Patent ID: 7853144

Claim:
A optical bench fiber optic transmitter, the transmitter comprising: a laser for emitting laser signals; a passive alignment carrier; a photodetector for monitoring reflected laser signals from fibers being monitored and for monitoring laser output power, the passive alignment carrier disposed between the laser and the photodetector; an optical fiber, the optical fiber embedded in the passive alignment carrier and disposed perpendicularly to the laser signal emitted by the laser, the optical fiber having an angled fiber facet and a mirrored end face surface, the laser emitting signals toward and through the angled fiber facet, whereby a portion of the laser signal illuminates the photodetector, and another portion traversing down the optical fiber toward the mirrored end face surface and reflecting off the mirrored end face surface toward the fibers that are being monitored, and reflecting back from the fibers being monitored to the photodetector such that faults on the fibers can be detected.