Laser Components, the dedicated UK and Ireland supplier for Photline Technologies, has announced the new PS-LN polarisation switch.
These polarisation switches are integrated optics waveguide devices that switch the polarisation state of an input light between two linear orthogonal output states at frequencies of up to 10GHz. Practically, the output light in polarisation maintaining fibres and components is transmitted on either the fast or slow axis, therefore this switch is operational as a TE to TM converter.
In principle the PS-LN rotators are based on a birefringent LiNb03 phase modulator where the waveguide is propagated at 45° of its main axis. The input state of polarisation (SOP) is thus split up in two orthogonal TE and TM polarisation states.
When the RF modulation signal is applied via the components electrodes, an optical path difference between the TE and TM components is produced, resulting in a new state of polarisation (SOP) for the output light.