ADVANCED LABORATORY FOR LIGHTWAVE COMMUNICATIONS

This project seeks to improve the current Lightwave Communication Laboratory by creating a hands on curriculum that allows students to learn the use of sophisticated test and measurement equipment, and then to use the equipment to investigate various commercially important fiber optic WDM devices and systems. Building upon Three Rivers success in fiber optic technician training, a previous NSF-ILI grant (#9851432) "Development of a Laboratory for Lightwave Communication", and adapting the exemplary curriculum for advanced lightwave technology developed by the Northeast Center for Telecommunications Technologies (NCTT), laboratory experiences will be developed by an interdisciplinary team.

Laboratory experiments developed (available in pdf form- contact the authors):

• Introduction to the Optical Spectrum Analyzer- Characterizing active and passive devices
• Operating Parameters of a Distributed Feedback Laser
• Gain Characteristics of an EDFA: Gain vs Input Signal Power
• Gain Characteristics of an EDFA: Gain vs Pump Power
• Constructing a WDM System Using Commercially Available Components

Laboratory experiments developed under previous NSF-ILI project

• Connecterization and test of optical fiber cable
• Determination of numerical aperture
• Determination of connector misalignment los
• Fusion splicing of optical fiber
• Testing optical fiber with an OTDR
• Coarse WDM at 1310 and 1550 nm

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