Non-destructive distributed mode-field diameter measurement of singlemode fibre links using optical time-domain reflectometer incorporated with microbender

A non-destructive method for measuring the distributed mode-field diameter of singlemode fibre (SMF) links is demonstrated, for the first time, by simply using an optical time-domain reflectometer incorporated with a deformation microbender. A high resolution of 2 cm, with good measurement accuracy of <7.5%, is achieved and compared with the destructive variable aperture technique. This practical technique provides an effective measurement method suitable for fibre manufacturing and field tests