Fixed Fiber Optic Attenuators, Single Mode

Overview
Feedback

Fiber Optic Attenuator Selection Guide
SM	Electronic VOAs for System Integration
	Tabletop EVOAs with Power Lock
	Manually Variable Attenuators
	Fixed-Value Attenuators
MM	Fixed-Value Attenuators
MM	Manually Variable Attenuators
PM	Electronic VOA for System Integration
PM	Manually Variable Attenuators

Features

Attenuates Optical Signal
FC/PC or FC/APC Connectors
Kits Containing Six FC/PC or FC/APC Attenuators Available

Thorlabs' Single Mode Fixed Fiber Optic Attenuators allow one to attenuate an optical signal easily by plugging an FC/PC- or FC/APC-terminated fiber directly into the back end of the attenuator connector. The input of the attenuator has a 2.2 mm wide key female connector, making it compatible with both narrow key and wide key male connectors. The output of the attenuator has a 2.0 mm narrow key male connector (either FC/PC or FC/APC). These single mode attenuators are made with polarization-insensitive doped fiber to achieve the specified attenuation over operating wavelength ranges between 980 - 1620 nm for FC/PC versions and 1240 - 1620 nm for FC/APC versions.

The FA901 attenuator is ideal for use as a sacrificial interface. Its design does not introduce additional attenuation outside of insertion loss caused by intrinsic misalignment between fiber end faces. It can serve as a connector saver that protects end faces of instruments from damage caused by repeated connections with fiber patch cables.

Every attenuator includes connector caps. For replacements, plastic FC connector and mating sleeve caps are available.

Posted Comments:

cbrideau (posted 2015-02-19 18:12:15.143)

Any chance of getting these for 1040 or 1064nm, FC/PC? I have a fiber laser at 1040nm with diagnostic ports for coupling to a spectrometer, but the signal is a bit strong and I'd need to cut it back substantially.

jlow (posted 2015-02-25 04:36:47.0)

Response from Jeremy at Thorlabs: We do not have these for lower wavelengths at the moment. For your application, would the VOA1064-FC (http://www.thorlabs.com/newgrouppage9.cfm?objectgroup_id=6161&pn=VOA1064-FC) work?

cbrideau (posted 2014-02-12 11:15:43.03)

A version of this in SMA for multimode fibers would be useful for use with your fiber-coupled spectrometers. I often need to attenuate my signal before capturing it to avoid saturation of the CCD in the spectrometer. A drop-in attenuator like this would be very convenient for these measurements.

pbui (posted 2014-02-27 04:33:11.0)

Thank you for your feedback. We will consider your suggestion for incorporating SMA fiber attenuators into our catalog in the future.

kirk.mckenzie (posted 2014-02-04 14:45:08.917)

Can you make these product at 1064nm, APC?

pbui (posted 2014-02-26 02:02:34.0)

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer custom fiber optic attenuators for 1064 nm.

lee.cairns (posted 2013-11-04 14:56:09.277)

Hi, Do these attenuators also work at 1um? It would be useful to have lower denominations, for example, 1,2 and 3dB attenuators? Then it is possible to create a chain with an attenuation of arbitrary attenuation to the nearest dB. Regards, Lee

pbui (posted 2013-11-06 02:01:22.0)

Response from Phong at Thorlabs: Our fiber optic attenuators use a short length of attenuating fiber which is only single-mode in the specified operating wavelength range. They can be used with shorter wavelengths, but the attenuation value will be different from the specified values, and the beam will no longer be single mode. Although it is possible to stack the attenuators to achieve various attenuation levels, please keep in mind that you will also have some insertion loss between each attenuator as well, so your overall attenuation will be higher than simply adding the attenuation specs together.

flint (posted 2013-04-29 10:18:29.563)

What is attenuation at 2 microns? Is SMF-28 fiber being used? Thanks! John Flint Q-Peak, Inc.

tcohen (posted 2013-05-15 12:13:00.0)

Response from Tim at Thorlabs to John: The FA10T uses doped attenuating fiber. The attenuation at 2050nm was measured to be 9.55dB.

