Abstract

All practical optical fiber systems require the use of interconnection devices such as splices and connectors. Their losses can be a very significant factor in the design of fiber optic systems, particularly multi-kilometer telecommunication links. This paper describes the fundamental parameters affecting splice loss measurements. The relationships between transmission and OTDR (optical time domain reflectometry) splice loss measurements are developed and laboratory data is presented to illustrate how intrinsic and extrinsic splice loss parameters influence these relationships. In addition, recent field data, obtained with an OTDR, is included to show both the utility and limitations of OTDR splice loss testing of installed fiber optic systems.