Wavelength Tunable And Broadband Variable Fiber-Optic Attenuators Using Liquid Crystals

Fiber-Optic Variable Optical Attenuators (VOAs) are demonstrated using Liquid Crystals (LC) for broadband as well as wavelength tunable applications. Attenuation is achieved by using a beam spoiling approach implemented via electrically reconfigurable non-pixelated no moving parts Nematic LC deflectors. The VOAs feature in-line architecture and polarization insensitive design without the use of bulky polarization splitting and combining optics. The proof-of-concept VOAs in the 1550 nm band demonstrate \u3e30 dB attenuation ranges, low polarization dependent losses and low power consumption. Applications for these VOAs include agile wavelength tunable secure data communications networks and RF sensor systems