Characterization of highly birefringent optical fibers using interferometric techniques

A method is presented for measuring modal birefringence and polarization mode dispersion in highly birefringent fibers. The method employs the principle of white-light interferometry for dispersion measurement, and classical coherent interferometry for birefringence measurement. The key parts of the measuring system are a Wollaston prism made of crystalline quartz used as a shearing type interferometer and a set of quartz delay plates for compensation of retardations up to 1000/spl lambda/ introduced by the tested fibers.