Design and simulation of Optical Frequency Domain reflectometer for short distance fault detection in optical fibers and integrated optical devices using ptolemy-II

Optical Frequency Domain measurements are much more accurate and efficient as compared to that in time domain for short distances of fibers or integrated optical devices. In the present investigation, the traditional Optical Time Domain Reflectometry (OTDR) technique has been combined, which is used for analysis of fibers of large length, with frequency analysis of the time domain signal to develop a system that detects faults in optical IC´s or fibers of very small lengths in a non-destructive fashion. The drawback of the OTDR is that it can be used only for cables of long distances because when used in short fibers the total time taken between the injected laser beam and the response will be negligible. To circumvent this problem we use the frequency domain analysis of the time domain data by applying Fourier transform.