Multicore photonic crystal fiber based intensity splitters/couplers

In this chapter, we will describe the splitting method in multicore photonic crystal fiber (PCF). From the study of the coupled-mode theory, we developed a method for designing of an optical splitter by PCF structures with high ratio of splitting. This method is based on the change in the diameter of the air holes in accordance with the coupling coefficients between the cores and it combines optimization of propagation distance to achieve the necessary physical conditions. We use the beam propagation method (BPM) to propose a new design of multicore photonic crystal fiber (PCF) based 1x8 splitters. Optical signal at wavelength of 1.55µm inserted into the central core is equally divided into other eight cores. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the optical signal can be divided equally in PCF structure having dimensions of 40µm × 40µm x 5.2mm.