FA-300/400/500 Fixed Attenuators

Plug, Receptacle & Loopback Types; 440 to 1625 nm; Attenuation 1 to 25 dB; Return Loss 50, 60 dB; Power Handling 50, 500 mW

OZ Optics’ FA-300/400/500 line of low cost fixed attenuators are available in different configurations like hybrid male to female, bulkhead receptacle and loopback to best suit your particular application. Each configuration has its own strengths. The hybrid type is ideal for reducing the intensity of a signal just prior to going into a receiver. They are also available with different connector types on the input and output. The receptacle style is ideal when two male connectors need to be mated with a fixed attenuator. Finally, the loopback style attenuator is intended for patch panel installations.

With its own technology to precisely attenuate signals in fibers, OZ Optics can create fixed attenuators within any standard fiber, with low polarization dependent loss (PDL) and high power handling. The resultant attenuating fiber is physically identical in appearance and behaviour to the original fiber, allowing it to be used to build male-female hybrid attenuators. Attenuating fiber can be made from either single mode and polarization maintaining (PM) fiber. PM attenuating fiber maintains polarization to better than 25 dB. Multimode fiber attenuators can also be made this way, provided the light travelling through the fiber is incoherent and uniformly excites the fiber modes. OZ Optics’ single mode plug type attenuators use attenuating fibers that are specially doped to reduce the intensity of the light. The fibers also feature a double cladding, with an absorbing dopant in the inner cladding layer, effectively suppressing light scattering into the cladding. Thus, the readings will not significantly depend on the application. This is a key advantage of the OZ Optics single mode hybrid style fixed attenuator (Note: Multi mode plug style attenuators do show cladding modes).

These attenuators have been tested in accordance with Telcordia standards. Hybrid male-female attenuators are available with between 0.5 to 20 dB attenuation, in 0.1 dB increments. Higher attenuation levels and higher resolution attenuation steps are possible. Attenuators can be made for operating wavelengths from 488 nm to 1650 nm. Prototype and custom designs can be made quickly and in small volumes economically.Bulkhead receptacle style fixed attenuators also use attenuated doped fiber and are available in female to female configurations for FC, SC and ST types. Finally, OZ Optics multimode loopback attenuators use a special attenuating filter inside. This provides uniform attenuation, regardless of the source being used. Many other loopback style fixed attenuators on the market use a high loss splice to attenuate the light. In multimode fibers this method is not recommended because the attenuation of the splice will greatly depend on the launch conditions from the source. OZ Optics’ loopback style attenuators avoid this problem.

Key Features:

• Low Backreflection
• Wide Wavelength Range
• Polarization Insensitive
• Compact and Rugged Housings
• Wide Range of Connectors/Receptacles
• Hybrid Style Attenuator Uses Attenuating Fiber
• Mode Independent Multi Mode Loopback Attenuators
• Designed to Meet Telcordia Requirements

Applications: Optical Power Equalization; CATV, LAN and Telecommunications; Test and Measurement; Channel Balancing for WDM Systems; Receiver Padding; Optical Transmission Systems