Fiber optic attenuators

1) Why do we need fiber optic attenuator?

Bigger is better, right? Or so most people think. Beginners in fiber optic technology is often why optical attenuator is needed to reduce the brightness too confused. Are we not with an amplifier to increase signal strength to?

The truth is that too much light can be a fiber optic receiver overload. Fiber optic attenuator is needed when a station has too much light, for example, if a station is very close to the receiver.

2) How does a Fiber Attenuator work?

Attenuators operate normally through the absorption of light, like a thin-film neutral density filters. Or by diffusion of light, as an air gap. They should not because that would reflect the light back to the unwanted reflections in the fiber system.

Another type of damper uses a fiber length of heavy losses, which appears on its input optical signal power so that its output power is less than the input level.

Reduce power to be, for example, by absorption, reflection, diffusion, deployment, conversion, diffraction and diffusion, etc.

3) What is the main function should have a fiber attenuator?

The main spec of damping is damping compared wavelength curve. Attenuators can be used with the same power at all wavelengths in the fiber system, or at least as flat as possible. For example, a 3dB attenuation at 1500 nm also reduces the intensity of light of 1550 by 3 dB, or as close as possible, and this is particularly true in a WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexing) systems.

4) Various types of dampers

There are two types of functional fibers TO: Plug-style (including shoots) and in-line.

A plug-type attenuator is a male-female workers, where attenuation occurs within the device, ie the light path from one to the other sleeve. These include FC Fiber Optic Attenuator, LC Attenuator, Attenuator SC, ST attenuator and much more.

An in-line attenuator is connected to a transmission fiber splice its two braids.

The principle of operation of the attenuator is substantially different because they use a variety of phenomena in order to reduce the power of propagating light. The easiest way is to bow to a fiber. Coil a patch cable several times around a pencil while measuring the attenuation of a power meter, since this band Reel. Then you have a primitive but working attenuator.

Most dampers are values given in decibels (dB down). It's called fiber optic fixed attenuator. For example, should reduce a-3dB attenuation, the intensity of output by 3dB.

Manufacturers use different types of light-absorbing materials to achieve well-controlled and stable cushioning. For example, a fiber doped with a transition metal, which absorbs light in a predictable way, and distributes the energy absorbed as heat.

Variable Fiber Optic Attenuators are also available, but they are usually precision instruments used in measurements.