First realization of a birefringent flat-top single-mode fiber

We report on the first polarization maintaining single-mode fiber that delivers a flat-top intensity profile at 1050 nm. A high quality fundamental flat mode was obtained. We showed that our fiber can be considered as single-mode in practice with low confinement losses. Its birefringence was measured to be 0.6x10-4, and the PER was measured at more than 20 dB even for a 20 m fiber long. Strategies to enhance this birefringence preserving the flat top profile and the singlemode behaviour as well are also discussed.