tcohen (posted 2012-02-24 14:25:00.0)

Response from Tim at Thorlabs: Thank you for your feedback. We are continuously expanding our catalog and broadening our selection of fixed optical attenuators is currently being discussed. I have posted your feedback for our design engineers to see.

user (posted 2012-02-24 10:34:01.0)

How about fixed attenuators for all the other wavelengths Thorlabs is famous for supporting.

jjurado (posted 2011-07-13 13:29:00.0)

Response from Javier at Thorlabs to sankar.ramasubramanian: We currently do not offer fixed connectorized attenuators for use with LC connectors. The only other options that we are able to offer are SC and ST. I will contact you directly to help you find a suitable alternative.

sankar.ramasubramanian (posted 2011-07-13 04:19:22.0)

We are looking for fixed connectorized 10 dB attenuators with LC connectors. Please send us information if you have the same.

jjurado (posted 2011-05-15 14:51:00.0)

Response from Javier at Thorlabs to last poster: The performance of these attenuators decays very rapidly if they are used outside of the specified bands. Please contact us at techsupport@thorlabs.com to discuss the details of your application, and we will gladly help you find a suitable attenuator.

user (posted 2011-05-13 15:43:23.0)

Will the attenuator work for wavelength lower than the specifications?

Tyler (posted 2009-01-08 16:57:51.0)

A response from Tyler at Thorlabs to mjcooper1: We can supply this part as a custom order with lead times as short as one day. I will have a member of our technical support department contact you so that they can generate a quote. Thank you for letting us know about your product needs. I will post that there is a need to add an FC/APC attenuator to our stocked items to our internal forum.

mjcooper1 (posted 2009-01-08 06:17:47.0)

I am suprised there are no fixed attenuators with FC/APC connectors, which is what I need

peter.rodrigo (posted 2008-12-12 04:37:39.0)

Hi.Are all of these optical attenuators bidirectional, so that reflected light will experience the same degree of attenuation?-peter

g884513 (posted 2007-12-13 03:48:30.0)

Dear sir Is the VOA50-APC applicative to the attenuation of 980nm laser sources? sincerely Yeh

Fixed Fiber Optic Attenuators: FC/PC

Item # (Click for Photo)	FA901^a	FA03T	FA05T	FA10T	FA15T	FA20T	FA25T
Fiber Connector	FC/PC
Key Size	Universal (Female 2.2 mm Wide-Key Input, Male 2.0 mm Narrow-Key Output)
Attenuation	≤1.0 dB (Typ.)^b	3 ± 0.05 dB^c	5 ± 0.5 dB^c	10 ± 0.7 dB^c	15 ± 1.0 dB^c	20 ± 1.0 dB^c	25 ± 1.3 dB^c
Operating Wavelength Range	980 - 1550 nm	1240 - 1620 nm
Attenuation Graph^d (Click for Details)
Transmission	≥79.4% (Typ.)	50.1 ± 6.1%	31.6 ± 3.9%	10.0 ± 1.8%	3.2 ± 0.8%	1.0 ± 0.3%	0.32 ± 0.1%
Return Loss	≥40 dB
Maximum Input Power	300 mW	1 W
Polarization Dependent Loss (PDL)	≤0.1 dB
Operating Temperature	-40 to 85 °C

SM980-5.8-125 fiber was used to obtain these specifications. This fiber is also the internal fiber for the interface.
This attenuation is the result of insertion loss. This value was measured by using a detector in freespace, therefore additional losses can be expected if used as the intermediary element between two fiber-coupled components.
This attenuation does not include insertion loss. This value was measured by using a detector in freespace, therefore additional losses can be expected if used as the intermediary element between two fiber-coupled components.
The shaded region in these plots indicates the operating wavelength range that we specify for each attenuator. Performance outside of this range is not guaranteed.

The FA901 will be retired without replacement when stock is depleted. If you require this part for line production, please contact our OEM Team.

