Archived

Fiber Optic Glossary A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A Absorption That portion of optical attenuation in optical fiber resulting from the conversion of optical power to heat .Caused by impurities in the fiber such as hydroxyl ions. Abrasive A material such as silicon carbide, aluminum oxide, silica, cerium oxide, emery or rouge that is used to figure, shape, or finish optical elements. Abrasives differ from polishing materials mainly in particle size. A/B Switch A device that accepts inputs (optical...

Why do we need fiber optic cleaning? Fiber optic cabling has become telecommunication backbone of today’s university campuses and enterprises. With the prosperity of Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gigabit Ethernet, ensuring clean fiber optic connections has become one of the most critical requirements for maintaining error-free communication in these fiber optic communication systems. Repeated fiber optic connector disconnection and reconnection often leaves debris in the bulkhead adapter or receptacle. With single mode fiber core as small as 9 micrometer, even a single 1 micrometer dust particle can cause a big signal loss or even interrupt the communication, if left blocking...

Fiber optic patch cable, often called fiber optic patch cord or fiber jumper cable, is a fiber optic cable terminated with fiber optic connectors on both ends. It has two major application areas: computer work station to outlet and fiber optic patch panels or optical cross connect distribution center. Fiber optic patch cables are for indoor applications only. Common types of fiber optic patch cables Fiber optic patch cables can be divided into different types based on fiber cable mode, cable structure, connector types, connector polishing types and cable sizes. Fiber Cable Mode: 1. Single mode fiber patch cables:  Single...

Fibers that carry more than one mode are called multimode fibers. There are two types of multimode fibers. One type is step-index multimode fiber and the other type is graded-index multimode fiber. The following illustration shows the differences between these two types of multimode fibers on refractive index profile and how they guide light. Index Profile Difference Between Step-Index Multimode Fiber and Graded-Index Multimode Fiber Light Transmission in a Step-Index Multimode Fiber and a Graded-Index Multimode Fiber Step-index multimode fibers are mostly used for imaging and illumination. Graded-index multimode fibers are used for data communications and networks carrying signals moderate...

When the fiber core is so small that only light ray at 0° incident angle can stably pass through the length of fiber without much loss, this kind of fiber is called single mode fiber. The basic requirement for single mode fiber is that the core be small enough to restrict transmission to a singe mode. This lowest-order mode can propagate in all fibers with smaller cores (as long as light can physically enter the fiber). The most common type of single mode fiber has a core diameter of 8 to 10 μm and is designed for use in the...