Fibre Optic Switches UV-VIS-IR

17 Nov 2021

Fibre optic switches for single mode and multimode fibres based on a micro-mechanical/micro-optical concept provide excellent performance parameters, high flexibility and long-term stability.  The switches are available for a broad wavelength range from the ultraviolet to infrared and can be fabricated with practically all possible fibre types including large core fibres.

They offer:

• excellent repeatability
• high optical isolation
• very broad spectral range
• low polarisation dependent loss (PDL) & ultra low back reflection (eol series)
• reliability
• excellent environmental stability, tested acc. to Telcordia GR-1073
• high long-term stability: > 10^8 switching cycles
• low-etalon-effect option is available for spectroscopy

These switches are mainly used in high demanding applications in optical measurement and test systems, industrial production and process control, as well as in biomedical.  Examples for such applications are laser guiding systems for confocal fluorescence microscopy and laser scanning microscopy, fibre optic strain and temperature sensors for pipelines, bridges, tunnels etc, fibre optical measurement systems for environmental monitoring, test equipment for optoelectronic devices in their production, multi-channel optical performance monitoring, fibre Bragg sensors, testing of fibre optical cables and environmental back scatter trace analysis when used in conjunction with other equipment.

Special applications where switches are deployed are thickness measurement of silicon wafer (optical coherence tomography), pattern defect detection systems for semiconductor manufacturing, semiconductor surface treatment process, sealing inspection of plastic food containers to see if there are defects in the sealing of a food container (measurements can be performed at multiple spots in a short time), and confocal laser microscopy. These are a few examples where micro-mechanical/micro-optical fibre optic switches play a critical role.

Further information https://www.lasercomponents.com/uk/fiber-optics/active-passive-components/optical-switches/