2-Dimensional integrated optical power measurement of multiple single-mode optical fibers in wide wavelength range of O to L-band using Fresnel reflection-based optical taps with infrared image sensors

Abstract

We perform optical power measurements at wavelengths of 1260 nm to 1630 nm for nine single-mode optical fibers integrated in a two-dimensional array with pitch of 500 μm. We employ two optical taps with Fresnel reflection to split parts of the lights from the optical fibers, and two infrared image sensors to measure the optical power of the split lights. We clarify the variation in the optical powers from the output data of the image sensors. The measurable range was −15 dBm to −50 dBm; the mean square error was 0.37 dB. No polarization dependency was observed while changing the polarization condition of the lights in the optical fibers. The measurements were performed while changing the wavelength of the lights in the optical fibers from 1260 nm to 1630 nm and the resulting mean square error was 0.50 dB. The performance of the prototype is sufficient for practical use in the management of optical network facilities in data centers.