The main function of fiber optic connectors is to quickly connect two optical fibers so that the optical signal can be continuous and form an optical path. Fiber optic connectors are movable and reusable, and are currently the most essential and used passive component in optical communication systems. The fiber optic connector allows the two ends of the fiber to be precisely aligned to maximize the coupling of the light energy output from the transmitting fiber to the receiving fiber, and to minimize the impact of the system due to its intervention. Because the outside diameter of the optical fiber is only 125um, and the light through part is even smaller, single-mode fiber is only about 9um, multimode fiber has two kinds of 50um and 62.5um, so the connection between the fiber needs to be precisely aligned.
YingFeng design, develop molds and produce various of kinds of Single Mode and Multi-mode fiber optic connectors for ST, SC, FC, LC, E2000, MPO, MU and MTRJ applications. Both pre-assembled connectors and connector kits are available. Each fiber optic connector is functionally tested before shipping.
Core Component: Ferrule
Through the role of fiber optic connectors, it can be seen that the core components that affect the performance of the connector is the insert. The core directly affects the precise center alignment of the two fibers. Cores are made of ceramic, metal or plastic. Ceramic insert is more widely used, the main material is zirconium dioxide, with good thermal stability, high hardness, high melting point, wear resistance, processing accuracy and other characteristics. Sleeve is another important part of the connector, the sleeve plays the role of alignment, in order to facilitate the installation of the connector fixed. The inner diameter of the ceramic sleeve is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the insert, and the open slit of the sleeve tightens the two inserts to achieve precise alignment.
PC, APC and UPC represent the front face of the ceramic core. APC (Angled Physical Contact) is called an angled physical contact, where the fiber endface is usually ground to an 8° bevel. 8° angled bevels allow the fiber endface to be tighter and reflect light through its beveled angle to the cladding rather than directly back to the light source, providing better connection performance. UPC is a more optimized polish and surface finish based on PC, with a more domed look to the end face. Connector connection needs to be the same end structure, for example, APC and UPC can not be combined together, which will lead to connector performance degradation.
Basic parameters: insertion loss, return loss
Due to the different end face of the insert, the connector loss performance is also different. Optical performance of fiber optic connectors is mainly measured by two basic parameters: insertion loss and return loss. So, what is the insertion loss? Insertion Loss (usually abbreviated as "IL") is the optical power loss due to the connection. It is mainly used to measure the optical loss between two fixed points in the fiber, usually due to the lateral deviation between the two fibers, the longitudinal gap in the fiber connector, the quality of the end face, etc. The unit is expressed in decibels (dB), the smaller the value the better, and the general requirement should be no greater than 0.5dB.
Return Loss (Return Loss, usually referred to as "RL"), is a parameter that refers to the signal reflection performance, describing the power loss of the optical signal return/reflection, generally the greater the better, the value is usually expressed in decibels (dB). General APC connector typical RL value of about -60dB, PC connector typical RL value of about -30dB.
Fiber optic connector performance in addition to the need to consider the insertion loss, return loss two optical performance parameters, in the selection of a good fiber optic connector, should also pay attention to the interchangeability of fiber optic connectors, repeatability, tensile strength, operating temperature, the number of insertion and removal.
