Features of Optical Fiber
Light pulses are transmitted from one end of an optical fiber to another on a flexible, transparent fiber made up of plastic or glass. A fiber optic network can provide high-speed and long-distance services.
Fiber optic cables are typically used in telecommunications services such as the Internet, telephone, and television.
Copper cables lack many of the advantages that fiber optic cables have. The cables transmit information far more quickly and have a higher bandwidth.
There are many glass components in an optical fiber, which may range from a few to as many as a few hundred. In this case, the fiber cable consists of a layer of glass called cladding enclosing the glass fiber core. In addition, the cladding is shielded by a tube known as a buffer tube. The jacket layer is the final protective layer present on the strand.
Core- It is a thin piece of glass located near the center of the fiber on which the light is transmitted
Cladding- A glass core surrounds a material on the outside called the outer material. During normal operation, the outer material reflects light back into the core.
Buffer Coating- Fibers are protected by a plastic coating that prevents damage from the elements.
How does an Optical Fiber work?
According to the total internal reflection principle, optical fibers work. There is a problem here - light rays travel in straight lines, which can make it difficult for them to carry large amounts of data. As a result, harnessing this advantage will be very difficult without a long straight wire without any bends. To overcome this distortion, optical cables are designed in such a way that all the light beams are bent inward (using TIR). Throughout the optical fibers, light rays bounce off the walls and transmit data from one end to the other. Over longer distances, lights do degrade, depending on the purity of the material, but they do so at a much lower rate than using metal cables. Fiber Optic Relay Systems are composed of the following components:
Transmitter-Light signals are produced and encoded in order to be transmitted.
Optical Fiber-Light pulses (signals) are transmitted through this medium.
Optical Receiver-The receiver receives the transmitted light pulses (signals) and decodes them into usable signals.
Optical Regenerator-Data transmission over long distances requires this.
The Types of Optical Fibers
Optical fibers come in various types based on their refractive indices, materials, and light propagation modes.
According to refractive index, the classification is as follows:
Step Index Fibers: They are characterized by a core covered with a cladding that has a uniform refractive index.
Graded Index Fibers: Increasing distances from the fiber axis cause the refractive index of the optical fiber to decrease.
As a result of the materials used, it can be classified as follows:
Plastic Optical Fibers: Plastic optical fibers have a polymethylmethacrylate core material.
Glass Fibers: They are made of very fine glass fibers.
The following is a classification of light based on its propagation mode:
Single-mode fibers are used to transmit signals over long distances.
Multimode fibers are used for short-distance signal transmission.
There are four types of optic fibers depending on their mode of propagation and refractive index, which are as follows:
Step index-single mode fibers
Graded index-Single mode fibers
Step index-Multimode fibers
Graded index-Multimode fibers
FAQs on Optical Fiber
1. What are the Uses of Fiber Optics?
Computer networking is one of the major uses of fiber optics in which data is transmitted at a higher bandwidth.
Fiber optics are also used in electronics and broadcasting to maintain better connection and performance. Internet, cable, and televisions are also the most common uses of fiber optics.
Fiber optics can also be used for long-distance connections of a computer network to different locations.
Military and space agencies use fiber optics for communication and for transferring signals. It is also used for temperature sensing.
2. Advantages of Optical Fiber Communication.
The major advantages of optical fiber are:
Economical and cost-effective
Less power consumption
Thin and non-flammable
Less signal degradation
Flexible and lightweight
3. Disadvantages of Optical Fiber Communication.
The major disadvantages of optical fibers are:
The optical fiber cables are very difficult to merge into each other and there might be loss of the light beam within the cable while scattering.
The Installation of optical cables is very expensive. Special test equipment is needed to install the optical fibers.
Fiber optic cables are compact and are very highly vulnerable while fitting.
The optical fiber cables are more delicate as compared to copper wires.
Special devices are required to analyze the transmission of light through the fiber cables.
4. List a few advantages of fibre-optic communication?
Optical fibre communication has the following advantages:
Signal degradation is reduced.
It is non-flammable and thin.
It is economical and cost-effective.
It consumes very little energy.
5. Identify the factors that cause attenuation of optical power in fiber?
A fibre’s optical power is attenuated due to the following factors:
Absorption
Scattering
Waveguide effect
6. What makes plastic-clad silica fibre optic cables not user-friendly?
There are several reasons why plastic-clad silica fibre optic cables are not user-friendly:
Inorganic solvents cannot dissolve the fibres.
Bonding is more difficult.
As the cladding is excessively plastic, connecting it becomes difficult.
7. How does optical fibre cable benefit you?
Optical fibre cable offers the following benefits:
Security of the data is excellent.
The cost is reasonable.
No interference will occur.
8. Optical fibre communication has disadvantages?
Optical fibres have several significant disadvantages, including:
There is a great deal of difficulty in merging the optical fibre cables together, and the light beam could be lost while scattering within the cable.
It is very costly to install optical cables. Testing the optical fibres requires specialized equipment.
Cables are extremely vulnerable while being installed because of their compact size.
Fibre optic cable installation is more delicate than copper cable installation.
A particular device must be used to measure light transmission through the fibre cables.
