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What is Insertion Loss?
Insertion Loss is the reduction in optical power caused by inserting an optical component, device, or assembly into an optical path. It is typically expressed in decibels (dB) and is an important parameter for evaluating the transmission efficiency of photonic components.
A low insertion loss means that a component introduces minimal optical power loss, which is particularly important in systems containing multiple optical components or requiring high optical efficiency.
HOW Insertion Loss Works
Insertion loss measures how much optical power is lost when a component is introduced into an optical system. It results from effects such as absorption, scattering, reflection, coupling imperfections, or mode mismatch.
Reference measurement
The optical power is measured before the component is inserted into the optical path.
Component insertion
The component is placed in the optical path and the transmitted optical power is measured again.
Loss evaluation
The difference between the reference and transmitted power is expressed as insertion loss in decibels. Lower insertion loss indicates more efficient optical transmission.
