Measuring the Radial Position of Defects within Optical Fibers Using Skew Rays

Abstract

Defects within optical fibers can cause premature failure in fiber-based systems and must be detected early to avoid performance degradation. Addressing this need can ensure that no defective optical fibers are being used by end users and improve processes to reduce the number of defects during manufacturing. The main challenge to date has been developing a technique that can measure defects along long lengths of fiber, within opaque packaging, and with position information. We demonstrate a simple and novel technique for detecting and radially resolving microscopic defects in packaged/buried fibers using an angle-resolved interrogator that analyzes the transmission of different ray groups. We have measured the accuracy to be as low as ±2 μm, which is sufficient for most fibers that have diameters in the order of 100 μm.