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OTDR Trace of Fiber Contamination and Its Effect

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Optical Fiber Types Fiber Optic Visible Light Optical Connector

Fiber Transmission Wavelength Range
(IR = Infrared)

Main Type Characteristics Typical Dimensions Lightwave Propagation Index

Profile
Transmission on Signal Performance
Windows Connector

Contamination — The #1 Reason to

Single-mode - Low attenuation 8 µm 125 µm Name Applications
250 to n1 × 1.457
- 1260 to 1640 nm transmission wavelengths to 12 µm Types*
- Access/medium/long-haul networks (>200 km)
900 µm Wavelength (nm)
- Nearly infinite bandwidth 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 Datacom,
n2 × 1.471

Troubleshoot Optical Networks

FC-PC / FC-APC telecommunication,
CATV
635 850 1300 /1310 1383 1490 1550 1625
Multimode - High attenuation 50 µm 125 µm n1 × 1.540
(graded index) - 850 to 1300 nm transmission wavelengths 62.5 µm 250 to
Datacom,
- Local networks (<2 km) 900 µm Attenuation (dB/km) SC-PC / SC-APC telecommunication,
- Limited bandwidth
CATV, LAN
n2 × 1.540
to 1.562 10

Refractive index: A measure of the speed of light in a material. The n1 and n2 are the respective refractive index of the cladding and the core. E2000-PC / E2000-APC Datacom, telecommunication,
n1<n2 is the condition for the light to travel down the fiber. (Ferrule diameter : 2.5 mm) CATV, LAN
Index profile: Variations of the refractive index along a fiber diameter. First Window Water Peaks Second/Third Window

High-density interconnection,
LC-PC / LC-APC
ITU Fiber Standard Description Applications NSWP single-mode fiber
O E S C L U (Ferrule diameter : 1.25 mm)
datacom,
telecommunication, CATV
Characteristics of a 50/125 mm Video and datacom in premises networks
multimode-graded index
LWP single-mode fiber
G.651 Up to 10 GE transmission in local area networks (up to 300 m) Inter-/intra-building,
optical fiber cable Wavelength coverage: 850 to 1300 nm 1 ST-PC security, Navy, datacom,
From access to long-haul networks; supports high bit rate LAN
G.652 Class A/B Characteristics of single-mode
transmission (>10 G, 10 E, and on); suitable for DWDM and CWDM systems
G.652 Class C/D optical fiber and cable
Wavelength coverage: 1260 to 1625 nm Rayleigh scattering
Datacom,
IR Absorption MU-PC / MU-APC telecommunication,
Transmission applications at high bit rates for STM-64/OC-192 (10 G) over longer
G.655 Class C Characteristics of non-zero-
distances; suitable for STM-256/OC-568 (40 G); supports DWDM transmission CATV
G.655 Class D dispersion-shifted single-mode
applications in the C+L bands
G.655 Class E optical fiber and cable
Wavelength coverage: 1550 to 1625 nm

Support optimized access network installation with very short bending radii applied
MTP-MPO Data center,
Characteristics of bending loss- (ribbon fiber connectors) inter/intra-building, LAN
G.657 Class A in fiber management systems and particularly for indoor and outdoor installation,
insensitive single-mode optical fiber
G.657 Class B particularly in FTTx networks
and cable for access networks
Wavelength coverage: 1260 to 1625 nm 0.1

Wavelength (nm) OptiTap®-PC / Optitap®-APC

Outdoor FTTx
800 1000 1200 1400 1600 telecommunication
Typical Fiber Cables A cable consists of optical fibers surrounded by materials that provide them with mechanical and environmental protection
Possible fillers
les (Indoo door) Fiber Cables
e Cab r) (Out bon * Nonexhaustive list
Tub Outer jacket les Outer jacket
Rib Outer jacket
re
d Ca
b Attenuation results from various scattering and absorption mechanisms and is
Aramid yarn Band Description Wavelength Range
fe

Overall polyester barrier

e

Dielectric strength
wavelength-dependent.
ub
uf

members
eT
tB

Water-proof tape Flooded core

Loos

Single-mode optical fibers operate over a wide range of wavelengths, therefore, the
Tigh

