Tag: fiber optic cables

Do Fiber Optic Cables Need Amplifiers?

Fiber optic cables are playing an essential role in creating highly reliable and high-performing optical communication systems and networks. When a signal propagates in a cable for a long distance, it becomes essential to install amplifiers in the network to prevent any distortion or weakening of the signal. In the same way, when light (or optical) signals travel in a fiber optic cable over a long distance, it also needs a fiber in-line amplifier to restore the strength of the light signal. Let’s learn about fiber optical amplifiers in detail.

What is a fiber optical amplifier?

A fiber optical amplifier is a special device that is specifically designed to boost (amplify) light-wave signals traveling across fiber optic cables without changing these signals into electrical form.

The use of optical amplifiers in optical fiber communication applications allows you to retain the optical integrity of the whole system.

What is the need for a fiber optical amplifier?

Wherever data is transmitted in the form of optical signals through a fiber cable, you need a fiber optical amplifier to preserve the strength of optical signals. Typically, when signals are sent from one end to another, then the quality and strength of the signal degrade due to various factors. If a fiber optical amplifier is not used and a degraded signal is sent to the other end, it becomes difficult or sometimes even impossible to regain the original information sent via that particular signal.

Since optical signals carry information in an optical communication network, the use of an electronic amplifier is not preferred; otherwise, some additional units will be needed to convert optical signals into electrical signals and then again need to convert the electrical signals into optical signals after amplification. This process is not only time-consuming but also makes the entire system more expensive and labor-intensive. Plus, data transmission will also be slower.

Therefore, fiber optical amplifiers are installed to amplify optical signals so that data signals can be transmitted at a faster rate and the integrity of data and information carried by signals remains intact.

In short, optical amplifiers allow you to transmit signals over long distances and at a faster rate without any attenuation or distortion.

Different Types of Optical Amplifiers

Optical amplifiers are usually categorized into three categories, namely:

  • Semiconductor amplifiers
  • Doped fiber amplifiers
  • Raman amplifiers

Among all these three amplifiers, doped fiber amplifiers are more commonly used in fiber communications, fiber laser, and fiber sensor applications. Abbreviated as DFA, the active medium of a doped fiber amplifier is created by doping silica core slightly with rare earth elements, usually erbium. Hence, doped fiber amplifiers are popularly known as erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFA).

Sometimes, optical amplifiers are also used in long-distance optical communication networks, optical fiber distributed sensing, and fiber laser applications. These amplifiers are based on the principle of Raman scattering and don’t need the population inversion mechanism for amplification purposes. To amplify signals, these amplifiers utilize standard transmission fiber cables.

DK Photonics is a world-class optical passive component manufacturer based in China and its offerings also include high-quality and reliable fiber optical amplifiers that are widely acclaimed for achieving high gain and low noise amplification. For any queries related to fiber amplifier orders, please get in touch with us.

The Ion exchange process and the Glass choice of the PLC Splitter Chip

Along with development of the optical communication, its good environmental stability and compatibility with fiber, began to widely used optical communication components manufacturing.( Such as self-focusing lens, optical divider, optical amplifier, etc), And extend to the sensing area, (such as: all kinds of biological and chemical sensors , current sensors which is based on fading light waves, etc.)plc splitter

Glass ion-exchange technology has several one hundred years long history, Its earliest used to change the light absorption characteristics of glass, glass coloring,then, the technology is widely used in processing on the surface of the glass surface (such as touch screen add hard processing). Along with development of the optical communication, its good environmental stability and compatibility with fiber, began to widely used optical communication components manufacturing.( Such as self-focusing lens, optical divider, optical amplifier, etc), And extend to the sensing area, (such as: all kinds of biological and chemical sensors , current sensors which is based on fading light waves, etc.)

Current mainstream technology of PLC Splitter chip includes: PECVD technology, flame hydrolysis technology, glass ion exchange technology. Glass principle and technological process of ion exchange technology as shown in figure 1,figure 2. The main process flow flame hydrolysis technology shown in figure 3. The process characteristics of contrast see table 1. From years of use and reliability experiment, the two technologies are used in mass production and the performance is good.The features of PECVD/flame hydrolysis technique are that equipment and raw materials is the existing material, but its process is very complicated, the production cycle is long, the processing tolerance is small; Glass ion exchange technology is characterized by equipment and raw materials need special customized, but its technology is relatively simple, high production efficiency, process tolerance is larger, the chip cost is relatively low.

DK Photonics – www.dkphotonics.com  specializes in designing and manufacturing of high quality optical passive components mainly for telecommunication, fiber sensor and fiber laser applications,such as PLC Splitter, WDM, FWDM, CWDM, DWDM, OADM,Optical Circulator, Isolator, PM Circulator, PM Isolator, Fused Coupler, Fused WDM, Collimator, Optical Switch and Polarization Maintaining Components, Pump Combiner, High power isolator, Patch Cord and all kinds of connectors.

