CN102866534A - Adjustable optical attenuator - Google Patents
Adjustable optical attenuator Download PDFInfo
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- CN102866534A CN102866534A CN2012103784134A CN201210378413A CN102866534A CN 102866534 A CN102866534 A CN 102866534A CN 2012103784134 A CN2012103784134 A CN 2012103784134A CN 201210378413 A CN201210378413 A CN 201210378413A CN 102866534 A CN102866534 A CN 102866534A
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- liquid crystal
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- phase liquid
- optical fiber
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- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 title claims abstract description 40
- 239000004973 liquid crystal related substance Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 74
- 239000013307 optical fiber Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 20
- 239000013078 crystal Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 17
- 230000004044 response Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 15
- 230000010287 polarization Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 9
- 239000004988 Nematic liquid crystal Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 7
- 238000002360 preparation method Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 4
- 210000002858 crystal cell Anatomy 0.000 claims description 18
- 230000005684 electric field Effects 0.000 claims description 15
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 claims description 10
- 239000000835 fiber Substances 0.000 claims description 5
- 239000003795 chemical substances by application Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000013507 mapping Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000000178 monomer Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 229920006395 saturated elastomer Polymers 0.000 claims description 3
- 108091092195 Intron Proteins 0.000 claims description 2
- 230000008878 coupling Effects 0.000 claims description 2
- 238000010168 coupling process Methods 0.000 claims description 2
- 238000005859 coupling reaction Methods 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 238000001259 photo etching Methods 0.000 claims description 2
- 229920000642 polymer Polymers 0.000 claims description 2
- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 abstract description 4
- 238000005265 energy consumption Methods 0.000 abstract description 3
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 abstract 1
- 238000013461 design Methods 0.000 description 4
- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 4
- 239000011521 glass Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000004140 cleaning Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000002262 irrigation Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000003973 irrigation Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000001907 polarising light microscopy Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000009286 beneficial effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000001105 regulatory effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000001338 self-assembly Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012360 testing method Methods 0.000 description 1
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Abstract
The invention provides an adjustable optical attenuator which comprises an adjustable light source, an optical fiber circulator, an optical fiber collimator, a birefringent crystal, a blue phase liquid crystal box, a reflecting prism and an optical intensity meter. Laser emitted by the adjustable light source becomes two beams of polarized light with polarization directions perpendicular to each other through the optical fiber circulator and the optical fiber collimator and then through the birefringent crystal, the polarized light passes through the blue phase liquid crystal box and is reflected by the reflecting prism and finally reaches the optical intensity meter through a loop, and the light attenuation amount is controlled on the basis of the corresponding matching relations between applied voltage on the blue phase liquid crystal box and intensity of transmitting light. The response time of the attenuator reaches the microsecond magnitude by means of the blue phase liquid crystal box, the magnitude order is accelerated by over two magnitude orders in comparison with nematic liquid crystals, and contrast and modulation quantity are improved. Besides, the adjustable optical attenuator is wide in working wave band range, voltage and energy consumption and cheap, a preparation method is simple, convenient and efficient, mass production can be achieved, and the optical attenuator is stable in performance and meets the practical requirements in the fields of optical communication, optical fiber sensing and integrated optics and the like.
Description
Technical field
The present invention relates to the photoelectron technology field, be specifically related to a kind of design and preparation of regulating optical attenuator.
Background technology
Liquid crystal material has the flowability of liquid and the order of crystal concurrently, because its excellent outfield (electric field, light field, sound field, temperature field etc.) tuning characteristic is being brought into play important application in flat pannel display and adjustable photonic device.Blue liquid crystal phase as a kind of uniqueness has been subject to people's extensive concern in recent years.The group of molecules state of blue phase liquid crystal is a kind of a kind of liquid crystal phase of the three-dimensional cubic lattice by having double-stranded column structure self assembly height of formation symmetry.Because this special symmetrical structure, so that it is the optical isotropy attitude when added electric field not, and have the advantages such as the orientation of need not, response time be fast.
