Optical Switch for Instrumentation Based on Liquid Crystals

In this work, a novel structure for optical characterization is proposed. An optical 1x3 multiplexer in addition with polymer optical fiber allows the application of three different wavelengths to the device under test without setup modification: 495 nm, 650 nm and 850 nm. Insertion losses less than 4 dB, an isolation better than 23 dB and a switching time better than 30 ms have been measured at 650 nm.