PAF-SMA-11-C In Stock

The PAF-SMA-11-C by ThorLabs is a high-performance FiberPort that offers advanced features for precise fiber collimation and coupling. The PAF-SMA-11-C boasts a six-degree-of-freedom design, with five axes plus rotation, providing unparalleled stability and repeatability in your optical setups.

The PAF-SMA-11-C is made up of a MLC (Magnetic Lens Cell) attached to a tilt plate, a bulkhead with a fiber connector and the FiberPort body. The bulkhead is locked securely onto the body of the FiberPort with a clamp plate and three flat head screws, allowing for easy rotation of the fiber connector. The MLC can be adjusted in three different directions (Axial, Tip & Tilt) using three socket head cap screws and plunger screws providing opposite counterforce. This MLC is firmly mounted on the tilt plate. The plunger screws enable the Z axis to move ± 0.4 mm for a certain position, and also allows it to travel 2 mm in the positive direction for accurate alignment control.

For optimal coupling of the PAF-SMA-11-C, it is essential to ensure that the spot size of the focused beam is smaller than the Mode Field Diameter (MFD) of the single mode fiber. If the FiberPort does not provide an exact match, a FiberPort with a shorter focal length should be chosen. Alternatively, if the clear aperture of the lens allows, the beam can be expanded before entering the lens, effectively reducing the spot size of the focused beam. The PAF-SMA-11-C is compact, ultrastable, and easy to use, making it an ideal platform for coupling light into and out of optical fibers. With six directional adjustments, it enables precise alignment with SMA-terminated fibers, ensuring optimal performance in your optical setups.

To couple light from a HeNe laser into the PAF-SMA-11-C using a HCL adapter, simply attach the HCL to the HeNe laser using the provided 4-40 (M4) cap screws, without fully tightening them. Then, attach the PAF-SMA-11-C to the HCL, again without fully tightening the screws. By adjusting these screws to center the beam into the FiberPort while monitoring the output, maximum coupling efficiency can be achieved. It is recommended to use the PAF-SMA-11-C with an AR-coated single mode, multimode, or polarization-maintaining fiber optic patch cable for relevant applications, as these cables have one end of the fiber that boasts an antireflective coating, ensuring increased transmission and improved fiber-to-free-space interface return loss.