Single Mode Fiber (Single Mode Fiber Optic Cable)

When the fiber core is so small that only light ray at 0° incident angle can stably pass through the length of fiber without much loss, this kind of fiber is called single mode fiber. The basic requirement for single mode fiber is that the core be small enough to restrict transmission to a singe mode. This lowest-order mode can propagate in all fibers with smaller cores (as long as light can physically enter the fiber).

The most common type of single mode fiber has a core diameter of 8 to 10 μm and is designed for use in the near infrared (the most common are 1310nm and 1550nm). Please note that the mode structure depends on the wavelength of the light used, so that this fiber actually supports a small number of additional modes at visible wavelengths. Multi mode fiber, by comparison, is manufactured with core diameters as small as 50um and as large as hundreds of microns.

September 6, 2011

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