NEW GENERATION 100G WDM NETWORK TECHNOLOGY
Basic Knowledge of Fiber Connector
Remateable connections are made possible by Fiber Connectors. Fiber Connectors are therefore generally used where flexibility is needed at termination points when an optical signal is routed. Examples would include connections from receivers to equipment pigtails, or normal termination, or when re-configuring systems. Remateable connections make it easy to meet changing customer requirements by simplifying system reconfigurations.
Remateable connections are made possible by Fiber Connectors. Fiber Connectors are therefore generally used where flexibility is needed at termination points when an optical signal is routed. Examples would include connections from receivers to equipment pigtails, or normal termination, or when re-configuring systems. Remateable connections make it easy to meet changing customer requirements by simplifying system reconfigurations.
Application
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 often 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 terminate long runs at a patch panel.
Optical fiber connectors are used in telephone exchanges, for customer premises wiring, 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.
Performance of optical fiber connectors can be quantified by insertion loss and return loss. Measurements of these parameters are now defined in IEC standard 61753-1. The standard gives five grades for insertion loss from A (best) to D (worst), and M for multimode. The other parameter is return loss, with grades from 1 (best) to 5 (worst).
A variety of optical fiber connectors are available, but SC and LC connectors are the most common types of connectors on the market. Typical connectors are rated for 500–1,000 mating cycles.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.
In many data center applications, small (e.g., LC) and multi-fiber (e.g., MTP/MPO) connectors have replaced larger, older styles (e.g., SC), allowing more fiber ports per unit of rack space and higher data rate application such as 100 Gigabit Ethernet.
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
Outside plant applications may require connectors be located underground, or on outdoor walls or utility poles. In such settings, protective enclosures are often used, and fall into two broad categories: hermetic (sealed) and free-breathing. Hermetic cases prevent entry of moisture and air but, lacking ventilation, can become hot if exposed to sunlight or other sources of heat. Free-breathing enclosures, on the other hand, allow ventilation, but can also admit moisture, insects and airborne contaminants. Selection of the correct housing depends on the cable and connector type, the location, and environmental factors. Careful assembly is required to ensure good protection against the elements.
Depending on user requirements, housings for outside plant applications may be tested by the manufacturer under various environmental simulations, which could include physical shock and vibration, water spray, water immersion, dust, etc. to ensure the integrity of optical fiber connections and housing seals.
what’s the difference of Fiber Connectors?
Given the variety of splice options available to fiber network planners today identifying the best connector for FTTH can be overwhelming. Consequently often not much thought is given to connector selection with choice driven by cost, availability or what’s been used before. However each connector has its own unique design and therefore, pros and cons. Over time or depending on project size this can have a dramatic impact on deployment speeds and costs.

So what are the differences and what do they mean to your implementation? This table of common connectors gives an overview of strengths and weaknesses, with more detail in the accompanying descriptions:
1.Standard Connector (SC)
Simple, rugged and low cost, SC connectors use a ceramic ferrule to deliver accurate alignment of the SMF. The SC connector comes with a locking tab that enables push on / pull off operation.
At the time of writing the most popular choice for such equipment like Fiber Multiplexers, GPON and EPON ONU’s, Fiber Media Converters and more.

Figure 3: SC connector
2.Ferrule Core Connector (FC)
Although the FC connector was widely used in fiber optic networks until of late, its use is dwindling fast. This connector uses a threaded container and a position locatable notch to achieve exact locating of the SMF in relation to the receiver and the optical source. Once the connector is installed, its position is maintained with total precision.
FC connector is pretty common choice for example in Video over Fiber Transmission Equipment.

Figure 4: FC connector
3.Lucent Connector (LC)
The Lucent Connector, sometimes referred to as the Little Connector, is a small form factor FOC that uses a 1.25 mm ferrule. There are 3 different types of LC connectors:
- Single Mode LC APC
- Single Mode LC UPC
- Multi-Mode LC UPC
If you had used any SFP module, you have sure seen this connector.

Figure 5: LC connector
LC connector is always present on SFP’s, and if some equipment uses SFP as transmitter, like for example our USB over fiber transmitters, then you can recognize it easily.
4. ST Connector
The ST connector’s keyed bayonet design is similar to that of a BNC (Bayonet Nut Connector or Bayonet Neill-Concelman) connector. The connector is used widely for MMF and SMF FOC and is extremely easy to use. The ST connector is manufactured in two versions – the ST and the ST-II. Both types are keyed and spring loaded, and use a “push-in and twist” mechanism.

