ADVANTAGES / DISADVANTAGES (of single mode vs multi-mode)
The use of Single Mode Fiber is the best way to get rid of Intermodal Dispersion. With Single Mode fiber there is only only 1 mode or ray of light being propagated down the fiber. It is a single straight light wave with little to no chance of the light leaving the fiber. The single core also creates higher bandwidth and the ability to travel greater distances.
Using the Graded-index multimode fiber results in a digital pulse that suffers less dispersion.
The use of Step-index multimode fiber is best suited for transmission over shorter distances. Due to the need to leave spacing between pulses to prevent overlapping limits the bandwidth and the amount of information that can be sent.
October 21, 2011