Fiber Optic Center Glossary

An insulation support crimp for open barrel terminals with a crimped form resembling an O. It conforms to the shape of round wire insulation.

A doughnut-shaped ring of rubber used as a seal around the periphery of the mating insulator interface of cylindrical connectors.

An elastomer gasket enabling a moisture seal, having a circular cross section. See Rubber.

The main government agency for enforcement of safety and health law in the United States.

A cable adapter that transforms a 25-pair feeder into individual modular plugs.

ODC connectors are designed for the fiber to the antenna (FTTA) applications and can withstand harsh environmental conditions when being used outdoors. They are used for data and telecommunications in mobile radio, process, utility and traffic automation. They are also well suited for industrial, aerospace and defense, oil, wind power, rail transport and heavy machinery of digital information transmission applications. The ODC cable assembly is based on the N Type RF Coax connector and have passed tests like salt mist, vibration and shock and meet protection class IP68.

Conductor displaced within the cross-section of its insulation, no longer concentric.

Condition in which ayers of tape are in correct alignment, but tape is displaced sideways on core.

Percentage of a specified gas released during the combustion of insulation or jacketing material.

Condition occurs when a printed tape is unwound and some of the printing ink is picked off by the adhesive or migrates into the adhesive. It is in effect a delamination of the ink.

Unit of electrical resistance. Resistance of a circuit in which a potential difference of one volt produces a current of one ampere.

A unit of weight resistivity expressing the resistance of a wire one pound in weight and one mile in length.

Stated E = IR, I = E/R, or R = E/I, the current I in a circuit is directly proportional to the voltage E, and inversely proportional to the resistance R.

Cable aged in an accelerated manner by placement in an oil bath and heated to a p re-set temperature for a stated time.

A self-contained pressure cable in which the pressure medium is low viscosity oil having access to the insulation.

A low molecular weight polymer in which the number of repeating units is approximately between two and ten.

A substance composed of oligomer molecules. (IUPAC)

A molecule of intermediate relative molecular mass, the structure of which essentially comprises a small plurality of constitutional units. (IUPAC)

The process of converting a monomer or a mixture of monomers into an oligomer. (IUPAC)

A cable placed in a residential unit extending directly between the telecommunications outlet/connector and the distribution device.

Not permitting the passage of light.

The intended electrical path contains a gap, across which, electric current cannot pass.

Period of assembly time when the adhesive film is exposed to the air.

Foamed or cellular material with cells which are generally interconnected.

An incomplete circuit. A cable connected at one end only is an example of an open circuit. The opposite of a short circuit.

A female-opening contact unprotected from possible damage or distortion from a test probe or other wedging device.

A floor space division provided by furniture, moveable partitions or other means instead of by building walls.

A seven-layered framework of standards for network communication. OSI creates an open systems networking environment where different systems can share data regardless of vendor or platform.

Time during which the adhesive remains active without curing after being applied to the substrate. Alternate term for Assembly Time – The time period from the application ot the adhesive until the final application of pressure.

The maximum frequency at which a connector will function and yield satisfactory electrical performance.

A software program or collection of programs that manage the computer’s hardware and provide an interface to that hardware for the end-user.

The maximum internal temperature resistant capabilities of a connector in continuous operation. (MIL-STD)

The maximum voltage at which a connector is rated to operate.

Software that furnishes tools to provide network control, monitoring and business functions.

A group of network management functions that provide fault indications, performance information, and network diagnosis.

An access network made up of optical transmission links as opposed to copper links composed of twisted-pair or coaxial cabling.

A multiplexer typically used in DWDM systems to allow a wavelength to be added or dropped optically. Can be fixed (FOADM), reconfigurable (ROADM), or dynamic (DOADM).

A device that amplifies light without converting it to electrical signal. Types include the EDFA, Raman, and SOA.

A passive component that produces controlled signal loss in an optical transmission line to decrease the optical power. Available as fixed or as variable types.

