A novel method of optimal apodization selection for chirped fiber Bragg gratings

Apodization is a crucial technology for improving the dispersion performance of fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs). In this paper, we focus on how to select an optimal apodization for chirped fiber Bragg gratings and demonstrate a novel apodization selection method capable of choosing the optimal apodization based on the relationship between the bandwidth change and variation in average group delay ripple (GDR). Compared with current approaches, the novel method can select an optimal apodization profile and parameter for FBGs easily and accurately. Two numerical experiments are used to demonstrate the advantages of this method, one exhibits the different performances of five different apodization profiles, the other evaluates the influence of FBG parameters such as grating length, period, chirp, and index change on the apodization performance. (C) 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.