VFI-200 Interferometer

The VFI is the interferometer of choice for industry leading photonics companies around the world. The VFI-200 is an interferometric inspection system specifically designed for checking the surface quality and flatness of your cleaved or polished fibers. The VFI offers the perfect combination of a superb image quality with ease of use, and the reliability and robustness that our customers have come to expect from Arden products, resulting in fiber end face measurements that you can trust.

With the VFI, the user can view their fibers in a range of different views, both in 2D and 3D, allowing the user to get a full understanding of their cleaving or polishing process. It has therefore proven itself to be very well suited to Research, Production, or QA environments.

2D Mode

Over the years, the VFI has become well-established in the fiber industry due to its clean, sharp 2D images of the fiber. The 2D mode of operation allows for a real-time analysis of the fiber end face. Two different views are available in 2D mode:

  • Inspect view – provides a high quality image of the fiber for easy detection of damage or contamination to the fiber (cleave point impact, hackle, dust)
  • Fringe view – high contrast and well-defined interference fringes allow the user to perform either a manual or fully automated analysis of the end face, to measure features such as the cleave angle and the amount of damage to the edge of the fiber
3D Mode

Users of the VFI are also able to create a 3D reconstruction of the fiber end face in just a matter of seconds at the click of a button. In 3D mode, two additional views are available:

  • 3D Map – a three-dimensional view of the fiber, allowing the user to immediately visually analyse the surface profile of the fiber end face
  • Height Map – a false colour map of the end face, with customisable scale, very useful in showing the change in cleave angle across the face of the fiber

Take control of your cleaving...

The VFI is used by customers around the world for a variety of applications in a wide range of industries, such as assessing cleave quality prior to high-strength splicing, cleaver maintenance, and production checks during the manufacture of critical optical assemblies such as fiber lasers.

 

Due to its user-friendly interface and ease of focusing, fully automated analysis of fiber end faces can be achieved in a matter of seconds, with minimal operator training needed.

Flexible software

The VFI comes with an efficient software package, providing the ability to analyse either a real-time 2D image of the fiber or a 3D reconstruction at the click of a button. Switching between Inspect view and Fringe view is also fully software controlled.

Users are able to grab and save images for later use, and previously stored images can be loaded for review. The report generator enables users to include up to 20 cleave images in one report along with comments. Users can also generate a .csv file giving height data for every pixel in the image. Other features include auto-optimisation of intensity, intensity line profile, edge damage estimation, angle orientation measurement, and measurement of radius of curvature.

Quality Images

The VFI-200 provides optimum image quality for the analsysi of fibers up to 200 µm cladding diameter, making it perfect for the analysis of telecoms and PM fibers.

 

The user can then further manipulate the image by zooming in further and rotating about the fiber in any direction, granting the user the power to focus on any specific areas of interest.

Fibre Holders and Accessories

Classic-style Arden fiber holders

Arden Photonics classic-style fiber holders are well-established and have been the preferred holder for VFI users over the years.  Our holders are precision engineered using stainless steel, ensuring the highest levels of accuracy and repeatability. They hold the fiber in a well-aligned V-groove using a soft but secure magnetic clamp, providing repeatable and reproducible results.
The holders come in a variety of sizes to accommodate a wide range of fiber diameters, up to 2mm.

Dual-style Arden fiber holders

Arden Photonics dual-style holders offer the same high levels of accuracy and repeatability as our classic holders, but add extra flexibility to the user experience. The dual-style holders can be used with the Arden Photonics FGC Fiber Geometry Systems as well as the VFI. They can also be used in most Fujikura cleavers and splicers, allowing the user to cleave, inspect, analyse and splice without ever having to touch the fiber!

Adapter plates

We have a range of adapter plates available allowing our dual-style holders to be transferred to the VFI from a Fujikura cleaver, or from the VFI to a Fujikura splicer, without even having to touch the fiber.
Alternatively, the adapter plates allow standard Fujikura fiber holders to be used directly with the VFI. If you wish to use another type of holder then please contact us as we may be able to design an adapter plate to suit your needs.

Angled fiber holders

We also have angled fiber holders available, designed for use with fibers that have a large cleave angle. The angled holders hold the fiber at a specified angle in order to null the cleave angle so that an optimum platform is provided for analysing the features of the fiber end face.

Ferrule holders

We have a range of ferrule holders available to provide the user with the ability to analyse connectorised fibers and fibers in ferrules.
Most types of connector can be accommodated as we have ferrule holders for 1.25mm (LC), 2.5 mm (FC, SC, ST) and 3.2 mm  (SMA) ferrules, as well as Size 16 ferrules.

After sales services

Contact Arden Photonics for information on our comprehensive packages (extended warranties, calibration programs, software upgrades, etc.) and per-incident services (repair, calibration, etc.)

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