Planar Lightwave Circuit (PLC) Splitters Market Forecast

Telecommunication applications dominate the worldwide PLC splitter marketplace…

ElectroniCast Consultants, a leading market/technology consultancy, today announced the report release of their market forecast of the global consumption of Planar Lightwave Circuit (PLC) splitters used in Fiber Optic Communication Networks.

This ElectroniCast study report details of last year’s consumption and forecasts to the year 2017 of PLC splitters by product-level (level of fabrication), in selected optical communication applications.   There are actually three (3) separate market forecasts:

According to ElectroniCast, the PON, FTTx, and Telecommunication network applications dominate the worldwide PLC splitter compact device consumption value in 2012 with 77% in relative market share; followed by the cable TV segment, the PLC splitters used in Test/Measurement applications and then Harsh Environment (Military/Aerospace, Industrial) and finally Private Enterprise Networks.

In the report, ElectroniCast provides their market data covering the following optical communication applications:

  • Passive Optical Network (PON) / FTTX / Telecommunication Networks
  • Cable TV (CATV)
  • Fiber Optic Test/Measurement
  • Private Enterprise/Data Centers/Local Area Networks (LANs)
  • Harsh Environment (Military, Industrial, Other)

In 2012, the Asia Pacific region (APAC) region leads in the consumption of PLC splitter compact devices with 68% of the worldwide value, followed by the American region and finally the EMEA region.

According to ElectroniCast, the Asia Pacific region dominates the worldwide value of PLC splitters with 68% in 2012…

PLC Splitter Component-Level Compact Devices

2012 – Global Consumption Value Market Share (%), by Region

 (Source: ElectroniCast Consultants)

 PLC

DK Photonics – www.dkphotonics.com  specializes in designing and manufacturing of high quality optical passive components mainly for telecommunication, fiber sensor and fiber laser applications,such as PLC Splitter, WDM, FWDM, CWDM, DWDM, OADM,Optical Circulator, Isolator, PM Circulator, PM Isolator, Fused Coupler, Fused WDM, Collimator, Optical Switch and Polarization Maintaining Components, Pump Combiner, High power isolator, Patch Cord and all kinds of connectors.

How Great Of Fiber Optic Cables

Fiber optic cables are used frequently for today’s telecommunication network because of their high bandwidth, high reliability and relatively low cost. For a layman, fiber optical cable or FOCs as they are often called, is a plastic or glass fiber which permits the transmission of communications over large distances and at higher rates. They present wire almost superfluous, because they pass the same, but there are a lot of loss. These cables are unique because they are not affected by electromagnetic interference. Use these cables in performing image used in the fiber.

Each cable can not beyond the permissible limit. Fiber optic cable is very safe and more reliable than the traditional copper wire. Most of these cable to work in high-pressure environments. A fiber optic cable assembly includes a tube, a track and fasteners in addition to the conventional fiber bundles.

The cable tubes have both front and rear surfaces to it. These cables operate with the help of photons. These photos are transmitted to a second quantum dot which is placed between mirrors. These mirrors absorb the photons and bounce them back to the quantum dot until it absorbs it.

The fiber optic cables are used for carrying different services pertaining to data, voice, cable TV, and video. The fiber optic cables keeps the electronic equipments far away from environment that are subjected to high temperature, stem, dust, smoke and so on. The unique feature of these fiber optic cable is that stainless steel lens and fiber cables can be easily replaced without any further calibration.

For the installation of fiber optic cables, fiber optic cable blowers are designed. The unique feature of these fiber optic is that they carry information in the form of light. These cables are very useful in transporting both audio and video signals over short and long distances. If a fiber optic cable is broken, another cable has to be fitted in between the connectors rather than soldering or twisting them. Fiber optic technologies have found its place in many applications. They are widely used in telecommunications, CCTV security places, and local area networks and so on.

Glass fibers are made use of for fiber optic cabling. They hardly provide any change in the signals they carry over long distances. Engineers found that by adding some additional chemicals into the existing silica, they can change the properties of the glass used for the cable (glass fiber cable). Althouth, both glass and plastic can be used in the manufacture of cable, glass is the preferred one used in the manufacture of cable, used for long distance transmission communication. The purpose of glasses in total internal reflection transmission.

A fiber optic cable consists of a core which is made of glass silica. Through this core, the light is guided. The core is covered with a material whose refractive index is slightly lower than that of the core. Two optical fibers are connected via mechanical splicing or fusion splicing. This process involves lots of skills as microscopic precision is required to align them.

Regardless of the application used in optical fiber, they will stay here. Their unique features and capabilities, to ensure that they will continue to spread widely used in communications industry for many years.