A universal fiber-optic (UFO) measurement system based on a near-IR fiber Raman laser

A universal fiber-optic measurement system, which is useful for measuring loss and dispersion in the
1.06-1.6 \mu
m wavelength region, is described. The source is a silica fiber Raman laser pumped by a mode-locked and
Q
-switched Nd:YAG laser at 1.06 μm. Subnanosecond multiple-Stokes pulses in the
1.1-1.6 \mu
m wavelength region are generated in a low-loss single-mode silica fiber. The use of this near-infrared fiber Raman laser for characterizing various transmission properties of single and multimode test fibers is demonstrated. Loss spectra, intramodal dispersion, and intermodal dispersion data are obtained in the wavelength region of minimum loss and minimum material dispersion for silica fibers.