HI1060 1xN Single-Mode Fiber Optic Motor-Modulated Optical Switch – Low Loss, High Isolation

The HI1060 is a typical 1xN (or 2xN) single-mode fiber optic mechanical optical switch, its core driving component being a precision stepper motor. It achieves optical path switching between different ports by driving the movement of a reflector or fiber collimator array via the motor.

I. Overview

The HI1060 represents a traditional but highly reliable type of optical switch technology. Its basic working principle is as follows:

1. Input light enters a fixed collimator.

2. A reflector or another collimator is mounted on a moving platform controlled by a stepper motor.

3. The controller sends a command to drive the motor to rotate a specific angle, precisely positioning the moving platform at the target output port.

4. The optical path is guided to the corresponding output collimator, completing the switching.

5. This technology is mature and stable, and is widely used in applications requiring low loss and high reliability.

As shown in the figure below:

II. Main Features

The HI1060 motor-driven optical switch boasts significant advantages and features:

Advantages:

* Low Insertion Loss: Due to its direct physical alignment, the optical path coupling efficiency is high, with typical insertion loss below 1.0 dB (e.g., 0.8 dB), superior to many other technologies (e.g., MEMS).

* High Isolation: Very low crosstalk between ports, typical isolation > 50 dB, and even exceeding 60 dB, ensuring signal purity.

* High Reliability and Long Lifespan: Robust mechanical structure, mature stepper motor technology, long mean time between failures (MTBF), and typical switch lifespan reaching millions of cycles (e.g., over 5 million cycles).

* Low Polarization Dependent Loss: Insensitive to the polarization state of the input light, PDL is typically very small (< 0.1 dB).

* Mature Technology and Controllable Cost: Compared to high-end MEMS or thermo-optical switches, its design and manufacturing costs are easier to control.

Supports multiple configurations: Common configurations include 1×2, 1×4, 1×8, 1×16, 2×2, and 2×4.

Disadvantages/Features:

* Slow switching speed: This is its most significant drawback. Due to mechanical movement, switching times are typically in the range of 10ms to 50ms, making it unsuitable for high-speed applications requiring nanosecond or microsecond-level switching.

* Relatively large size: Containing a motor and moving mechanism, it is larger than switches with integrated optical chips (such as PLCs or MEMS).

* Higher power consumption: The motor requires drive current during switching; power consumption is low in static conditions, but dynamic power consumption is higher than that of solid-state switches.

* Sensitive to vibration: Strong external vibrations or shocks may affect its alignment accuracy and long-term stability.

III. Main Applications

Based on its low loss, high isolation, high reliability, and moderate speed, the HI1060 class motor-driven optical switch is widely used in the following fields:

* Fiber Optic Network Testing and Measurement:

1. Optical Path Protection and Monitoring: Used for automatic switching (APS) of primary and backup optical paths in fiber optic communication systems.

2. Multi-Port Testing: Automatically switches test sources or instruments to multiple devices under test (DUTs) in laboratories or production lines, building automated testing systems.

* Optical Line Protection: In backbone networks and metropolitan area networks, automatically switches services to backup links when the primary fiber optic link fails, ensuring uninterrupted communication.

* Sensor Networks:

Used for cyclic scanning or selection of multiple sensor channels in fiber optic sensing systems (such as Distributed Acoustic Sensors (DAS) and Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensor networks).

* Cable Television Networks:
Used for signal routing and redundancy backup in HFC networks.

* Research and Laboratories: Builds flexible optical experimental platforms, enabling optical path reconstruction and selection.

* Summarize

The HI1060 fiber optic multi-channel motor-driven optical switch occupies a crucial position in the 1060nm wavelength band application ecosystem due to its low loss, high stability, and wavelength specificity. Whether improving industrial laser processing efficiency or advancing medical imaging technology, it serves as a reliable fundamental component, providing a solid guarantee for the flexible reconfiguration and precise control of complex optical systems. With the continuous advancement of fiber laser technology and biophotonics, the market demand and technological value of such high-performance optical switches will further increase.