Variable fiber optic attenuator using a bulk-micromachined deformable micromirror

Abstract

A compact fiber variable optical attenuator (VOA) with <1-dB insertion loss and >25-dB dynamic range is proposed and demonstrated at the 1550-nm band using a fiber collimator lens and a bulk-micromachined deformable micromirror. Three versatile VOA designs are presented that exploit the principle of 3-D beam spoiling to achieve broadband polarization insensitive attenuation using simple single-drive controls.