Subject:- Optical Communication

Topic:- Optical Fiber Connectors

Prepared By:
Vadlamudi. Anusha.

1
 Why
?
 Optical fiber connectors are used to join optical fibers where a connect/disconnect capability
is required.
 Due to the polishing and tuning procedures that may be incorporated into optical
connector manufacturing, connectors are generally assembled onto optical fiber in a
supplier ’s manufacturing facility.
 However, the assembly and polishing operations involved can be performed in the field,
for example, to make cross connect jumpers to size.
 Optical fiber connectors are used in telephone company central offices, at installations on
customer premises, and in outside plant applications to connect equipment and cables, or
to cross connect cables.
 Most optical fiber connectors are spring loaded, so the fiber faces are pressed together when
the connectors are mated.
 The resulting glass to glass or plastic to plastic contact eliminates signal losses that would
be caused by an air gap between the joined fibers
Introduction:
 A variety of optical fiber connectors are available, but SC and LC
connectors are the most common types of connectors on the market.
 The main differences among types of connectors are dimensions and
methods of mechanical coupling.
 Generally, organizations will standardize on one kind of connector,
depending on what equipment they commonly use.
 Different connectors are required for multimode, and for single mode
fibers.
 Features of good connector
design:
 Low insertion loss
 High return loss (low amounts of reflection at the
interface)
 Ease of installation
 Low cost
 Reliability
 Low environmental sensitivity
 Ease of use
Classification of Optical
Connector:
 Types of Optical
Connectors:
 SC (Subscriber or Square or Standard connector)
 ST (Straight Tip)
 Fc (Ferrule Connector or Fiber Channel)
 LC (Lucent Connector)
 MT-RJ (Mechanical Transfer Registered Jack or Media Termination
-
Recommended Jack)
 Mu (Miniature Unit)
 SMA (Subminiature Version A)
 S
(Subscriber or SquareCor Standard connector)
 Detailsor
Square of Standard
SC: connector)
(Subscriber or
 Manufactured By: NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone) of Japan.
 Application: SC Connectors are frequently used for Network applications. SC connector
is widely used in single mode systems. SC connectors have low cost and they are
simple and durable.
 Ferrule Diameter: It has a 2.5mm diameter ferrule, made of ceramic or metal. A
124~127µm diameter hole is drilled in the center of the ferrule. They provide accurate
alignment due to ceramic ferrules.
 Standard: IEC 61754-4
 Coupling Type: It has a square shaped design, with push-pull latching mechanism. Its
molded housing provides optimum protection.
 Losses & Other Details: The SC connector is also available in a Duplex configuration.
SC connectors allow up to 1000 mating cycle. They have insertion loss of 0.25 dB
return loss >55 dB. They are available in single and multimode.
and
 Price:Rs.=1199/- Approx.
ST (straight tip) Connector:
 Details of ST (straight tip) Connector:
 Manufactured By: AT&T
 Application: ST connectors are used in telecommunications field for local network
applications. They are the most commonly used connectors for multimode
applications.
 Ferrule Diameter: It has a 2.5mm keyed long cylindrical ferrule for the durability
and repeatability requirements in telecommunication links.
 Standard: IEC 61 754-2 standard[9]
 Coupling Type: It has a twist-lock bayonet coupling. Couplers are spring-loaded.
They come in push-in and twist types. Because they are spring-loaded, they must be
seated properly. It must be removed and reconnected if high insertion loss is
observed. It can be inserted and removed easily due to its design. It can have metal
or plastic housing.
 Losses & Other Details: They are available in simplex version only. It allows 500
mating cycles. The Insertion Loss for correctly matched ST connectors is 0.25 dB. It
is
available in single mode as well as multimode
fibers.
 FC
(Ferrule conn fiber channel)
 Details of FC
(Ferrule connector or fiber
 Manufactured By:
AT channel)
 Application: It is designed for telecommunication applications. It is being used
in
long haul and local network connections. They are also useful in high-vibration
environments. [4]
 Ferrule Diameter: FC connector also has a 2.5mm ferrule made of
ceramic (zirconia) or stainless alloy)
 Standard: IEC 61 754-143
 Coupling Type: It is designed with a threaded coupling. Due to such coupling,
connections are durable. It makes use of screw on mechanism in couplers.
 Losses & Other Details: It is available in simplex mode only. It is rated for
500
mating cycles. The Insertion Loss for FC connectors is 0.25 dB. It is available in
single mode and multimode. It is now gradually being replaced by SC and LC
connectors.
LC (Lucent Connector)
 Details of LC (Lucent
Connector)
 Manufactured By: Lucent
 Application: The LC has good performance and is highly favored for single
mode. Due to its small size, it is used for high-density connections.
 Ferrule Diameter: LC connectors use a 1.25mm ceramic ferrule –half the size
of the 2.5mm ferrule used in above mentioned connectors.
 Standard: IEC 61754-20
 Coupling Type: simplex and duplex – push and latch
 Losses & Other Details: Externally LC connectors resemble a standard RJ45
telephone jack. Internally they resemble a miniature version of the
SC
connector. Insertion loss is <0.2 dB and return loss >50 dB. The LC is a
small form-factor (SFF) Fiber optic connector.
 Price:Rs=1379/- Approx.
 MT-RJ
(Mechanical Transf d Jack or
Media
er Registere
Termination
 Details of MT-RJ Connector:
 Manufactured By: Tyco Inc.
 Application: MT-RJ connectors are used in building communication systems for
duplex multimode connections.
 Ferrule Diameter: It has a miniature 2.45×4.4 mm two-fiber ferrule with two
guide pins parallel to the fibers on the outside. It is easier to terminate and
install than ST or SC connectors. [5]
 Standard: IEC 61754-18
 Coupling type: It is derived from MT ferrule design. The guide pins align ferrules
precisely when mating two MT-RJ connectors. MT-RJ connectors are designed
with male-female polarity which means male MT-RJ connector has two guide
pins and female MT-RJ connector has two holes instead. MT-RJ uses a form
factor and latch similar to the RJ45 connectors. Two separate fibers are included
in one unified connector. The small size allows double the density than ST or SC
connectors.
 Price:Rs=2400/- Approx.
MU (Miniature Unit) connector
 Details of MU

