Optically controllable variable fiber optical attenuator integrated in conventional optical fiber
Citation
Martincek, I., & Pudis, D. (2014). Optically controllable variable fiber optical attenuator integrated in conventional optical fiber. Optik, 125(20), 7085–7088. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijleo.2014.08.097
Keywords
- Optically controllable
- Thermo-optical effect
- Liquid cladding
- Optical fiber
- Attenuation
- Laser radiation
- Refractive index contrast
- Core–cladding interface
- Heating element
- Fused silica
- Mineral oil (Cargille liquid)
- Static dependence
- Dynamic response
- Rise time
- Fall time
- Insertion loss
- Single mode optical fiber
- Telecommunication optical fiber
Brief
This article describes a novel optically controllable variable fiber optical attenuator integrated into a conventional optical fiber, utilizing the thermo-optical effect in a liquid cladding heated by laser radiation to change the refractive index contrast and thus the attenuation of the propagating signal.
Summary
This article describes a new type of optically controllable variable fiber optical attenuator (VFOA) integrated into a standard optical fiber. The device uses the thermo-optical effect in a liquid cladding (mineral oil) to control attenuation. A laser heats a metal layer, which in turn heats the liquid cladding, changing the refractive index contrast at the core-cladding interface and affecting the power of the propagating optical signal. The VFOA achieved an attenuation of up to -12 dB with a rise time of 24 ms and a fall time of 159 ms. It has potential applications in all-optical networks and optical fiber sensors.
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