Title :
Polarization stabilizer using liquid crystal rotatable waveplates
Author :
Chiba, Takafumi ; Ohtera, Yasuo ; Kawakami, Shojiro
Author_Institution :
Res. Inst. of Electr. Commun., Tohoku Univ., Sendai, Japan
fDate :
5/1/1999 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
In standard single-mode fiber (SMF) transmission systems, a polarization stabilizer is useful for optimizing the performance of polarization dependent systems or devices. We have proposed and developed a polarization stabilizer which employs liquid crystal (LC) rotatable waveplates. It has a simple configuration, no moving parts, and endless-control characteristic. High polarization stability was confirmed under various state of polarization (SOP) fluctuations. The maximum response speed of the polarization stabilizer is about 900°/s, but this can be increased by improving the controller. We applied the polarization stabilizer to a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) having polarization dependence, and achieved good gain stabilization
Keywords :
fluctuations; liquid crystal devices; optical communication equipment; optical polarisers; optical rotation; semiconductor optical amplifiers; stability; endless-control characteristic; good gain stabilization; high polarization stability; liquid crystal rotatable waveplates; maximum response speed; polarization dependence; polarization dependent systems; polarization stabilizer; semiconductor optical amplifier; standard single-mode fiber transmission systems; state of polarization fluctuations; Control systems; Liquid crystals; Optical fiber communication; Optical fiber couplers; Optical fiber devices; Optical fiber polarization; Optical polarization; Optical retarders; Optical waveguides; Semiconductor optical amplifiers;
Journal_Title :
Lightwave Technology, Journal of
