Optimizing POF/PCF based optical switch for indoor LAN

• Main Authors: Bhuiyan, Moinul, Rashid, Muhammad Mahbubur, Ahmed, Sayem, Bhuiyan, Munira, Kajihara, Masanori
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: IOP Publishing 2013
• Subjects: TA1501 Applied optics. Lasers
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/34448/1/Optimizing_POF_PCF_based_optical_switch_for_indoor_LAN.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/34448/; http://iopscience.iop.org/1757-899X/53/1/012059

For indoor local area network (LAN) the Polymer optical fiber (POF) is mostly appropriate, because of its large core diameter and flexible material. A 1×2 optical switch for indoor LAN using POF and a shape memory alloy (SMA) coil actuator with magnetic latches was successfully fabricated and tested. To achieve switching by the movement of a POF, large displacement is necessary because the core diameter is large (e.g., 0.486mm). A SMA coil actuator is used for large displacement and a magnetic latching system is used for fixing the position of the shifted POF. The insertion loss is 0.40 to 0.50dB and crosstalk is more than 50dB without index-matching oil. Switching speed is less than 1s at a driving current of 80mA. A cycling test was performed 1.4 million times. Polymer clad fiber optical (PCF) switch also fabricated and tasted.