Fiber optic experiments for electrical/optical engineering technology laboratories

Besides being the premier telecommunications medium, optical fibers now are finding increasing applications in feedback and control systems, discrete, integrated and distributed sensor networks, medical, industrial, illumination, and imaging applications. The increasing diversity of fiber applications suggests that conventional communications courses in fiber optics require augmentation so that students learn a wider range of applications of fiber technology. A fiber optic systems and applications course designed for both electronics and optical engineering technologists has been created at the Oregon Institute of Technology, in the Laser Optical Engineering Technology Department. The course is designed to illustrate the benefits of using fibers in communications and sensing, as well as to provide hands-on exposure to concepts of test, measurement, and calibration of fiber-optic components and instrumentation. The laboratory course consists of 5 lab stations: (1) optical fiber attenuation and it's impact on bit error rate, (2) wavelength division multiplexing, (3) the fiber optic gyroscope, (4) test, measurement, and calibration, and, (5) wavelength shifting of a thermoelectrically cooled diode laser. The 10 week course barely scratches the surface of optical fiber technology and applications. Additional experiments and courses may be developed, further exploring the range of fiber technology and applications.