ERM100 In Stock

The ERM100 by ThorLabs is a highly efficient and easy-to-use extinction ratio meter benchtop that enables fast and accurate measurement of the extinction ratio of Polarization Maintaining (PM) fibers. With its user-friendly interface and simple operation, the ERM100 is perfect for a wide range of applications, including optimizing coupling of linear polarized light into PM fibers, aligning connector keys, and aligning laser diodes to PM fibers.

The ERM100 utilizes a rotating polarizer and a detector that generates a photocurrent. The extinction ratio can be determined by analyzing the DC offset and the depth of modulation with a specialized meter. This in turn reveals the degree of linear polarization in a light field. The ERM100 stands out because it is capable of taking on a difficult job - aligning the axis of a PM fiber with the polarization direction of the incoming light. This can be challenging because stress-caused birefringence can throw off the process.

To achieve this alignment, a time-varying stress is applied to the PM fiber while maximizing the extinction ratio of the transmitted light. This stabilizes the ER, improves the axis of the incident light field, and reduces the effect of the time-varying stress. Additionally, the ERM100 offers two different common setups for fiber alignments, broadband and narrow band sources. The former has wavelength dependent birefringence which requires changing only the coupling angle until the optimal angle with the maximum extinction ratio value is found, while the latter has a neglectible wavelength depending on birefringence and in turn analyzes all phase shifts between fast and slow axes of polarization states, achieving a reliable value for the extinction ratio of the PM fiber through fiber stressing and coupling angle adjustment.

The ERM100 boasts a user-friendly interface, featuring a set of buttons and an LCD on the front panel, enabling quick adjustments and measurement procedures. Furthermore, it can be controlled via USB, is factory-calibrated, and provides the extinction ratio, misalignment angle, and power, making it an indispensable tool for professionals in the field. With its fast and simple operation and reliable measurement accuracy, the ERM100 is the perfect solution for measuring extinction ratios of PM fibers for a wide range of applications.