Measurement techniques of tailored optical fibres

Tailored optical fibres (TOF) may have non-standard geometrical shapes and dimensions as well as very complex internal refraction and physical structure. Practice shows, that in numerable cases, the standard measurement methods have to be specially adapted to particular case of a fibre. In some cases, a class of novel methods has to be worked out. In this work we present a number of modified measuring methods that suit the needs of characterization of a few basic kinds of tailored optical fibers such like: nonstandard dimension fibers, noncircular core fibers, complex shape fibers, complex refraction fibers, multicore optical fibers, nonlinear and active fibers. The modified measuring methods of tailored optical fibers include, among others: refractometry, polarimetry reflectometry, scatterometry, nefelometry, measurements of dimensions and shapes. Modifications of classical measuring equipment require usage of optimized light coupling techniques. The characterization and measuring methods of such fibers have to be standardized to enable the designers of the photonic functional systems (such as telemetric, sensory and optical signal processing) to apply them in a reliable and repeatable way.