Text preview for : Photonics Connector Care_ Effects of Damage Connectors and Interfaces in Fiber Optic Measurements 59 part of
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Keysight Technologies
Qualitative Assessment on the Effects of
Damaged Connectors and Optical Interfaces
in Fiber Optic Measurements
White Paper
Abstract
In a world in which fiber optics becomes more a part of our lives,
more people have become involved in its activities ranging from
metrology through to production and installation. In much the
same way that BNC and N-Type connectors are used on a daily
basis without further thought, the dangers of fiber optic connectors
being used in a similar fashion become more real. To quantify or
predict the effects that a damaged fiber optic connector or optical
interface can have on measurements can be difficult, but sometimes
a qualitative assessment of the damage is all that is required in order
to ensure that these connectors are kept in a condition of optimum
performance. This paper in conjunction with the presentation will
attempt to demonstrate and raise the level of awareness to these
facts.
Background
In order to visualize the effects that damaged fiber optic connectors can have,
it is necessary to have a basic understanding of the optical fiber and connector.
The following will give a brief overview.
Cladding Cladding
125 m 9 m 125 m 50 m Core
Core
Singlemode fiber Multimode fiber
Figure 1. Optical fibers
Figure 1 shows the basic construction of two typical optical fibers. In common,
they both consist of a glass fiber 125 microns (