Month: January 2022

What does polarization refer to in polarization maintaining components?

In polarization maintaining components, there is a huge rule of polarization as it influences the performance of these components, the quality of the signal transmitted across the network, and their desirability in certain applications. So, if you wonder about what this polarization means in optical fiber communication networks, this blog is a must-read for you.

What is the meaning of polarization in optical fiber communication?

A light beam is composed of two electrical vector field components that are orthogonal to each other. These components vary in terms of frequency and amplitude. We call a light beam polarized when these two components vary in amplitude (or phase).

Polarization in optical fibers has been extensively researched and studied, and now, we have a variety of ways to either minimize this polarization or maximize it to take advantage of polarization, depending on our requirements.

Meaning, in polarization maintaining components, components are designed using optical fibers to maintain polarization to take advantage of this phenomenon.

When talking about polarization, there is another term that you should know about for better understanding.

Birefringence

This phenomenon occurs in certain types of materials that can split a light beam into two different paths. It happens because these materials have different indices of refraction based on the polarization direction of the light. This phenomenon is also seen in optical fibers because of the slight asymmetry in the cross-section of the fiber core and external stresses exerted on fiber due to bending. In general, birefringence is induced more often by external stresses than the geometry of the fiber.

A specialty fiber that maintains polarization creates a consistent birefringence pattern along its length intentionally, and thereby prevents the coupling between two orthogonal polarization patterns. In any fiber design, the geometry of the fiber and materials used in the formation of fiber creates a lot of stress in one direction and hence produces higher birefringence as compared to the random one.

In the market, a number of designs with stress-inducing architectures, such as Panda and Bow Tie PM Fibers with different cut-off wavelengths are available for commercial use.  

Did you know polarization is characterized by some measurable properties? We have enlisted some of these properties below:

  • Extinction Ratio: It is expressed in dB and refers to the ratio of minimum polarized power and maximum polarized power.
  • Polarization Dependent Loss: Also expressed in dB, it is the maximum peak-to-peak variation in insertion loss.
  • Polarization Mode Dispersion: It is another form of material dispersion.

Since the fiber core is not perfectly circular in general and it is exposed to mechanical stresses that induce birefringence in the fiber, it causes one of the orthogonal polarization modes to travel faster than the other. This, in turn, causes dispersion of the optical pulse.

The maximum difference in the times of the mode propagation caused by dispersion is known as differential group delay, which is typically expressed in picoseconds.

Fundamental Things You Need To Know About Passive Electronic Components!!

Regardless of whether you know it or not, one of the crucial factors that distinguish kinds of electronic components from one other is if they are active or passive. Although, tons of individuals are still unsure about the difference! On the off chance, if you also fall under the same category of individuals, there is nothing to feel embarrassed as we have got you covered.

Mentioned below is the difference between active and passive components. So, keep reading.

The Difference

Active components: These are crucial parts of a circuit that entirely depends on an external power source to manage or modify electric signals. For your better understanding, active components such as transistors and silicon-controlled rectifiers (SCRs) utilize electricity to handle electricity.

Passive components: High power components such as resistors, transformers, and diodes do not consume external power source to function precisely. These high power components utilize some different properties to manage the electrical signal, as an outcome, they only need the current going via the connected circuit. Resistors hinder the flow of electrons without transferring more electricity into the system. The two precisely explained high power components examples are listed below.

1. Capacitors: A capacitor also called as condenser is a passive two-terminal electronic component that is utilized for storing energy electro-statically in an electric field.  There are various forms of practical capacitors, yet each and every one still contain at least two electrical conductors that are separated by an insulator aka dielectric. The conductors can be in the form of thin films, sintered beads of metal, foils or conductive electrolyte. The non-conducting insulators are used to double the charge capacity of condenser. An insulator can be made of glass, ceramic, plastic film, air, vacuum, paper, mica, oxide layer etc. In plenty of electrical devices, capacitors/ condensers are widely used as parts of electrical circuits. Unlike a resistor, an optimal condenser does not squander energy. Rather than dissipating, a capacitor stores energy in the state of electrostatic field between its plates.

2. Resistors: A resistor is a passive two-terminal electrical component that applies electrical intransigence as a circuit element. Resistors are generally used to lessen the current flow, and, at the same time, they are also used for lowering the voltage levels within circuits. In electronic circuits, there are utilized to restrict current flow, adjust signal levels, bias active elements, terminate transmission lines and the list is endless. High-power resistors that are capable of dissipating loads of watts of electrical power can also be used as part of motor controls, in power distribution systems, or as test loads for generators. In addition to this, resistors may comes with fixed resistances that only get changed with a cold temperature, time or operating voltage. Also, variable resistors can be used to adjust circuit elements.

So, these were some of the most imperative things that you should know. For any further clarification and information, please get in touch with us whenever you want.

What is Wavelength-Division Multiplexing and Its Benefits?

A technical solution that permits the combination (“mux”) of several separate light wavelengths (signals/channels) from different lasers on a single fiber utilizing a passive component for transmission to another site is called Wavelength-division Multiplexing (WDM).

