Automation of investigations of fiber-optic components

A description is given of an experimental system for investigating fiber-optic components in which the control, monitoring, and measurements are combined in a microcomputer, so that it is possible to study the characteristics of lasers, fiber waveguides, photodetectors, and coupling elements in various combinations. It is shown that some parameters of fiber-optic components have to be monitored in estimating the influence of other parameters on the performance characteristics of fiber-optic communication lines (transmission capacity, signal/noise ratio, etc.). A report is given of the use of such a system in studies of the angular distributions of the radiation emitted by sources, and of the efficiency of the coupling between fiber waveguides themselves, and between these fibers and lasers.