All-fiber connectorized compact fiber optic delay-line modules using three-dimensional polarization optics

Compact and all-fiber connectorized photonic delay-line modules based on three-dimensional bulk polarization optics are proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The modules are built on a single optical microbench and demonstrate optical leakage noise performance of -40 dB at switching speeds of 10 mu s. Insertion loss analysis is also performed. A special gradient-index lens fiber optic collimator design is proposed to further reduce the optical insertion loss of the delay-line module. A wavelength-dependent design is also proposed for expanding the applicability of the PDL module to multichannel operation. (C) 2000 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. [S0091-3286(00)00809-6].