Outside
Plant Fiber Optics
Lesson 5: Optical Fiber
Objectives: From this lesson you should learn:
What is Optical Fiber?
How optical fiber transmits light
Types of fiber
Physical characteristics of various types of fibers
Fiber performance specifications
If
you already have a CFOT, this is a review of
material you have already covered.
In this lesson you will learn what optical fiber is, how
it transmits light and all about the types of fiber
available. Optical fiber is the communications medium that
works by sending optical (light) signals down extremely
pure hair-thin strands of glass or plastic fiber. The
light is “guided” down the center of the fiber which is
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” to protect the
fiber from moisture and physical damage.
Notes
(IMPORTANT):
The buffer is what one strips off the fiber for
termination or splicing.
Fiber is specified by size (core/cladding) and
core design which determines whether it is
multimode or singlemode and its performance parameters.
This lesson will cover all those topics.
Fiber Trivia: Although glass optical fibers are
made of a material that everyone assumes is weak and
fragile, it's made from ultra pure glass and is actually
quite flexible, 3 times stronger than steel and 6 times
stronger than titanium (according to the largest
manufacturer of optical fiber, Corning.)
Student Assignment:
Watch the videos, read the references and take the quizzes
(Test Your Comprehension)
FOA YouTube Video
FOA
Lecture 3: Optical Fiber
Singlemode
fiber nomenclature and standards
Online FOA Reference:
Optical
Fiber
Book Chapter:
FOA
Reference Guide to Outside Plant Fiber Optics,
Chapter 5
Test Your Knowledge:
Online
Quiz
Take the Quiz at the end of Chapter 5 and check
your answers
Extra Credit Reading
How
fiber is manufactured
Measuring
Loss in Fiber Optics
Plastic
Optical Fiber
- Next: Lesson
6: Fiber Optic Cables
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