iXBlue EOM User manual

Electro-Optical Modulators

EOMs Operating Manual
Ref. Ed. 0 –08/02/2021 2
Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS ......................................................................................................... 2
1HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS ............................................................................................ 3
1.1 UNPACKING STEPS .....................................................................................................................3
1.2 WARNINGS TO AVOID DAMAGE ...................................................................................................9
2INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE USE........................................................................................ 10
2.1 CLEANING ................................................................................................................................10
2.1 OPTICAL INTERFACES ...............................................................................................................10
2.1 ELECTRICAL INTERFACES ..........................................................................................................12
2.2 MAXIMUM RATINGS ..................................................................................................................14
3MEASUREMENT PARAMETERS .................................................................................... 15
3.1 INSERTION LOSS (IL)................................................................................................................15
3.2 STATIC EXTINCTION RATIO (SER) ............................................................................................18
3.3 HALF-WAVE VOLTAGE (V)AT LOW FREQUENCIES (KHZ)..........................................................20
3.4 RESIDUAL AMPLITUDE MODULATION (RAM) ...........................................................................22
3.5 POLARIZATION EXTINCTION RATIO (PER)................................................................................23
3.6 POLARIZATION DEPENDENT LOSS (PDL)..................................................................................25
3.7 ELECTRICAL RETURN LOSS S11 &ELECTRO-OPTICAL BANDWIDTH S21..........................................26

EOMs Operating Manual
Ref. Ed. 0 –08/02/2021 3
Handling instructions
1.1 Unpacking steps
1) Put the blister pack on a flat surface to open it:
Fig. 1
2) To open the blister pack either peel off or cut the orange label located on the front:
Fig. 2

EOMs Operating Manual
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Fig. 3
3) To open the blister pack, you can use the notches on the front:
Fig. 4

EOMs Operating Manual
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Fig. 5
4) Delicately remove the “do not pull here” labels and place them on another part of the blister
pack:
Fig. 6

EOMs Operating Manual
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Fig. 7
5) Remove the optical connectors and take the fibers out of their tray. Lift and hold the modulator
by its housing. Delicately pull it out, paying attention to the optical fibers: electrical pins and
RF connector.
Fig. 8

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Fig. 9
Fig. 10

EOMs Operating Manual
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Fig. 11
Fig. 12

EOMs Operating Manual
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6) Remove the spring located on the DC pin:
Fig. 13
Fig. 13
7) Once the modulator is unpacked, you can use it.
•Remember to keep the blister pack if you need to store the modulator or send it back to us.
•To pack the modulator, repeat the previous unpacking steps from the end to the beginning. Do
not forget to put the short circuit on DC pins (spring).
1.2 Warnings to avoid damage
Never hold modulator:
a. by optical pigtails
b. by pins or RF connector
Fig. 14

EOMs Operating Manual
Ref. Ed. 0 –08/02/2021 10
Instructions before use
2.1 Cleaning
•We recommend manipulating the modulator with rubber gloves (or equivalent) and clean it
with alcohol-soaked optical paper (or equivalent).
•Check optical connectors cleanliness: any dust could damage the connectors or degrade the
optical parameters. Use specific wipes for cleaning optical connector, we recommend using
Whatman ® lens cleaning tissue, Grade 105, wetted with IPA.
•Clean RF connector with dry air before mating and use a torque wrench for tightening.
2.1 Optical interfaces
•Never pinch the fiber pigtail or apply instantaneous traction on it which could generate micro-
cracks in the fibre silica.
•Never bend or coil the fibre jacket under a radius of 30 mm.
Fig. 15
•Pay attention to fiber bends, particularly with the 2000 nm series where any small radius bend
could induce output optical power degradations.