A coherent optical network analyzer

A novel measurement instrument is presented for evaluation of optical components. The proposed instrument is able to measure the scattering parameters of a two-part optical device under test (ODUT) for a given optical probe wave. The optical scattering parameters are vectors and this implies that polarization, phase, and, magnitude detection are important. The ODUT may be optical material, optical components, or fiber optical communication components. This instrument is also capable of polarization measurements. Heterodyne mixing and small linewidth lasers with large tunable range make it a flexible tool for optical device evaluation and design. Experimental results are also presented.<>