Atec Agilent-8169A - Manual

Agilent 11896A and 8169A
Polarization Controllers
Product Overview
Automatic polarization state adjustments for polarization-
dependent loss measurements and polarization synthesis
applications
Agilent 11896A: 980 nm and 1250 to 1640 nm
Agilent 8169A: 1400 to 1640 nm
Introduction
Developing and manufacturing
competitive, high-value compo-
nents and systems for today's
optical industries require precise
attention to polarization sensi-
tivity. The Agilent 11896A and
8169A Polarization Controllers
can help by saving time, money
and effort when measuring
and working with polarization
sensitive devices.
Polarization sensitive devices
include EDFAs, single-mode
fiber, polarization maintaining
fiber, isolators, switches, lasers,
couplers, modulators, interfer-
ometers, retardation plates and
polarizers. Device performance
will be affected by polarization-
dependent efficiency, loss, gain
and polarization mode dispersion.
These polarization phenomena
enhance or degrade performance
depending on the application
area, be it communications,
sensors, optical computing or
material analysis.
An Important Part of a
Measurement System
A polarization controller is an
important building block of an
optical test system because it
enables the creation of all possible
states of polarization. The polar-
ized signal stimulates the test
device while the measurement
system receiver monitors the
test device's responses to chang-
ing polarization. Sometimes
polarization must be adjusted
without changing the optical
power. At other times, polari-
zation must be precisely synthe-
sized to one state of polarization
(SOP) and then adjusted to
another SOP according to a
predetermined path. Each of
these needs are met sep-arately
using the Agilent 11896A or
8169A Polarization Controllers
(refer to Table 1 for application
details).
Lightwave
Source
Agilent 11896A
or 8169A
Test
Device
Optical
Receiver
?
Polarization
Controller
Figure 1. Conceptual block diagram of polarization controller applications.