optical fiber is a thin cylindrical fiber that is made of plastic or glass, that is as small as one tenth of the human hair. A standard telecom optical fiber comprises three cylindrical layers, counted in the inside the fiber core (diameter 8~10um), cladding (diameter of 125um) and buffer coating (diameter 9000um).
Fiber core and cladding are made of glass or silica. The fiber core and the Cladding layers combine to contain the light within the core, without leakage. The fiber buffer coating is constructed out of plastic or acrylic, and Yanbualbahar.com/vb/showthread.php?t=113195&s=8d19288d3785c05e02c4a800397c794c provides handling flexibility and physical protection to the fiber.
Optical fibers utilize an optical phenomenon known as total internal reflection. When light is introduced into the fiber from its one end, it’s contained within the core, not leaking out and losing its energy.
Then, light is digitally modulated to show the numbers 1 and 0 as a computer. As such, information can be transferred from one location to another site which may be from San Francisco all the way to New York.
What is a fiber optic connector and how do they function?
You now know how optical fibers work. What is a fiber optic connector and what is its purpose in a fiber optic telecommunication network?
In simple terms A fiber optic connector’s function is similar to an electric power plug that is used to connect light in one segment of optical fiber with another section that is optical.
Because optical fibers are tiny that fiber optic connectors need to be made with high precision, and at a size that is 0.1um, which equals one hundredth the human hair.
Fiber optic connectors align two fibers from end to end to ensure that light is able to travel from one fiber into another without bouncing off the connector and losing its signal.
Additionally the fact that fiber optic connectors offer cross connect flexibility for the telecommunication network. So a complicated computer network could be made modular and manageable.
Like other connectors used in electronic industry, electric industry, or computer industry, many different kinds of fiber optic connectors were developed along the development of fiber optic communication industry. Some of them once were highly popular in the market but they have since been used for a variety of purposes, but are now fading away.
The most widely used fiber optic connectors that are used today include SC, ST, LC, FC, MTRJ, SMA and a few of others that are less well-known. You will surely see new connectors being developed as a result of the development of the industry.