Current connector design and manufacturing techniques have eliminated most of the challenges to achieving
core alignment and physical contact. What remains challenging is maintaining a clean connector interface.
Faulty connections and contamination are the number one source of troubleshooting in optical networks. A
single particle mated into the core of a fiber can cause significant back reflection (Return Loss), insertion loss,
and ultimately damage equipment. Clean optic fiber components are imperative to the quality of optical
performance within any fiber link. It is the most basic and important procedure to be carried out before mating
together any optic fiber assembly. Any contamination within the fiber connection can cause failure of that
component and even failure of the entire system. Thus, clean components are a necessity for quality
connections with optic fibers. When cleaning fiber components, the procedure must be followed correctly and
precisely with the goal of eliminating any dust or foreign contamination. A clean component will connect
properly; however, a dirty component may transfer contamination to the mating connector or may even damage
the optical contacts. Always remember that components are not guaranteed to be clean on receipt from the
supplier. Any foreign object partially or completely blocking the fiber core will result in strong back reflections
and cause the laser system to become unstable.
For example, a 1-micron (0.001 mm) dust particle on a single-mode core can block up to 1% of the light (a
0.05dB loss), a 9-micron (0.009 mm) speck can completely block the fiber core.
Examples of contamination:
• Oils - frequently from human hands
• Film residues - condensed from vapors in the air
• Powdery coatings - left after water or other solvents evaporate away
Particles trapped between fiber core mating faces can scratch the glass surfaces or cause an air gap which
can misalign the fiber mating cores, thus degrading the optical signal path.
Using a “one-click” cleaning tool on each fiber connector before mating the connection points will ensure that
the fiber is clean.
\
To Next Page
Loading...