The WDM components then demultiplex the combined wavelengths at the receiving location and route them to their appropriate receivers.

The Main Components of WDM System

In a WDM system, there are two different types of approaches:

  • Dual-fiber unidirectional transmission
  • Single-fiber bidirectional transmission.

The simultaneous transmission of multiple optical channels on a fiber propagating in one direction is known as dual-fiber Unidirectional WDM.

There are separate wavelengths that convey different paths across an optical fiber. At the transmitting end, these signals are combined for transmission across the fiber and demultiplexed to complete multiple paths at the receiving end.

It is necessary to use a second optical fiber for the opposite direction of the transmission. And since the transmission takes place in both directions, it is vital to use two optical fibers.

Bidirectional WDM is the simultaneous transmission of optical channels in both directions on a fiber, with the wavelengths employed segregated to achieve full-duplex communication between the two sides.

The standard components of a WDM system are:

  • The network management system
  • Optical transmitter
  • Optical relay amplifier
  • Optical receiver
  • Optical monitoring channel are.

The WDM system’s overall structure

Transceivers, WDM wavelength division multiplexers, patch cords, and dark fiber components make up the basic WDM system.

WDM system

The multiplexer and demultiplexer are critical components in the WDM technology, and their performance is crucial for the system’s transmission quality.

What are the benefits of using WDM Technology?

  1. Large Capacity

WDM’s main advantage is that it can fully utilize the optical fiber’s bandwidth resources and enhance data transmission capacity without requiring changes to the current network architecture. It allows an optical fiber’s transmission capacity to multiply a single wavelength.

2. Excellent Compatibility

WDM has a wide range of signal compatibility. Each wavelength is independent of the others and does not interfere with each other when transmitting signals with diverse qualities such as pictures, data, and sound to ensure transmission transparency.

3. Flexibility, Cost-effectiveness, and Dependability

WDM technology enables the addition of new channels as needed without disrupting the existing network, making upgrades convenient.

There is no need to replace the optical cable line when updating or increasing the network. New enterprises can be added or superimposed by adding wavelengths.

Large-capacity long-distance transmission can conserve optical fibers and 3R regenerators, lowering transmission costs dramatically.

4. Wavelength Routing

WDM is one of the most critical technologies for implementing all-optical networks. The up/down and cross-connection of various telecommunication services can be implemented by altering and adjusting the wavelength of the optical signal on the optical path.

A reputable designer and manufacturer of high-quality optical passive components can provide a comprehensive portfolio of WDM solutions tailored to your unique needs, allowing you to achieve system goals in the most efficient way possible.

Understanding PM Optical Isolators: Some Important Applications

Optical reflection is one of the few significant causes of performance degradation in amplifiers and fiber lasers. However, this significant issue can easily be dealt with by using high-quality optical isolators. For those of you who are not familiar with these devices, an optical isolator may be defined as a small device that are designed and created to transmit optical signals in a single direction. Now, this particular device tends to come in two different versions – polarization-insensitive optical isolators and polarization-maintaining optical isolators.

Although both of these versions of optical isolators are effective enough to block any returning light, the insertion loss in a polarization-maintaining optical isolator tends to depend on the input polarization. In this blog, we will shed some light on this particular version of optical isolators.

About Polarization Maintaining (PM) Optical Isolators

Polarization maintaining optical isolators (PM optical isolators) are known to be not just simpler but also very compact when it comes to their design, making them highly suitable for polarization maintaining fiber applications. This type of optical isolator is also highly useful in certain scenarios where an input free space beam of constant polarization tends to pass across the Faraday optics. In both of these applications, the linearly polarized beam that comes from the source is aligned with the transmission axis of the optical isolator.

Even though you can find several types of optical isolators in the market such as fiber-embedded isolators, all-fiber isolators, fiber Faraday rotator isolators, and many others, the core of a commercially available optical isolator tends to consist of a Faraday rotator and a couple of birefringent crystals.

What are the applications of Polarization Maintaining Optical Isolators?

Polarization-maintaining optical isolators have been gaining more and more prominence with each passing day due to the important role they play in modern transmission systems and fiber optic systems. The following are some of the most significant applications of PM optical isolators.

  • One of the main applications of PM optical isolators is that they are useful in applications that are sensitive to unwanted optical reflections and need the presence of polarized light. Since the fact that even a low optical reflection can be enough to increase the laser phase noise, wavelength stability, and intensity noise, the use of PM optical isolators tends to become inevitable in such applications.
  • Polarization maintaining optical isolators are also used in telecommunications and other similar areas such as the likes of biotechnology and sensing such as fiber-optic gyros. Not only this, PM optical isolators can also be seen extensively used in various other applications including fiber amplifiers, fiber sensors, fiber lasers, and so on and so forth.

These were just some of the many applications of polarization-maintaining optical isolators. So, now that you have gained enough knowledge about these devices, you would be able to make the right decision for your particular requirements. However, you must ensure that you deal with a reliable and highly reputed service provider in order to reap all the benefits.