In numerous photonic devices, optical attenuator is very important and the class that is widely used.For optical attenuator, response time and contrast are its most key performance index.The response speed of general nematic liquid crystal is slower, is generally more than 10 milliseconds, is a large bottleneck of restriction liquid crystal light attenuator performance and application.And the response time of blue phase liquid crystal can be low to moderate 10 microseconds, and corresponding optical attenuator prepared therefrom also can obtain the response of microsecond magnitude.On the other hand, the common liquid crystals device needs oriented layer to carry out preorientation, has both increased cost, produces again the survivor bits phase in light path, has reduced contrast and the efficiency of light energy utilization.And the optically isotropic initial state of blue phase liquid crystal can provide a perfect OFF state, has greatly improved the optical contrast.Therefore, the design technology of preparing of the blue phase liquid crystal optical attenuator of developing simple and effective has important using value.
Summary of the invention
The object of the invention is to provide the electric-controlled adjustable optical attenuator of a kind of high-contrast, quick response, satisfies it at the application needs in the fields such as optical communication, sensing, integrated optics.
For reaching above-mentioned purpose, the present invention proposes a kind of adjustable optical attenuator, comprising: tunable light source, fiber optical circulator, optical fiber collimator, birefringece crystal, blue phase liquid crystal box, reflecting prism and light intensity meter.
Wherein, the laser that tunable light source sends is through optical fiber circulator and optical fiber collimator, become the orthogonal polarized light in two bundle polarization directions by birefringece crystal again, then by the blue phase liquid crystal box, through the reflecting prism reflection, finally along the loop to light intensity meter, based on applying voltage and the mapping matching relationship that sees through light intensity on the blue phase liquid crystal box, control light decrement.
Further, wherein not during added electric field, without phase change, because the existence of birefringece crystal, light path can't be got back to optical fiber collimator to above-mentioned polarized light when reflecting by the blue phase liquid crystal box, and light path is blocked, and is OFF state; When applying saturated electric field, polarized light by the phase change of blue phase liquid crystal box generation half-wavelength, during again by birefringece crystal, can be got back to optical fiber collimator back and forth, and light path is unimpeded, is ON state.Between no-voltage and saturation voltage, come and go continuously variation, can realize the modulation of differential declines amount.
Further, wherein when applying electric field, the field causes the liquid crystal crystallographic axis and will be 45° angle with the polarization direction of incident light (ordinary light and extraordinary ray), by liquid crystal cell rear polarizer attitude 90 ° of deflections occurs to guarantee light back and forth under saturation voltage.
Further, described blue phase liquid crystal is made of 60 ~ 85% nematic liquid crystal, 10 ~ 30% chirality agent, 5～10% monomer, 0.2 ~ 0.8% the components such as light trigger, mixing forms polymer network and stablizes blue phase by ultraviolet photoetching, makes blue phase stable existence in wide temperature range.It is identical that the preparation of blue phase liquid crystal box and common liquid crystals box prepare used scheme.
Further, the thickness d of blue phase liquid crystal box and liquid crystal parameter (field under the saturation voltage causes birefringence δ n) and drive pattern (vertical plane electric field driven or face internal electric field drive) exact matching, make ordinary light and non-ordinary light just be pi/2, that is: 2 δ nd=pi/2s through the bit phase delay that liquid crystal cell produces back and forth.Described thickness is by choosing the introns particle diameter just and the thick d coupling of target box, and is thick with this control enclosure, obtains optimum contrast and response speed.
Further, the blue phase liquid crystal box is for adding the liquid crystal cell of field mode in the liquid crystal cell that vertically adds field mode or the face.
Beneficial effect of the present invention is:
(1) utilize blue phase liquid crystal, the response time of device reaches the microsecond magnitude, and is fast two more than the order of magnitude than nematic liquid crystal;
(2) need not oriented layer, without the survivor bits phase, improved contrast and modulation voltage;
(3) service band wide ranges, low-voltage, low energy consumption prepare scheme simple and effective, cheapness, can be mass, the optical attenuator stable performance, and indices satisfies the real requirement in the fields such as optical communication, Fibre Optical Sensor, integrated optics.
