Thanks to miniaturization, passive optical components such as waveguides, splitters, and multiplexers are increasingly finding their way into integrated optical circuits. With their increasing complexity, the quality assurance of these components is also gaining in importance. At the same time, however, they present new challenges. For example, it can be important to determine points of interference with precise spatial resolution and to trace them back precisely to the component that caused the disturbance.
The LUNA 6415, a high-resolution optical frequency domain reflectometer (OFDR), can be used to localize and characterize interference in passive fiber optic components to within 20 µm. Unlike conventional attenuation analyzers, the emitters and sensors used in measuring insertion and/or return loss are housed in the same system. In addition to spatially resolved measurements, the OFDR principle also features a resolution of 0.1 dB and a high measurement speed. A typical measurement cycle is completed after just 160 ms.
