Abstract
Fiber-optic variable optical attenuators (VOAs) are required for light power control in numerous applications such as test and instrumentation, optical fiber telecommunications, industrial fiber-optic sensing, biomedical imaging and sensing, and photonic signal processing for antennas and radar systems. The requirements for the VOA, such as dynamic range and resolution, vary depending on the application. A VOA can demonstrate high end performance when it possesses critical attributes like super resolution precision and high dynamic range. Reported in this paper is the demonstration of a hybrid analog-digital fiber-optic VOA design that employs microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology. The VOA demonstrates simultaneously a super high controlled dynamic range of 81 dB as well as super 0.1 dB resolution attenuation controls. Proof-of-concept experiments exhibit an optical loss of 2.5 dB and C-band operations.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 22 |
| Pages (from-to) | 159-165 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering |
| Volume | 5814 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2005 |
| Externally published | Yes |
| Event | Enabling Photonics Technologies for Defense, Security, and Aerospace Applications - Orlando, FL, United States Duration: 31 Mar 2005 → 1 Apr 2005 |
Keywords
- Digital Micro-Mirror Device (DMD™)
- Fiber-optics
- Variable Optical Attenuator (VOA)