Polarization-Independent, Multifunctional All-Fiber Comb Filter Using Variable Ratio Coupler-Based Mach-Zehnder Interferometer

A polarization-independent, multifunctional all-fiber comb filter by using variable ratio coupler (VRC)-based dual-pass Mach-Zehnder interferometer is newly proposed and demonstrated. Depending on the dynamic settings of coupling ratios of the fiber couplers, the comb filter provides the channel spacing tunable, multiwavelength switchable, and flat-top spectral responses. Theoretical calculations are verified by the experimental results. Experimentally, a comb filter with the channel spacing tunable from 0.4 to 0.8 nm was obtained. Meanwhile, when the comb spacing was tuned to 0.8 nm, the multiwavelength switchable operation with both the sinusoid and flat-top spectral responses was achieved. The proposed comb filter may find applications in optical communication systems and tunable multiwavelength fiber lasers.