Atgrating Launches Polarizationmaintaining Fiber Bragg Gratings

Fiber optic sensing technology continues to expand its applications across various industries, from bridge health monitoring to oil pipeline safety systems, thanks to its high precision and interference-resistant properties. However, in polarization-sensitive applications, conventional fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) often suffer performance limitations due to fiber birefringence, leading to increased measurement errors.

The critical challenge lies in maintaining the polarization direction of linearly polarized light during transmission through optical fibers. This requirement is essential for improving measurement accuracy and system stability in demanding applications.

AtGrating Technologies has recently introduced a high-performance polarization-maintaining fiber Bragg grating (PM FBG) that effectively addresses these challenges. The product utilizes specially designed polarization-maintaining fiber with intrinsic, controlled birefringence that preserves specific polarization states during light transmission, unaffected by external environmental disturbances.

Key Applications of Polarization-Maintaining Fiber Bragg Gratings

This advanced technology integrates with multiple application scenarios, delivering significant performance enhancements:

• Specialized FBG sensors: PM FBGs provide more accurate and reliable measurements of stress, temperature, pressure and other physical parameters. In aerospace applications, these sensors enable continuous monitoring of aircraft structural integrity for early detection of potential safety issues.
• Specialized FBG filters: In optical communication systems, PM FBGs serve as high-precision wavelength-selective filters. Their superior polarization-maintaining characteristics improve signal quality and reduce bit error rates.
• Polarization beam splitters: Custom-designed PM FBGs can separate light signals of different polarization states, finding important applications in fiber optic gyroscopes and coherent optical communication systems.
• High-power fiber lasers: PM FBGs enable construction of laser resonator cavities that select specific wavelength outputs while maintaining excellent beam quality. Their polarization stability helps increase output power and suppresses nonlinear effects like stimulated Brillouin scattering.

Technical Features of PM FBGs

The polarization-maintaining fiber gratings from AtGrating Technologies demonstrate several notable characteristics:

• Dual center wavelengths with low polarization crosstalk: The inherent birefringence of PM fiber splits the reflection spectrum into two peaks. Precise manufacturing control minimizes polarization crosstalk, ensuring effective reflection of only the desired polarization state.
• Low loss with high birefringence: The gratings exhibit minimal insertion loss while maintaining strong polarization-holding capability.
• High reliability and signal-to-noise ratio: Premium-quality PM fiber and advanced fabrication techniques ensure outstanding device stability and measurement accuracy with minimal noise interference.

Performance Specifications

The PM FBGs offer the following technical parameters:

• Center wavelength: 1460-1610 nm
• Wavelength tolerance: ±0.5 nm
• Grating length options: 3 mm, 5 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm
• Reflectivity: ≥50% to ≥90% (length-dependent)
• Bandwidth (FWHM): ≤0.3-0.7 nm (length-dependent)
• Side lobe suppression ratio: ≥10-15 dB
• Operating temperature range: -40°C to +120°C

Market Outlook

As fiber optic sensing and laser technologies continue advancing, demand for polarization-maintaining fiber Bragg gratings is expected to grow significantly. With extensive expertise in fiber grating development, AtGrating Technologies is positioned to play a major role in this expanding market segment.

Future improvements in manufacturing processes and cost reduction will likely broaden PM FBG applications across various industries, potentially enabling revolutionary advancements in precision measurement, optical communications, and high-power laser systems.