Unit-2

COMPONENTS

COUPLERS

A directional coupler typically built by fusing two

fibers together

Basics of couplers
A directional coupler is used to split and
combine signals in an optical network.
A 2x2 coupler consists of two input ports
and two output ports.
A 2x2 coupler takes a fraction of the
power from input 1 and places it on output
1 and the remaining fraction 1- on output
2.
Similarly a fraction of 1- of the power from
input2 is distributed to output 1 and
remaining power to output 2
is called the coupling ratio

Directional coupler Contd

Coupler can be either wavelength
selective or wavelength independent
The coupler length l can be
adjusted such that half power from
each input appears at each
output.This is called 3dB coupler.
A star coupler can be used to
combine multiple signals and
broadcast to many outputs.

Star coupler

Applications
To combine and split signals in the network
To tap off a small portion of power from a
light stream for monitoring purposes.
They form building blocks of other devices
like , modulators,switches, Mach-Zehnder
interferometers, further are used as optical
filters, multiplexers/ demultiplexers
They can form wavelength dependent
couplers,coupling coefficient will depend on
the wavelength of signal.These couplers are
used combine signals at 1550nm and
1310nm into a single fiber without loss.

Properties of coupler used for N/W

applications

Coupling ratio
Excess losss
Low polarization dependent loss(PDL)

ISOLATORS AND CIRCULATORS

3 - PORT
CIRCULATOR

4-PORT
CIRCULATOR

PRINCIPLE OF ISOLATOR

POLARISATION INDEPENDENT ISOLATOR

PROPAGATION FROM LEFT TO

RIGHT

PROPAGATION FROM RIGHT TO

LEFT

MULTIPLEXERS

FILTERS