An Optic Fiber is a flexible, transparent fiber made of high quality extruded glass (silica) or plastic, slightly thicker than a human hair. It can function as a waveguide, or “light pipe”, to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber. The field of applied science and engineering concerned with the design and application of optical fibers is known as fiber optics. Optical fibers are widely used in fiber-optic communications, which permits transmission over longer distances and at higher bandwidths (data rates) than other forms of communication. Fibers are used instead of metal wires because signals travel along them with less loss and are also immune to electromagnetic interference. Fibers are also used for illumination, and are wrapped in bundles so that they may be used to carry images, thus allowing viewing in confined spaces. Specially designed fibers are used for a variety of other applications, including sensors and fiber lasers.
Optical fibers typically include a transparent core surrounded by a transparent cladding material with a lower index of refraction. Light is kept in the core by total internal reflection. This causes the fiber to act as a waveguide. Fibers that support many propagation paths or transverse modes are called multi-mode fibers (MMF), while those that only support a single mode are called single-mode fibers (SMF). Multi-mode fibers generally have a wider core diameter, and are used for short-distance communication links and for applications where high power must be transmitted. Single-mode fibers are used for most communication links longer than 1,000 meters (3,300 ft).
Joining lengths of optical fiber is more complex than joining electrical wire or cable. The ends of the fibers must be carefully cleaved, and then spliced together, either mechanically or by fusing them with heat. Special optical fiber connectors for removable connections are also available.
The advantages of optical fiber communication with respect to copper wire systems
1. Broad Bandwidth
Broadband communication is very much possible over fiber optics which means that audio signal, video signal, microwave signal, text and data from computers can be modulated over light carrier wave and demodulated by optical receiver at the other end. It is possible to transmit around 3,000,000 full-duplex voice or 90,000 TV channels over one optical fiber.
2. Immunity to Electromagnetic Interference
Optical fiber cables carry the information over light waves which travel in the fibers due to the properties of the fiber materials, similar to the light traveling in free space. The light waves (one form of electromagnetic radiation) are unaffected by other electromagnetic radiation nearby. The optical fiber is electrically non-conductive, so it does not act as an antenna to pick up electromagnetic signals which may be present nearby. So the information traveling inside the optical fiber cables is immune to electromagnetic interference e.g. radio transmitters, power cables adjacent to the fiber cables, or even electromagnetic pulses generated by nuclear devices.
3. Low attenuation loss over long distances
There are various optical windows in the optical fiber cable at which the attenuation loss is found to be comparatively low and so transmitter and receiver devices are developed and used in these low attenuation region. Due to low attenuation of 0.2dB/km in optical fiber cables, it is possible to achieve long distance communication efficiently over information capacity rate of 1Tbit/s.
4 Electrical Insulator
Optical fibers are made and drawn from silica glass which is nonconductor of electricity and so there are no ground loops and leakage of any type of current. Optical fibers are thus laid down along with high voltage cables on the electricity poles due to its electrical insulator behavior.
Kind of Optic Fiber
1. Distribution Cable
2. Indoor/Outdoor Tight Buffer
3. Indoor/Outdoor Breakout Cable
4. Aerial Cable/Self-Supporting
5. Hybrid & Composite Cable
6. Armored Cable
7.Low Smoke Zero Halogen (LSZH)
Optical fibers typically include a transparent core surrounded by a transparent cladding material with a lower index of refraction. Light is kept in the core by total internal reflection. This causes the fiber to act as a waveguide. Fibers that support many propagation paths or transverse modes are called multi-mode fibers (MMF), while those that only support a single mode are called single-mode fibers (SMF). Multi-mode fibers generally have a wider core diameter, and are used for short-distance communication links and for applications where high power must be transmitted. Single-mode fibers are used for most communication links longer than 1,000 meters (3,300 ft).
Joining lengths of optical fiber is more complex than joining electrical wire or cable. The ends of the fibers must be carefully cleaved, and then spliced together, either mechanically or by fusing them with heat. Special optical fiber connectors for removable connections are also available.
The advantages of optical fiber communication with respect to copper wire systems
1. Broad Bandwidth
Broadband communication is very much possible over fiber optics which means that audio signal, video signal, microwave signal, text and data from computers can be modulated over light carrier wave and demodulated by optical receiver at the other end. It is possible to transmit around 3,000,000 full-duplex voice or 90,000 TV channels over one optical fiber.
2. Immunity to Electromagnetic Interference
Optical fiber cables carry the information over light waves which travel in the fibers due to the properties of the fiber materials, similar to the light traveling in free space. The light waves (one form of electromagnetic radiation) are unaffected by other electromagnetic radiation nearby. The optical fiber is electrically non-conductive, so it does not act as an antenna to pick up electromagnetic signals which may be present nearby. So the information traveling inside the optical fiber cables is immune to electromagnetic interference e.g. radio transmitters, power cables adjacent to the fiber cables, or even electromagnetic pulses generated by nuclear devices.
3. Low attenuation loss over long distances
There are various optical windows in the optical fiber cable at which the attenuation loss is found to be comparatively low and so transmitter and receiver devices are developed and used in these low attenuation region. Due to low attenuation of 0.2dB/km in optical fiber cables, it is possible to achieve long distance communication efficiently over information capacity rate of 1Tbit/s.
4 Electrical Insulator
Optical fibers are made and drawn from silica glass which is nonconductor of electricity and so there are no ground loops and leakage of any type of current. Optical fibers are thus laid down along with high voltage cables on the electricity poles due to its electrical insulator behavior.
Kind of Optic Fiber
1. Distribution Cable
2. Indoor/Outdoor Tight Buffer
3. Indoor/Outdoor Breakout Cable
4. Aerial Cable/Self-Supporting
5. Hybrid & Composite Cable
6. Armored Cable
7.Low Smoke Zero Halogen (LSZH)
Video: How Fiber Optics Works