Description of drawings
The light path design figure of the adjustable optical attenuator of Fig. 1 embodiment of the invention.
Fig. 2 light decrement is (dB) with the relation curve of voltage that liquid crystal cell applies (peak-to-peak value).
The switching response test curve of optical attenuator under Fig. 3 saturation voltage 70Vp-p.
Embodiment
In order more to understand technology contents of the present invention, especially exemplified by specific embodiment and cooperate appended graphic being described as follows.
The light path design figure of the adjustable optical attenuator of Fig. 1 embodiment of the invention.Adjustable optical attenuator comprises: tunable light source, fiber optical circulator, optical fiber collimator, birefringece crystal, blue phase liquid crystal box, reflecting prism and light intensity meter.Wherein, the laser that tunable light source sends is through optical fiber circulator and optical fiber collimator, become the orthogonal polarized light in two bundle polarization directions by birefringece crystal again, then by the blue phase liquid crystal box, through the reflecting prism reflection, finally along the loop to light intensity meter, based on applying voltage and the mapping matching relationship that sees through light intensity on the blue phase liquid crystal box, control light decrement.
In the present embodiment, blue phase liquid crystal is made of 70% nematic liquid crystal, 23% chirality agent, 6.5% monomer, several components of light trigger of 0.5%.Not during added electric field, without phase change, because the existence of birefringece crystal, light path can't be got back to optical fiber collimator to polarized light when reflecting by the blue phase liquid crystal box, and light path is blocked, and is OFF state; When applying saturated electric field, polarized light by the phase change of blue phase liquid crystal box generation half-wavelength, during again by birefringece crystal, can be got back to optical fiber collimator back and forth, and light path is unimpeded, is ON state.Between no-voltage and saturation voltage, come and go continuously variation, can realize the modulation of differential declines amount.And when applying electric field, the field causes the liquid crystal crystallographic axis and will be 45° angle with the polarization direction of incident light (ordinary light and extraordinary ray), by liquid crystal cell rear polarizer attitude 90 ° of deflections occurs to guarantee light back and forth under saturation voltage.
Embodiment 1:
The present embodiment is for vertically adding the liquid crystal cell example of field mode.
Liquid crystal cell is the ito glass without oriented layer, blue phase liquid crystal is heated to the above irrigation crystal of cleaning point (80 ℃), and keeps temperature after 10 minutes, with the speed cooling of 0.1 ℃/min, in the phase-state change of polarized light microscopy Microscopic observation liquid crystal, all change into blue phase to liquid crystal phase till (68 ℃).Keep temperature to immobilize, exposure is 6 minutes under the UV of 5mW/cm2 lamp, makes blue phase liquid crystal box stable under the room temperature.
Adjust the position of liquid crystal cell, so that the optical axis direction of liquid crystal after powering up is 45 ° (all transferring the angle of liquid crystal cell and surface level and incident light direction at 45 °) with two polarization directions of restrainting polarized lights, allow polarized light regulate mutually by rear acquisition dominant bit.Adjusting applies voltage, and the range of adjustment of optical attenuator is-8.22dB ~-37.4dB(Fig. 2), ON state response times 370 microsecond, OFF state response times 450 microseconds (Fig. 3).
Embodiment 2:
The present embodiment is the liquid crystal cell example that adds field mode in the face.
Liquid crystal cell simultaneously is dull and stereotyped plain glass, and another side is the electrode structure glass of transplanting.Blue phase liquid crystal is heated to the above irrigation crystal of cleaning point (80 ℃), and keeps temperature after 10 minutes, with the speed cooling of 0.1 ℃/min, in the phase-state change of polarized light microscopy Microscopic observation liquid crystal, all change into blue phase to liquid crystal phase till (68 ℃).Keep temperature to immobilize, exposure is 6 minutes under the UV of 5mW/cm2 lamp, makes blue phase liquid crystal box stable under the room temperature.
