Basic Passive Componets - Optical circulator And Optical Attenuator
Passive devices are neglected in the rush to complete the design of an electronic system. Many engineers select passive devices as an afterthought; they just pick them from a list of standard components. Although this practice is adequate for some circuits, it does not suffice in the demanding world of high-frequency amplifiers, precision sample-holds, data converters, or other demanding circuits. The hardware designer must select adequate passive components to obtain specified performance in demanding applications.
Optical attenuators are commonly used in fiber optic communications, either to test power level margins by temporarily adding a calibrated amount of signal loss, or installed permanently to properly match transmitter and receiver levels. Sharp bends stress optic fibers and can cause losses. If a received signal is too strong a temporary fix is to wrap the cable around a pencil until the desired level of attenuation is achieved.[1] However, such arrangements are unreliable, since the stressed fiber tends to break over time.
Fixed optical attenuators used in fiber optic systems may use a variety of principles for their functioning. Preferred attenuators use either doped fibers, or mis-aligned splices,or total power since both of these are reliable and inexpensive. Inline style attenuators are incorporated into patch cables. The alternative build out style attenuator is a small male-female adapter that can be added onto other cables.
Optical Attenuators are used in fiber optic communications to reduce optical fiber power at a certain level. Types of the fiber optic attenuators are based on the connectors and attenuation level. A commonly used version is the female to male plug type Bulkhead Attenuator which has a connector at one side and a adapter at the other side. We provide various types of optical attenuators, including FC, SC, ST, LC, E2000 Attenuators, available in PC/APC/UPC polish types. Our Fixed Attenuators can be with different attenuation levels from 1 dB to 30 dB, while the Variable Optical Attenuators which are generally used as In-Line Attenuators can be with a range of 0 ~ 60 dB attenuation level.
Fiberstore Fiber Optic Attenuator and Terminator Kits
Fiberstore Fiber Optic Attenuator and Terminator Kits each contain six fixed attenuators, five terminators, and a selection of dust caps. Components in the FAK03 kit have FC/PC connectors while those in the FAK05 kit have FC/APC connectors. Each kit is packaged in a plastic box measuring 7.0" x 3.5" x 1.25" (177.8 mm x 88.9 mm x 31.8 mm) and has nine labeled compartments. The label on the lid indicates the contents, associated Thorlabs item number (where applicable), attenuation value and tolerance for the attenuators, and wavelength range and return loss for the terminators. The table to the right lists the description and quantity of each item included in these kits.
An optical circulator is analogous to an electronic circulator and both perform similar functions. fiber optical circulator is a three-port device that allows light to travel in only one direction. A signal entering to Port 1 will exit Port 2 with minimal loss, while a signal entering Port 2 will exit Port 3 with minimal loss. Light entering port 2 experiences a large amount of loss at port 1, and light entering port 3 experiences a large amount of loss at ports 2 and 1. Optical circulators are non-reciprocal devices. This means that any changes in the properties of the light caused by passing through the device are not reversed by traveling in the opposite direction.
Optical circulators are non-reciprocal optics, which means that changes in the properties of light passing through the device are not reversed when the light passes through in the opposite direction. This can only happen when the symmetry of the system is broken, for example by an external magnetic field. A Faraday rotator is another example of a non-reciprocal optical device.
SM Fiber Optical Circulators
Fiberstore 1310 nm SM Fiber Optic Circulators are available unterminated, with FC/PC connectors, or with FC/APC connectors. The FC/PC and FC/APC connectors have a 2 mm narrow key. Our CIR1310, CIR1310-FC and CIR1310-APC circulators have a max output power of 300 mW. The CIR-1310-50-APC broadband fiber optic circulator is specifically designed for OCT applications. This circulator boasts a broader wavelength range than our standard 1310 nm SM fiber optical circulator and has a maximum output power of 500 mW. For more information, please see our full presentation on our circulator for OCT.
Fiberstore offers a wide variety of collimation and coupling components that can be used to effectively collimate or couple light out of and into FC/PC, FC/APC, or SMA terminated fiber. Optical isolators help protect sensitive laser sources and components from back reflections while fiber couplers, EDFA, circulators, and switches are the fundamental tools to creating fiber based optical circuits. We also offer a line of components for optogenetics applications, including fiber optic cannulae, patch cords, and light sources.
