MINIATURE MEMS VARIABLE OPTICAL ATTENUATOR       mVOA

OVERVIEW

Sercalo's fiber optic Variable Optical Attenuator is based on an electrostatic MEMS mirror. A voltage between 0-5 V on the drive pin sets the optical attenuation. When power is removed the VOA returns into its default state.

There are 2 variants available with different default states: The normally open (bright) type or normally closed (dark) type.

The open type has its lowest loss state at 0 V. The dark variant reaches it’s lowest insertion loss at a voltage between 4.5 – 5V. It has better linearity at high attenuation. When the voltage is increased beyond the minimum point, the attenuation increases again.

The MEMS component is hermetically sealed. No epoxy is present in the optical path. The optical collimator is assembled using laser welding techniques: the result is good repeatability, long term stability and excellent reliability. The component withstands rugged environments. The part is designed to conform to Telcordia 1221reliability standards. It can directly be mounted on printed circuit boards.

The component is compliant to RoHS requirements2015/863/EU.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

For SFM28 ultra single mode fiber

¹ Insertion loss is for SMF28ultra fiber.
² Without connectors.
³ For dark variant attenuation max attenuation is at 0 V.
⁴ For dark Variant minimum IL is reached at 4.5 – 5.0 V.