Adjust the position of liquid crystal cell, the optical axis direction after liquid crystal is powered up is 45 ° (all transferring the angle of liquid crystal cell and surface level and incident light direction at 45 °) with two polarization directions of restrainting polarized lights, allows polarized light regulate mutually by rear acquisition dominant bit.Adjusting applies voltage, although the cycle electrode causes the part diffraction loss, the scope of its adjusting still reaches-8～-36dB, the response time is identical with embodiment 1, and switch is inferior millisecond magnitude.
In sum, the present invention utilizes the blue phase liquid crystal box, makes the response time of attenuator reach the microsecond magnitude, and is fast two more than the order of magnitude than nematic liquid crystal; And need not oriented layer, without the survivor bits phase, improved contrast and modulation voltage; And service band wide ranges, low-voltage, low energy consumption prepare scheme simple and effective, cheapness, can be mass, the optical attenuator stable performance, and indices satisfies the real requirement in the fields such as optical communication, Fibre Optical Sensor, integrated optics.
Although the present invention discloses as above with preferred embodiment, so it is not to limit the present invention.The persond having ordinary knowledge in the technical field of the present invention, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, when being used for a variety of modifications and variations.Therefore, protection scope of the present invention is as the criterion when looking claims person of defining.
Claims (6)
1. an adjustable optical attenuator is characterized in that, comprising: tunable light source, fiber optical circulator, optical fiber collimator, birefringece crystal, blue phase liquid crystal box, reflecting prism and light intensity meter,
Wherein, the laser that tunable light source sends is through optical fiber circulator and optical fiber collimator, become the orthogonal polarized light in two bundle polarization directions by birefringece crystal again, then by the blue phase liquid crystal box, through the reflecting prism reflection, finally along the loop to light intensity meter, based on applying voltage and the mapping matching relationship that sees through light intensity on the blue phase liquid crystal box, control light decrement.
2. adjustable optical attenuator according to claim 1 is characterized in that, wherein not during added electric field, without phase change, owing to the existence of birefringece crystal, light path can't be got back to optical fiber collimator to above-mentioned polarized light when reflecting by the blue phase liquid crystal box, light path is blocked, and is OFF state; When applying saturated electric field, polarized light by the phase change of blue phase liquid crystal box generation half-wavelength, during again by birefringece crystal, can be got back to optical fiber collimator back and forth, and light path is unimpeded, is ON state.
3. adjustable optical attenuator according to claim 1 is characterized in that, wherein when applying electric field, the crystallographic axis of liquid crystal will be 45° angle with the polarization direction of incident light, by liquid crystal cell rear polarizer attitude 90 ° of deflections occurs to guarantee light back and forth under saturation voltage.
4. adjustable optical attenuator according to claim 1, it is characterized in that, described blue phase liquid crystal is made of 60 ~ 85% nematic liquid crystal, 10 ~ 30% chirality agent, 5～10% monomer, 0.2 ~ 0.8% the components such as light trigger, mixing is by ultraviolet photoetching, form polymer network and stablize blue phase, make blue phase stable existence in wide temperature range.It is identical that the preparation of blue phase liquid crystal box and common liquid crystals box prepare used scheme.
5. adjustable optical attenuator according to claim 1, it 3 is characterised in that, the thickness d of blue phase liquid crystal box and liquid crystal parameter (field under the saturation voltage causes birefringence δ n) and drive pattern (vertical plane electric field driven or face internal electric field drive) exact matching, make ordinary light and non-ordinary light just be pi/2, that is: 2 δ nd=pi/2s through the bit phase delay that liquid crystal cell produces back and forth.Described thickness is by choosing the introns particle diameter just and the thick d coupling of target box, and is thick with this control enclosure, obtains optimum contrast and response speed.
