Design of a bidirectional TM01(TE01)–LP01 mode converter with a metasurface-on-fiber

Abstract

Mode conversion is crucial for coupling a light source to a desired waveguide. While traditional mode converters such as fiber Bragg gratings and long-period fiber gratings exhibit high transmission and conversion efficiency, the mode conversion of two orthogonal polarizations remains challenging. Here, we present a bidirectional metasurface mode converter that can convert the transverse electric (TE)01 or transverse magnetic (TM)01 mode to the fundamental mode (LP01) with orthogonal polarization, and vice versa. The mode converter is located on a facet of a few-mode fiber and connected to a single mode fiber. Through simulations, we find that 99.9% of the TM01 or TE01 mode is converted into the x- or y-polarized LP01 mode, and that 99.96% of the x- or y-polarized LP01 mode is converted to the TM01 or TE01 mode. Furthermore, we expect a high transmission of over 84.5% for all mode conversions, up to 88.7% for TE01 to y-polarized LP01 conversion.