In response to the recent needs for high-speed and high volume data transmission, polarization-maintaining optical fibers (PM fibers) and their couplers (PM fiber couplers) are considered important component devices for polarization division multiplexing that will enhance the current wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) systems.
Evaluations of the characteristics of these devices are usually carried out utilizing various existing equipment. This process is very cumbersome and requires special skills. We have developed a measurement device dedicated to evaluating the characteristics of PM fiber couplers with high throughput and high reproducibility in a short period of time. The measurement device eliminates the burdensome handling required for the existing devices.