Spun High and Low Birefringence Optical Fibers
Spun High and Low Birefringence Optical Fibers
We offer two ranges of spun fiber, Spun High Birefringence (HiBi) fibers and Spun Low Birefringence (LoBi) fibers. Both of these products are optimized for use in polarimetric sensors, including the AC and DC fiber optic Current Transformers (CT) that are now replacing conventional current transformers across a broad range of applications in electrical power generation and distribution.
- Preserve Circular Polarization
- For Faraday Effect Current Sensing
- Spun HiBi Designed for High Accuracy Sensors
- Spun LoBi Designed for Cost Reduced Sensors See All Features
| Compare | Description | Drawings, CAD & Specs | Avail. | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | F-SHB1250-7.3/125 Spun High and Low Birefringence FibersOptical Fiber, Spun HiBi, 1310 nm, 0.13-0.17 NA, 4.8mm Spin Pitch | |||||
| F-SHB1500-8.9/125 Spun High and Low Birefringence FibersOptical Fiber, Spun HiBi, 1550 nm, 0.13-0.16 NA, 4.8mm Spin Pitch | Discontinued | ||||
Features
Bow-Tie Polarization Maintaining Fiber
The core is flanked by areas of high expansion, boron-doped glass, which shrink back more than the surrounding silica. Tension caused induces birefringence (creating two different indices of refraction: a higher index parallel and a lower index perpendicular to the applied stress).
Cross section diagram of the Bow-Tie Polarization Maintaining Fiber.
Spun HiBi Fibers
Spun HiBi fibers are designed to allow long lengths of fiber to be used in small diameter coils for Faraday effect current sensors. Spun HiBi fibers are fabricated by spinning a ‘Bow-Tie’ polarization maintaining preform during the fiber drawing process. They preserve circular polarization by design and are therefore insensitive to the thermal and/or vibration-induced signal fade/drift caused by stress-birefringence. This gives the Spun HiBi fibers superior performance over Spun LoBi fibers when used in sensor coils with a large number of loops.
Spun LoBi Fibers
Spun LoBi fibers are designed for short length, large coil diameter Faraday effect current sensors where cost is more critical than performance. The fiber gives higher sensitivity to the Faraday effect than Spun HiBi fiber but does not resist the optical effects induced by thermal fluctuations and vibrations. Subsequently Spun LoBi fibers are generally considered to be less suitable for high precision sensors. Nevertheless, they are highly suited to low accuracy/low cost applications.
Applications
- Current Sensing
- Current Transformers
- Faraday Effect Sensors
- Circular Polarization Maintaining
- Polarimetric Sensors
Volume Discount
The following volume discount schedule is automatically applied when ordering continuous lengths of bare optical fiber ≥10 m:
- 10 - 49 m: 15%
- 50 - 99 m: 22%
- 100 - 499 m: 25%
- ≥ 500 m: 28%
Discount applicable to continuous length of fiber only.
Resources
Literature
Spun HiBi and LoBi Fiber(685.8 kB, PDF)
