The POF family is built around an LCOS-based programmable optical filter that selects your target wavelength from a dense spectrum and rejects everything else, so a single benchtop instrument can replace a drawer of fixed filters. The same programmable optical filter collection also lists the L variant for liquid crystal spatial light modulator pairing, which is where most model decisions get made. This guide walks through the published parameters, the standard-versus-L choice, and the integration checks worth completing before you ask a programmable optical filter manufacturer for a quote — and it sets out what a cal filter manufacturer should be able to document alongside the unit.
The POF-1100 is an instrument designed for wavelength selection. It can pick the desired wavelength from numerous options while the others are rejected. Because the filtering is built on liquid crystals on silicon (LCOS), the instrument enables extremely fine modulation of light beams, and the product can switch optical wavelength channels dynamically from any input to any output.
These are the values stated for the POF-1100 configuration. Use them as the baseline for every comparison on this page, and confirm any parameter that is not listed here against the specific model you intend to order.
| Parameter | Published value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Technology | Liquid crystals on silicon (LCOS) | High-resolution programmable filter platform |
| Wavelength range | 1523.529 nm to 1572.681 nm | Range quoted on the product page |
| Band coverage (as stated) | C band and L band | Confirm your exact band requirement before ordering |
| Bandwidth setting accuracy | Within ±2.5 GHz | Precision of the passband setting |
| Optical insertion loss | Below 5.5 dB | Add to your link budget |
| Extinction ratio | Exceeding 30 dB | Rejection of out-of-band wavelengths |
| Optical routing | 1x1 | Dynamic channel switching from any input to any output |
| Optical power handling | Up to 27 dBm | Input power limit |
| Setting time | Under 500 ms | Reconfiguration speed |
| Power consumption | Below 50 W | Moderate draw for a benchtop instrument |
| Optical interface | FC/APC | Industry-standard angled contact connector |
| Control interface | USB (digital control) | For integration into photonics test systems |
| Polarization and flatness | Low polarization-dependent loss, minimal insertion loss ripple | Supports high signal integrity |
Most model decisions come down to one task and one parameter. Find your task below, read the spec that actually drives the choice, then run the buyer check before you commit.
Deciding spec: the ±2.5 GHz bandwidth setting accuracy and the extinction ratio exceeding 30 dB. Together they set how cleanly you can isolate a channel and how low the leakage floor stays during the measurement.
Buyer check: confirm the band you validate against, and whether you need dynamic channel switching from any input to any output inside a single unit or across several.
Deciding spec: the USB digital control interface and a setting time under 500 ms. Those two numbers decide how many points a scripted sweep can capture in an hour.
Buyer check: verify that your automation stack can drive a USB instrument, and that the FC/APC interface matches every other connector in the optical path.
Deciding spec: architecture rather than a figure. The POF-1100L is listed as the version for liquid crystal spatial light modulator pairing, while the standard POF-1100 is sold as the standalone LCOS filter.
Buyer check: read the POF-1100L product page for its own published parameters before you specify the L variant, and confirm the SLM hardware you plan to pair it with.
Deciding spec: optical power handling up to 27 dBm and insertion loss below 5.5 dB. The first caps what you can feed in; the second is the penalty you carry in every measurement.
Buyer check: add the insertion loss to the loss of your DUT and patch cords, then confirm the detector still sees enough power at the far end.
Deciding spec: the product page states C band and L band coverage alongside a quoted tuning range of 1523.529 nm to 1572.681 nm. The band you actually work in decides whether one unit is enough.
Buyer check: state your exact band requirement in the quote request so the configuration can be confirmed in writing before purchase.
Deciding spec: programmable wavelength, bandwidth and phase control, used as a core element inside a test rig for system-level validation.
Buyer check: plan the control software early, and decide whether the filter will be reconfigured by an operator or called from an automated sequence.
Both are LCOS-based programmable optical filters. The difference is the architecture the filter is built to sit inside.
Six numbers carry almost all of the practical weight. Here is what each one changes about the data you collect.
How precisely the passband edges can be placed. It decides whether you can isolate tightly spaced channels or trace a component's roll-off, rather than simply blocking broad wavelength regions.
Every measurement carries this penalty. Add it to the loss of the device under test and the patch cords before you conclude the link still delivers enough power to the detector.
How completely rejected wavelengths stay rejected. On high-dynamic-range measurements, leakage through the filter becomes the noise floor, so this figure sets the limit on what you can resolve.
How fast the filter moves to a new configuration. In a scripted bench this is a direct multiplier on throughput: shorter settings mean more wavelength points per hour.
If the polarization state at the filter input is not controlled, low PDL keeps measured power steady as that state drifts — one less source of variation to explain in the results.
A flat passband means the power you measure inside the band reflects the device under test rather than the shape of the filter itself.
Four integration questions decide whether the filter drops into an existing bench or forces a rework of the rack.
Send your band, the bandwidth accuracy you need and how the filter will be controlled, and the configuration can be confirmed against your test bench before anything ships.
Keep adjacent product options together for a faster catalog comparison.
POF-1100L is a high-precision programmable optical filter for C and L-band routing. Featuring LCOS technology, it offers spectral shaping for industrial R&D.
View productit is an instrument designed for wavelength selection: it can select the desired wavelength from numerous options while the others are rejected. in practice it is used in research laboratories and optical test bench applications for wavelength-selective experiments, system calibration, spectral shaping, and validation of wavelength-selective components and channel routing architectures.
the published tuning range is 1523.529 nm to 1572.681 nm, and the product copy states c band and l band coverage. because the band you actually work in decides whether one unit is enough, state your exact band requirement when you request a quote so the configuration can be confirmed.
the published bandwidth setting accuracy is within ±2.5 ghz. that figure determines how precisely passband edges can be placed, which matters when you need to separate closely spaced channels or trace a component's roll-off.
the optical interface is fc/apc and control is handled over a usb digital interface, which supports integration into photonics test systems and automated control. the unit is a compact benchtop instrument with power consumption below 50 w and optical power handling up to 27 dbm.
both use lcos filtering technology. the pof-1100 is the standalone programmable optical filter, while the pof-1100l is listed as the version for liquid crystal spatial light modulator pairing. read the pof-1100l product page for its own published parameters before you specify the l variant.
yes. send your band, bandwidth accuracy requirement, input power level and control preferences through the contact page. the team can confirm the model and interface details against your bench, and multi-unit or project quantities can be discussed in the same request.
