Laser Components Detector Group (LCDG) now manufactures avalanche photodiodes with fibre pigtails. With a semi-automatic assembly unit, the fibres can be adjusted precisely within a few microns and thus achieve coupling efficiencies of almost 100 per cent. The pigtailing technology is very flexible − almost any combination of APD and fibre can be combined. All optical fibres with a core <Ø600µm can be coupled to the company’s TO-46 housed APDs.
The advantages of fibre coupling are useful for many industries such as in medical technology or analytical measurement technology, where it is not often ideal to have the detector close to the area of measurement. Or, in photon-counting applications, where it is possible to shield interference optical signals with the help of an opaque fibre jacket, as well as in industry, data is transmitted across very long distances via optical fibres.
Laser Components will offer its SAP-series Geiger-mode APDs and the particularly low-noise IAG-series InGaAs APDs as standard. Hermetically sealed and with high mechanical durability, these APDs exceed the requirements of the Telcordia GR-468 standard.