The Fiber Optic Association

Fiber Optics is the communications medium that works by sending optical signals down hair-thin strands of extremely pure glass or plastic fiber. The light is "guided" down the center of the fiber called the "core". The core is surrounded by a optical material called the "cladding" that traps the light in the core using an optical technique called "total internal reflection." The fiber itself is coated by a "buffer" as it is made to protect the fiber from moisture and physical damage. The buffer is what one strips off the fiber for termination or splicing.

The core and cladding are usually made of ultra-pure glass, although some fibers are all plastic or a glass core and plastic cladding. The core is designed to have a higher index of refraction, an optical parameter that is a measure of the speed of light in the material, than the cladding, which causes "total internal reflection" to trap light in the core up to a certain angle, which defines the “numerical aperture” of the fiber.

Glass fiber is coated with a protective plastic covering called the "primary buffer coating" that protects it from moisture and other damage. More protection is provided by the "cable" which has the fibers and strength members inside an outer protective covering called a "jacket".

October 25, 2011

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