6. adjustable optical attenuator according to claim 1 is characterized in that, the blue phase liquid crystal box is for adding the liquid crystal cell of field mode in the liquid crystal cell that vertically adds field mode or the face.
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| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN201210378413.4A CN102866534B (en) | 2012-10-08 | 2012-10-08 | Adjustable optical attenuator |
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| CN201210378413.4A CN102866534B (en) | 2012-10-08 | 2012-10-08 | Adjustable optical attenuator |
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| CN102866534A true CN102866534A (en) | 2013-01-09 |
| CN102866534B CN102866534B (en) | 2016-04-13 |
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Cited By (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN103076655A (en) * | 2013-01-17 | 2013-05-01 | 珠海保税区光联通讯技术有限公司 | Adjustable optical attenuator wavelength division multiplexer |
| CN103091787A (en) * | 2013-01-17 | 2013-05-08 | 珠海保税区光联通讯技术有限公司 | Variable optical attenuator and variable light attenuation wavelength division multiplexer |
| CN103543524A (en) * | 2013-09-22 | 2014-01-29 | 长春理工大学 | Continuous attenuator capable of keeping original polarization state |
| WO2015180380A1 (en) * | 2014-05-27 | 2015-12-03 | 华为技术有限公司 | Adjustable optical attenuator |
Citations (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US20050232570A1 (en) * | 2004-04-19 | 2005-10-20 | Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. | Variable optical attenuator and optical filter |
| US20100265282A1 (en) * | 2009-04-17 | 2010-10-21 | Citizen Holdings Co., Ltd. | Driving apparatus for liquid crystal light modulator and variable optical attenuator employing driving apparatus |
| US20120081625A1 (en) * | 2010-09-30 | 2012-04-05 | InLC Technology Ltd. | Variable optical attenuator (voa) |
-
2012
- 2012-10-08 CN CN201210378413.4A patent/CN102866534B/en active Active
Patent Citations (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US20050232570A1 (en) * | 2004-04-19 | 2005-10-20 | Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. | Variable optical attenuator and optical filter |
| US20100265282A1 (en) * | 2009-04-17 | 2010-10-21 | Citizen Holdings Co., Ltd. | Driving apparatus for liquid crystal light modulator and variable optical attenuator employing driving apparatus |
| US20120081625A1 (en) * | 2010-09-30 | 2012-04-05 | InLC Technology Ltd. | Variable optical attenuator (voa) |
Cited By (9)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN103076655A (en) * | 2013-01-17 | 2013-05-01 | 珠海保税区光联通讯技术有限公司 | Adjustable optical attenuator wavelength division multiplexer |
| CN103091787A (en) * | 2013-01-17 | 2013-05-08 | 珠海保税区光联通讯技术有限公司 | Variable optical attenuator and variable light attenuation wavelength division multiplexer |
| CN103091787B (en) * | 2013-01-17 | 2015-10-21 | 珠海保税区光联通讯技术有限公司 | Adjustable optical attenuator and adjustable optical attenuator wavelength division multiplexer |
| CN103076655B (en) * | 2013-01-17 | 2016-06-29 | 珠海保税区光联通讯技术有限公司 | Adjustable optical attenuator wavelength division multiplexer |
| CN103543524A (en) * | 2013-09-22 | 2014-01-29 | 长春理工大学 | Continuous attenuator capable of keeping original polarization state |
| WO2015180380A1 (en) * | 2014-05-27 | 2015-12-03 | 华为技术有限公司 | Adjustable optical attenuator |
| CN105446048A (en) * | 2014-05-27 | 2016-03-30 | 华为技术有限公司 | Variable optical attenuator |
| CN105446048B (en) * | 2014-05-27 | 2017-06-20 | 华为技术有限公司 | Adjustable optical attenuator |
| US9927678B2 (en) | 2014-05-27 | 2018-03-27 | Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. | Variable optical attenuator comprising a switchable polarization grating |
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| CN102866534B (en) | 2016-04-13 |
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