber.(i.e, use 40GW/cm^2 as the maximum power density) I know this doesnt really answer your question but there are currently many good people in the industry trying to really understand and quantify damage thresholds so it is not at all a parameter than can be given with precision or guaranteed. If your application will utilize power densities in excess of 40 GW/cm^2 please contact an application engineer at Thorlabs to discuss the products feasibility and to gain access to any recent feedback concerning the damage threshold of the product. To the reader: If you have any experience with the damage threshold of Large Mode Area Fibers please consider posting to this page. It is Thorlabs hope that this forum can become a valuable source of information for the scientific community.

Poster: daniel.mclean

Posted Date: 2007-11-19 12:18:39.0

It would be good if you listed the power handling capability of these fibers.

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