Figure 6: ST connector
In some cases, if Multimode type cable is required, some of our customers order RCA audio over fiber converter, with ST connectors:
5. MTP/MPO connector
The MT ferrule connector is another of NTT’s inventions and has been around since the 1980s, although the technology has only recently become popular under branded versions of the Multiple Fiber Push-On/Pull-Off connector, such as MTP and MPO. It is larger than the other connectors but for good reason – it can support up to 24 fibers in a single ferrule.
Multi-fiber connectors are not currently designed for field-fit applications so must be lab terminated. In high density patch environments such as datacenters they are used extensively, both at single mode and multi-mode wavelengths. On a ‘per-fiber’ basis the costs are relatively inexpensive. However as might be expected, the attenuation loss can be higher than a single ceramic ferrule connector. That being said, it is possible to order ‘low loss’ MTP/MPO connectors which have comparable insertion loss performances. These are more costly however.
Network planners should also consider that whilst still using a uniter/adaptor much like other connectors, the MTP/MPO must also be mated to an opposing male or female connector. This may require more than one connector specification or type within inventory, adding to cost and complexity.
Because the sequence of the fibers cannot physically be changed after termination, the connector is often supplied with a fan-out assembly at the opposing end (such as LC, SC FC etc.). This allows the operator to change channels simply by re-patching the fanned-out side of the cable. The consequence of this is that the small form high density design of the MTP/MPO will only benefit one side of the assembly.
Fiber-Mart can supply many kinds fiber connectors. If you have any questions or requirement of fiber connectors,welcome to contact us: product@fiber-mart.com.
How to choose the basic 40G QSFP + optical components ?
With high-speed development of the optical communication industry,why is the third-party 40G QSFP with good compatibility and high stability the perfect choice for customers?
With high-speed development of the optical communication industry,why is the third-party 40G QSFP with good compatibility and high stability the perfect choice for customers?
40G LR4 QSFP+ Transceiver
Conforming to the 802.3ba (40GBASE-LR4) standard, the 40G LR4 QSFP+ transceiver together with the LC connector can support an optical link length up to 10 kilometers over single mode fiber. 40G LR4 QSFP+ transceivers offer 4 independent transmit and receive channels. And to realize the function of transmitting the 4-channel signals over the single mode fiber, this kind of transceiver has to introduce MUX/DEMUX to multiplex/de-multiplex optical signals.the working principle of this kind of QSFP+ transceiver is : In the transmit side, four 10 Gbp/s serial data streams are passed to laser drivers. The laser drivers control directly modulated lasers (DMLs) with wavelengths. the output of the four DMLs are optically multiplexed to a single-mode fiber through an industry-standard LC connector. In the receive side, the four 10 Gbp/s optical data streams are optically de-multiplexed by the integrated optical demultiplexer; then, each data steam is recovered by a PIN photodetector/transimpedance amplifier and passed to an output driver. The following figure shows the functional block diagram of the 40G LR4 QSFP+ transceiver.

40G SR4 QSFP+ Transceiver
40GBASE-SR4 QSFP+, Short-reach (SR) transceivers for 40G connectivity in a QSFP form factor, uses independent transmitter and receiver sections, each with 4 parallel fiber strands. It can transmit 150 meters over OM4 MMF. For a 40G connection, 8 fiber strands are required, and 12-fiber MPO connectors are used. Consequently, 4 fiber strands in each connection are wasted .For most data center networks, the aggregation-layer fiber infrastructure is built for 10G connectivity. That either supports direct connections between devices over LC-to-LC MMF, or uses LC-to-LC fibers to attach devices to patch panels. Regular duplex LC-to-LC fibers cannot be directly reused for 40G connectivity using traditional 40G transceivers.The operating principle of the 40G SR4 QSFP+ Transceiver is : the transmitter converts parallel electrical input signals into parallel optical signals through the use of a laser array. Then the parallel optical signals are transmitted parallelly through the multimode fiber ribbon. Reversely, the receiver converts parallel optical input signals via a photo detector array into parallel electrical output signals. The following figure shows the functional block diagram of the 40G SR4 QSFP+ Transceiver.

Features of OEM 40G QSFP Transceiver Modules
As we know, the OEM 40G QSFP transceiver from name brand like Cisco, Juniper and Brocade is widely used in data center and enterprise network. They all have some great features. The Cisco 40G QSFP transceiver offers a wide variety of high-density and low-power 40 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity options for data center, high-performance computing networks, enterprise core and distribution layers, and service provider applications. Here are some benefits of Cisco 40 Gbps transceiver:
- Hot-swappable input/output device that plugs into a 40 Gigabit Ethernet Cisco QSFP port
- Flexibility of interface choice (for different reach requirements and fiber types)
- Interoperable with other IEEE-compliant 40GBASE interfaces where applicable
- Certified and tested on Cisco QSFP 40G ports for superior performance, quality, and reliability
- High-speed electrical interface compliant to IEEE 802.3ba
- QSFP Form factor, 2-wire I2C communication interface and other low-speed electrical interface compliant to SFF 8436 and QSFP
- The Brocade 40 Gbps transceiver supports highly reliable operations in data center and is optimized for Brocade switching platforms. It undergoes strict qualification and certification testing.
Conclusion
For the 40 Gbps transceiver, Fiber-MART provides high quality QSFP+ transceivers and various of compatible brands for you, Cisco, Genetic, Juniper Networks, Arista Networks, Brocode, HPE, Dell, Intel, IBM, etc. All have passed the compatibility testing. and the prices are much lower than other vendors,if you any question pls feel free to contact me .E-mail :service@fiber-mart.com
TIPS TO CLEAN FIBER OPTIC CONNECTORS
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