For Immediate Release

Attenuating Fiber Patchcords

DRAFT RELEASE - Version 2.0

Ottawa, Canada - January 15, 2005

OZ Optics Limited, a global supplier of fiber optic products for existing and next-generation optical networks, has developed a new technology to precisely attenuate signals in fibers. This patent pending, fully automatable technique allows one to create fixed attenuation within any standard fiber, with low polarization dependent loss (PDL) and high power handling. The resultant attenuating fiber patchcord is physically identical in appearance and behaviour to the original fiber, allowing it to be used to build patchcords or male-female hybrid attenuators. As the process used does not require the manufacture of special fiber, attenuating fiber patchcords can be constructed in small batch quantities economically. At the same time the automation aspect of the techniques allows large quantity orders to be manufactured at a cost as low as a dollar per unit.

Attenuating fiber patchcords can be made from either singlemode or polarization maintaining (PM) fiber. PM attenuating fiber maintains polarization to better than 25dB. Multimode fiber attenuators can also be made, provided the light travelling through the fiber is incoherent and uniformly excites the fiber modes. Attenuating fiber is capable of handling up to 2 Watts of optical power at 1550nm. The attenuator creation technique can also be used to build attenuators directly onto fibers inside devices, allowing one to precisely trim the output signal strength from an optical device. The attenuating section is only a couple of millimetres to a couple of centimeters long, depending on the attenuation. OZ Optics offers to license our new technology to interested parties. The attenuator creation technique can be used to manufacture components with built in attenuators on the factory floor.

Attenuating fiber patchcords and hybrid male-female attenuators are available with between 0.5 to 20 dB attenuation, in 0.1dB increments. Higher attenuation levels and higher resolution attenuation steps are possible. Attenuators can be made for operating wavelengths from 488nm to 1650nm. Prototype and custom designs can be made quickly and in small volumes economically. Contact OZ Optics for more detailed information.
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