Rom, Rex E.

CSC-35

Fiber Optic Lay-Out Design

The operation of an optical fiber is based on the principle of total internal reflection. An optical fiber
consists of two different types highly pure, solid glass, composed to form the core and cladding. A
protective acrylate coating then surrounds the cladding. In most cases, the protective coating is a dual
layer composition.

A protective coating is applied to the glass fiber as the final step in the manufacturing process. This
coating protects the glass from dust to scratches that can affect fiber strength. This protective coating can
be comprised of two layers: a soft inner layer that cushions the fiber and allows the coating to be stripped
from the glass mechanically and harder outer layer that protects the fiber during handling, particularly
cabling, installation, and termination processes.

Tools and Equipments for Fiber Optic networking

FIBER TOOLS Fiber Light Sources

Fiber Scopes
Buffer Tube Access Fiber Talk Sets
Cleavers Optical Loss Test Sets
Fiber Cable Slitters Optical Power Meters
Fiber Crimp Tools OTDR Launch Cables
Fiber Cutters & Scissors OTDRs
Fiber Optic Scribes Test and Inspection Kits
Fiber Optic Strippers Visual Fault Locators
Focus Tool
TOOL AND TEST KITS
TEST EQUIPMENT
Installer Tool Kits
Adapter Caps Splice Kits
Certification Tools Termination Kits
DWDM and CWDM Testers Test and Inspection Kits
Fiber Identifiers TKT UniCam Tool Kits
Rom, Rex E. CSC-35

Operating Parameters for Fiber Optic Transmission

Three key performance parameters for single-mode fibers are:

1. Attenuation
2. Dispersion
3. Mode-Field Diameter

It is important to know that these performance parameters can vary significantly among fibers by different
manufacturers. Before making a decision, please find out the best fiber that will not lead to system
malfunction and offer the best performance for your system's needs.

Attenuation/Transmission Loss

Attenuation is the loss or reduction in signal strength over a certain distance. In the case of optical fiber,
this is measured in decibels per kilometer (dB/km). When first developed, optical fiber handled
attenuation of less than 20 dB per km. Now, typical attenuation is 0.35 dB per km at a wavelength of
1310 nanometers (nm) and even lower at 1550 km (0.25 dB per km).

Several factors lead to increased attenuation, primarily scattering and dispersion. Molecular irregularities
in the glass cause the light to scatter. Further attenuation is caused by light being absorbed by residual
materials, such as metal and water ions. It is recommended to buy a fiber cable that has a low water loss
to try to prevent as much attenuation as possible.

Dispersion

In optics, dispersion is a phenomenon that causes the separation of a wave into spectral components with
different frequencies, due to a dependence of the wave's speed on its frequency. During the process of
digital transmission, dispersion can limit the maximum data rate, maximum distance, or the information-
carrying capacity of the single-mode fiber. With analog transmission, dispersion can create unacceptable
levels of composite second-order distortion (CSO).

Mode-Field Diameter

This describes the size of the light-carrying part of fiber, including the core and a small part of the
cladding glass for single-mode fibers. Mode-field diameter (MFD) is important to note because it is a
performance parameter that can determine the effect of bend-induced loss as well as splice loss. Rather
than being only the core diameter, MFD is a function of wavelength, the aforementioned core diameter,
and the refractive-index