A high-power inline optical isolator is used in sophisticated lightwave systems with high-power requirements where you cannot allow light reflection that might interfere with the laser oscillator. Many applications need 1064nm high-power inline optical isolators – 2W that specifically operate on 1064nm central wavelength and can handle higher power up to 2W. On the other hand, some applications need polarization-maintaining optical isolators, while other applications need polarization-insensitive optical isolators. Besides, optical isolators are also used to maintain system performance.

However, most often, the expensive cost of high-power optical isolators prevents their use to maintain high system performance. Fortunately, these days, you can get high-power inline optical isolators of different specifications at affordable prices from reputable optical passive component manufacturers such as DK Photonics.

Is it necessary to use inline optical isolators?

In many fiber laser applications, the use of optical isolators is unavoidable. It is because some types of lasers are highly sensitive to external optical reflections. Even a very low level of optical reflection can cause a substantial increase in:

  • Laser phase noise
  • Intensity noise
  • Wavelength instability

Hence, an optical isolator is needed at the output end of each laser diode in applications that necessitate low optical noise and stable optical frequency.

Another common example where the use of high-power optical isolators is important is a high-power fiber amplifier. In these amplifiers, unidirectional optical amplification is needed. In such cases, bidirectional optical amplification caused by optical reflections or feedback provided by an optical gain medium can lead to self-oscillation, especially if those reflections are strong. An optical isolator allows the light to propagate in only one direction and not in opposite direction.

Therefore, the use of high-power inline optical isolators becomes necessary in high-power fiber amplifiers as well.

High-power optical isolators are important for all high-power applications that require a one-way transmission of light. In many cases, light propagated backward when reflected from a component or element is sent back into the laser and could be highly damaging.

Especially in laser amplifiers, light propagation is required to be the one-way transmission. Even if a small amount of light is reflected back and propagated into a laser amplifier, it will be amplified as it will pass through it with progressively smaller cross sections. As a result, optical damage becomes more prominent. The use of high-power optical isolators can resolve this problem.

This is why high-power optical isolators are widely used in optical communications applications to prevent any problems related to unwanted back reflections.

Do you need high-power optical isolators for your application or project? DK Photonics is the leading optical passive component manufacturer based in China, offering a wide range of high-power optical isolators, such as 1064nm high-power inline optical isolators, 2.0um high-power PM optical isolators, 2um high-power polarization insensitive optical isolators, and more.