Abstract

We report a time-domain chromatic dispersion measurement scheme that can analyze a very short (down to 10 meters) optical fiber by using a supercontinuum pulse source. An ultra-wideband supercontinuum pulse source that spans the entire range of the communication wavelength bands from 1,250 nm to 1,700 nm were generated by using an amplified diode-laser pulse source combined with a dispersion-shifted fiber. Wavelength dependent temporal delays for a spectrum-sliced supercontinuum pulses were measured after transmitting through a sample fiber with a differential reflectometric configuration. A monochromator was used to do spectrum slicing, and a high-speed photodetector with an oscilloscope were used to measure temporal delays. In order to increase the measurement precision, the measurement system used reflecting configuration and a differential measurement technique. This enabled us to measure the dispersion of a 10-m-long single-mode fiber with good precision.