Optic fiber is a thin cylindrical fiber that is made of glass or plasticthat is as tiny as one tenth of human hair. The standard optical fiber in telecom is composed of three cylindrical layers, counted in the inside the fiber core (diameter 8x10um) and cladding (diameter of 125um) and الياف بصرية stc buffer coating (diameter 9000um).
Fiber core and cladding is made of glass or silica. The fiber core and the cladding layers are used to keep the light within the core and prevent it from leaking. Fiber buffer coating is made out of plastic or acrylic, and offers handling flexibility as well as physical protection to the fiber.
Optical fibers utilize an optical phenomenon known as internal reflection. When light is in the fiber from the end face, it is contained within the core, not leaking out and losing energy.
Then light is digitally modulated to show 1 and 0 , just as a computer. As such, information can be transferred from one site to another one, which could be located from San Francisco all the way to New York.
What are fiber optic connectors ? And how do they function?
Now you understand how optical fibers operate. What is a fiber optic connector and what is its purpose in the fiber optic network of telecommunications?
Put it simple, a fiber optic connector’s function is similar to an electric power source that relies on light to transmit from one section of optical fiber with another section of optical fiber.
Since optical fibers are so tiny, fiber optic connectors have to be made with high precision, and at a scale that is 0.1um that is just one centimeter of a human hair.
Fiber optic connectors connect two fibers end to end to ensure that light is able to move from one fiber to another without bounce off the interface , and thus losing its signal.
Additionally, fiber optic connectors provide cross-connect flexibility to the telecommunications network. So a complicated computer network could be made modular and manageable.
Just like any other connectors that are used in electronic industry, the electric industry, or computer industry, numerous types and types of connectors for fiber optics were developed during the evolution of the fiber optic communication. Certain of them were highly popular in the market but they have since served their purpose and are disappearing.
The most well-known fiber optic connectors that are used today comprise SC, ST, LC, FC, MTRJ, SMA and a few of other less popular ones. There are certain to be new connectors developed with the progress of this industry.