Thermoplastic
jacket
Aramid
strength element
Central member
900 microns of tight buffered fibers
Applications: Computer rooms, telecommunications
central offices, tunnels and confined areas, and riser shafts
A tight buffered tube cable can hold 1 to 12 fibers
per tube (up to 200 fibers in one cable).
Thermoplastic
jacket
Moisture
blocking gel
FRP strength member
Multiple 250 micron fibers
Applications: Building interconnections, telecommunications,
data trunk, long haul networks, and ducts between buildings
For applications requiring moisture and weather resistance.
Loose tube cable can hold 1 to 12 fibers per tube
(up to 200 fibers in one cable).
Buffer tube
Ribbon
Typical applications: equipment interconnect,
high-speed data transfer, premises network…
Ribbon cables can hold 204 fibers in a 0.5-inch cable.
This picture shows a 3000 fiber underground cable.
O Original (second window) 1260 to 1360 nm
attenuation measurement is performed as a function of wavelength, typically between
E Extended 1360 to 1460 nm 1200 nm and 1625 nm.
Fiber optic transmission uses the three optical windows (850,1300, 1550 nm) provided by
S Short wavelengths 1460 to 1530 nm the attenuation characteristics of the silica fibers. Before cleaning After cleaning
C Also, 635 nm light is used for visible fault location.
Conventional ("erbium window") 1530 to 1565 nm
Remote fiber testing uses a wavelength of 1625 nm or above to avoid disturbing traffic.
Optical Connection Inspection
L Long wavelengths 1565 to 1625 nm It is very important to clean connectors.
Rayleigh scattering: light energy is scattered in all directions causing loss A dirty connector will dramatically increase the power loss.
U Ultra-long wavelengths 1625 to 1675 nm NSWP: nonsuppressed water peak Inspect your connector before and after cleaning using a
LWP: low water peak (for example, G.652.D fiber) videoscope.

Optical Transmission −15 to −25 dBm

LED and Laser Diode Power Spectral

0 to −10 dBm +5 to −10 dBm

Measurement Units : Watts, dB, or dBm Physical Contact (PC)
Connector
Angled Physical Contact (APC)
Connector
≈ 8°
FWHM
100 nm
FWHM
3 nm <<1 nm Absolute Power (mW) Absolute Power (dBm)
1000 +30
100 +20
Optical Loss Budget 10 +10
5 +7
Consider network topology and equipment specifications Optical loss budget must consider both link loss and system power margins 1300 1300 1300 y (nm) 1 0
when installing a fiber network. One major parameter to to allow for the effects of environment, aging, and eventual repairs. LED FP Laser Diode DFB Laser Diode
0,5 −3
(MLM Laser) (SLM Laser) Insertion loss: 0 to 0.5 dB Insertion loss: 0 to 0.5 dB
measure is optical loss budget, or end-to-end optical link loss. 0,1 −10
Use the typical values for various components to calculate link loss budgets. Fiber type used and the source characteristics limit system performance. The narrower Optical return loss: >40 dB Optical return loss: >60 dB
Consider the source, detector, and optical transmission line 0,01 −20
the source diode spectral bandwidth, the higher the possible system frequency
when calculating the optical loss budget of a fiber link. 0,001 −30
bandwidth/bit rate. Insertion loss (IL): Loss in transmitted signal power resulting from the insertion of a component in an optical fiber link.
LED: Short-haul and low bit rate (LAN networks) systems that use multimode fibers. 0,0001 −40
Optical return loss (ORL): Ratio of the reflected power to the incident power from a fiber optic link or system,
Example of a typical single-mode system Laser Diode: Long-haul and high bit rate systems that use single-mode fibers. expressed as a positive value.
(1) Average transmitter (Tx) output optical power: 0 dBm A Total connector Loss = 0.5 dB x number of connector pairs Multilongitudinal mode (MLM) lasers, also known as Fabry-Perot (FP) lasers and single
(2) Minimum receiver (Rx) sensitivity: −20 dBm longitudinal mode (SLM) or distributed feedback (DFB) lasers are used for these applications.
(1) – (2) Maximum optical loss budget: 20 dB
B Total fiber Loss = loss per km x fiber distance Loss (dB) Power (%)
1310 nm ≈ 0.35 dB/km Photodetectors Spectral Response −0,10 2
1550 nm ≈ 0.2 dB/km Sy (A/W) −0,20 5
InGaAs
1.0
Si Ge (23°C)
−0,35
−1
8
20
Connector Mating
C Total splice Loss = 0, 1 dB x number of splices
Network Ge (0°C) −3 50 Plug Pair Plug Pair
Tx Rx D Total other components loss = loss x number of components 0.5 −6 75
(Link Loss)
Mechanical splice ≈ 0.5 dB −10 90
−20 99
1:2 splitter ≈ 3.5 dB
850 1300 1550 y (nm)
1:32 splitter ≈ 17 dB
Hybrid Mating Adapter Key Mating Adapter Ferrule Key
Si: Silicon for applications in the visible light range (400 to 1000 nm) dB: quantify gain or loss dBm: specify absolute power levels
Ge: Germanium for applications in optical windows (750 to 1600 nm) P1 P1
InGaAs: Induim gallium arsenide for applications in optical windows (>1000 nm) dB = 10 log (P1 and P2 expressed in watts) P(dBm) = 10 log (P1 expressed in mW)
P2 1 mW

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