Fixed Fiber Optic Attenuators: FC/APC

Item # (Click for Photo)	FA03T-APC	FA05T-APC	FA10T-APC	FA15T-APC	FA20T-APC	FA25T-APC
Fiber Connector	FC/APC
Key Size	Universal (Female 2.2 mm Wide-Key Input, Male 2.0 mm Narrow-Key Output)
Attenuation^a,b	3 ± 0.5 dB	5 ± 0.5 dB	10 ± 1.0 dB	15 ± 1.0 dB	20 ± 1.0 dB	25 ± 1.5 dB
Operating Wavelength Range	1240 - 1620 nm
Attenuation Graph^c (Click for Details)
Transmission	50.1 ± 6.1%	31.6 ± 3.9%	10.0 ± 2.6%	3.2 ± 0.8%	1.0 ± 0.3%	0.32 ± 0.13%
Return Loss	>60 dB
Maximum Input Power	1 W
Polarization Dependent Loss (PDL)	≤0.1 dB
Operating Temperature	-40 to 85 °C

The attenuation tolerance value takes into account alignment variability due to the universal key design. When mating connectors with different key sizes, the angled fiber tips may not come into full contact.
This measurement does not include insertion loss. This value was measured by using a detector in freespace, therefore additional losses can be expected if used as the intermediary element between two fiber-coupled components.
The shaded region in these plots indicates the operating wavelength range that we specify for each attenuator. Performance outside of this range is not guaranteed.

Fixed Fiber Optic Attenuator and Terminator Kits

Zoom

FAK03 FC/PC Attenuator Kit		FAK05 FC/APC Attenuator Kit
Item	Qty.^a	Item	Qty.^a
Fixed Fiber Optic Attenuators^b		Fixed Fiber Optic Attenuators^b
3 dB, FC/PC (FA03T)	1	3 dB, FC/APC (FA03T-APC)	1
5 dB, FC/PC (FA05T)	1	5 dB, FC/APC (FA05T-APC)	1
10 dB, FC/PC (FA10T)	1	10 dB, FC/APC (FA10T-APC)	1
15 dB, FC/PC (FA15T)	1	15 dB, FC/APC (FA15T-APC)	1
20 dB, FC/PC (FA20T)	1	20 dB, FC/APC (FA20T-APC)	1
25 dB, FC/PC (FA25T)	1	25 dB, FC/APC (FA25T-APC)	1
Fiber Optic Terminator / Light Trap^c		Fiber Optic Terminator / Light Trap^c
FC/PC Connector (FTFC1)	5	FC/APC Connector (FTAPC1)	5
Dust Caps		Dust Caps
Female, White	12	Female, Green	12
Male, Clear	25	Male, Green	25

Although these kits ship with the specified number of each component, the box is capable of accepting three additional attenuators per compartment and five additional terminators.
Please see the tables above for a complete list of specifications for our fiber attenuators.
Please click here for a complete list of specifications for our fiber terminators.

Six Fixed Fiber Optic Attenuators for 1240 - 1620 nm with Attenuation Values Ranging from 3 to 25 dB
Five Fiber Optic Terminators / Light Traps for Use in the 400 - 2100 nm Wavelength Range
Additional 12 Female and 25 Male Dust Caps Included for Convenience
Versions Available with FC/PC or FC/APC Connectors
Packaged in a Compact Plastic Box with Nine Individual Compartments

Thorlabs' Fiber Optic Attenuator and Terminator Kits each contain six fixed attenuators, five terminators, and a selection of dust caps. Components in the FAK03 kit have FC/PC connectors while those in the FAK05 kit have FC/APC connectors. Each kit is packaged in a plastic box measuring 7.0" x 3.5" x 1.25" (177.8 mm x 88.9 mm x 31.8 mm) and has nine labeled compartments. The label on the lid indicates the contents, associated Thorlabs item number (where applicable), attenuation value and tolerance for the attenuators, and wavelength range and return loss for the terminators. The table to the right lists the description and quantity of each item included in these kits.

View All »Matching Part Numbers

Fixed Fiber Optic Attenuators, Single Mode

Features

Fixed Fiber Optic Attenuators: FC/PC

Fixed Fiber Optic Attenuators: FC/APC

Fixed Fiber Optic Attenuator and Terminator Kits