Recent Advancement in Optical Communication Using Few-mode Fibers

Few-mode fibers that allow mode division multiplexing (MDM) as well as spatial division multiplexing (SDM)) have the potential to increase the capacity crunch in single-mode fibers (SMFs) drastically. Recently, the research community is focusing on establishment of fast, flexible, and secure communication system to support broadband backbone Internet services. This article reviews the recent advancement in FMFs for MDM/SDM applications. We summarize the profile parameters and modal characteristics of several FMFs and propose an M-type graded-index FMF that supports 15 spatial modes with minimal modal crosstalk. The modal properties of the intended fiber are studied by using the finite element method based commercially available software COMSOL.