Performance Verification - Agilent Technologies 86038A User Manual

Getting Started
Purpose
Methodology
Things to Consider
20

Performance Verification

By performing the verification procedure upon delivery of the 86038A, you
may have confidence that:
The ODA is correctly connected
The ODA was received in working order without damage due to shipment
Additionally, you may perform this procedure periodically to verify that the
system is still in good operating condition. By recording the results of this
procedure, and tracking these results over time, you will be able to detect
any changes that may affect the measurement results of the ODA.
The verification device under test (DUT) is a 10 km spool of dispersion-
shifted fiber. It has an approximately quadratic group delay curve, which
when differentiated gives a linear chromatic dispersion curve. Using a
quadratic curve fit for the measured group delay, the 86038A estimates the
wavelength for which the chromatic dispersion curve passes through zero
or, zero-dispersion wavelength. The instrument setup used is meant to
duplicate settings used by NIST to measure fiber verification spools.
After completion of the on-site verification procedure, the results are
compared against the data recorded at the factory. Specific parameters are
specified to prove the relative group delay accuracy of the ODA.
The measurement procedure requires 81600B-160 or 81600B-150 or
81600B-200 tunable laser installed.
• Dispersion measurements are very sensitive to temperature changes. Insure
that the ODA has warmed up for at least 90 minutes. The verification DUT must
also be allowed to reach ambient temperature for at least 60 minutes prior to
measurement.
• Dirty connections will cause poor measurement quality. Be sure to clean all fib-
er ends, connectors, and test ports before making connections.
ing Connections for Accurate Measurements" on page
Agilent 86038A Optical Dispersion Analyzer, Third Edition

Performance Verification

Refer to "Clean
272.