Tips

During my MCVD years, I actively sought out various add-on control devices to improve our process and fiber quality. In fact, some features were specifically designed for my needs. Here’s a brief overview of recommended options. Read more: “MCVD options: These ...

Before you set up the preform, I recommend leak testing the rotary seal. I do this by flowing oxygen through the rotary seal. Start by plugging the end of the rotary seal with a solid quartz tube. Next, lower the regulated O2 pressure to ~ 5 psi, slightly above ...

The goal of fusion splicing is to join two optical fibers end-to-end so that light passing through the fibers is not scattered or reflected by the splice.  The splice should be as strong as the intact fiber.   Additional resources from the FOC team...

Step 5. Conduct a visual inspection. Your customers will require some type of visual inspection. (Clearly, you cannot ship a connector with a shattered fiber.) After achieving desired geometry values, measure the visual appearance of the end-face, looking for ...

The tube-cleaning process is a critical part of preparation. I find that using the first cleaning step to remove metallic impurities works well. If you were to HF etch first, you may etch the glass around the metallic impurity, but not necessarily remove it. If you...

Observations: There is a substantial gap between the end of the stripped buffer area to the point of breakage (just inside the internal chamfer of the ceramic ferrule). Also evident is the shrinkage of epoxy which is quite apparent against the chamfer. It ...

In addition to failures due to the light loss, there is the possibility of equipment failure and the nightmare of unexpected costs for troubleshooting, replacing and fixing damages. Fiber Installation Cleanliness Resources: Cisco had this information under their...

With APC ferrules, we have an angled surface that MUST be oriented in a specific location relative to the connector key (if not, then two angled connectors would never mate together when connected). Any rotational deviation from this angle-to-key orientation is known...

Return Loss is a measure of the relative power reflected back from a splice, connection, or defect in the fiber. In the early days, this was a big problem. Lasers could be destabilized by power coming back at them, and analog video would suffer ghosts. This is...

When developing a polishing process, carefully evaluate other major visual defects: shattered fibers, core cracks, no visible fiber, etc. In many cases, the cause of the defect is not related to your polishing process but rather to cleaving, product handling, curing...