connector
Manufactured By: It was developed by
NTT.
 Application: It is a popular connector type in Japan. Applications include high-
speed data communications, voice networks and telecommunications. They even
support dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM). They can also be
used multiple optical connections.
 Ferrule Diameter: 1.25 mm
 Standard: IEC 61754-6
 Coupling Type: It has push/pull mechanism, but benefit is that 2 channels can
fit in the footprint of a single SC. It is with square
shaped.
 Losses & Other Details: It comes in simplex as well as duplex form. It is a small
form factor SC connector. They have insertion loss of 0.25 dB and return loss
>55 dB.
 Price:Rs=1100/- Approx.
SMA (Subminiature version A) Connector
 Details of SMA

Connector
Manufactured By: Amphenol Fiber Optic Products
 Application: Industrial lasers, military; telecom multimode. The SMA connector has
exceptional mechanical durability.
 Ferrule Diameter: The SMA connector holds a single fiber. The Ferrule is
traditionally made of steel, although ceramic versions are available. SMA 905 and
SMA 906 multimode connectors are available with stainless alloy or stainless steel
ferrules. The stainless alloy ferrule may be drilled from 125um to 1550um to
accept various fiber sizes.
 Coupling Type: SMA connectors use a threaded plug and socket. SMA connectors
have a threaded Coupling nut.
 Losses & Other Details: Simplex only. Multimode only. SMA connectors come in
two varieties: the SMA-905 has a straight ferrule, whereas the SMA-906 has a
stepped ferrule design SMA 906 ferrule has a step, which requires a half sleeve to
be installed when mating a SMA 906 connector with SMA 905 mating sleeves.
 Price:Rs=1379/- Approx.
Reference
:
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_fiber_connector
 www.electronics.dit.ie
 www.slideshare.net
 http://www.ertyu.org/steven_nikkel/fiberconnect.html