Modeling and properties of an ion-exchanged optical variable attenuator

The optical signal power needs to be regulated at some locations in transmission lines. That can be done with the help of optical variable attenuators (OVA), devices which allows for the control of their insertion loss. This work describes the design and properties of some OVAs fabricated by the ion-exchange technique. The OVA functionality relies on a Mach-Zehnder structure, where the output optical intensity is tuned via the change in optical path along one of the two interferometer arms. Here, the optical path is varied through thermo-optic effect (change of refractive index with temperature). Modelling is first addressed: a mostly qualitative theoretical investigation is used to clarify how the fabrication parameters (burial depth and Mach-Zehnder arm separation distance) can be related to the OVAs properties (attenuation dynamic, switching power, settling time, PDL). Properties of fabricated OVAs are presented in a second part. They are compared with other existing products. The relationship between fabrication parameters and properties is also re-examined in light of these results.