Attenuation measurement of optical fibers for sensor technology

Abstract

Generally the attenuation of optical fibers used for sensor technology is higher than that of fibers for telecommunications. This is difficult to measure by the optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR). This paper presents a simple method that employs an integrating sphere. The total and scattering attenuation coefficients can be calculated and discriminated by the measured power of the light scattered out of the optical fiber and collected by the integrating sphere.