High speed fiber optic transceivers with built-in test capability

Fibre optics is quickly gaining acceptance for aerospace applications at data rates of 1 gigabit per second and above. Its weight, bandwidth, and cable volume advantages outweigh the concerns of contamination and susceptibility to damage. Fibre is generally more robust than copper for high speed rates, it is definitely susceptible to damage, just as any other avionics functions are susceptible. This paper describes the built-in test (BIT) technology that need to be included in today's designs in order to provide such diagnostics.