Usually followed by a numerical designator such as 1, 12, 192, etc. Used in SONET and ATM transmission systems to describe the optical conversion of a synchronous transport signal at a specific rate, i.e., OC-3.

A multiport device that steers optical energy between specific ports. Used in conjunction with a Bragg filter to provide OADM.

ÅngströmLink® Teflon-like polymer suspended in an evaporative solvent that leaves behind an amorphous film when the solvent evaporates. Film thickness is controlled by the concentration of the dissolved polymer; standard concentrations create film thicknesses of 200nm to 10u; concentration is easily customized by the user to make any layer thickness in-between. Can be used for antireflection coating or low-surface energy masking (mold release).

Creates a unique optical code, similar to a bar code, for each channel by selectively filtering out portions of the spectrum. This spectrally encoded light is then modulated with the data to be transmitted.

Fiber with a protective jacket.

Materials which offer a low optical attenuation to transmission of light energy.

See Fiber Optic Connectors.

See Fiber Optic Cross Connection.

Used with laser protective eye wear. Optical density is the BASE-10 logarithm by a factor of 1000.

The fibers, splitters, couplers, etc., in a passive optical network that provide the optical transmission means from the OLT to the users, and vice versa.

An optical waveguide comprised of a light-carrying core and cladding, which traps light in the core. Fiber optic communication systems use either single-mode or multimode types.

An assembly consisting of one or more optical fibers.

A mechanical media termination device designed to align and join two duplex connectors.

A mechanical media termination device designed to transfer optical power between two pairs of optical fibers.

A passive component used to modify the optical radiation that passes through it, usually by altering the spectral distribution. Employed to reject or absorb optical radiation in particular ranges of wavelength while transmitting it in other ranges. Tunable optical filters have the ability to track the signal wavelength variation over its operating wavelength range while untunable models have fixed values.

ÅngströmLink® series of optically clear fluids used for refractive index matching between two optical elements. Good for laboratory applications and testing, when an easily reversible coupling is desirable.

See Fiber Optic Interconnect.

A nonreciprocal device intended to suppress backward reflections along an optical fiber transmission line while having minimum insertion loss in the forward direction.

The PON controller card or unit located at the service provider. The laser at the OLT is frequently a DFB laser that transmits at 1490 nm or 1550 nm and is always on. Signals from the OLT tell the ONTs when to send upstream traffic to it. Several OLTs may be located in a single chassis.

The amount of optical power lost as light is transmitted through fiber, splices, couplers, etc. Also known as attenuation; measured in dB.

An measurement instrument for optical loss that includes both a meter and source.

A media converter or gateway in the home. The ONT located either inside or outside the home or business converts the signals from light to electrical signals and contains ports to distribute signals on the existing home wiring (or wirelessly).

ÅngströmLink® high purity, high refractive index, optically clear plastic. Moldable by conventional injection molding techniques. Optical transmission and environmental resistance equal to optical grade polycarbonate, with less stress birefringence than polycarbonate. Typically used for lenses in camera and video cell phones, and display backlights.

ÅngströmLink® hybrid organic-inorganic polyimide composition capable of forming hard, durable, coatings on a wide variety of substrates. Coating is thermally and chemically stable, and ultra-hydrophobic.

The amount of radiant energy per unit time, expressed in linear units of Watts or on a logarithmic scale, in dBm (where 0 dB = 1 mW) or dB* (where 0 dB*=1 microWatt).

See bypass switch.

An electronic device that converts optical signals to electrical signals.

Light reflected from the cleaved or polished end of a fiber caused by the difference of refractive indices of air and glass. Typically 4% of the incident light. Expressed in dB relative to incident power.

The difference between the signal being transmitted and the noise being created by an optical laser’s pulse. The higher the OSNR, the better the quality of service.

See Fiber Optic Splice.

A channel, accessed at each optical line amplifier site, used for maintenance purposes including but not limited to remote site alarm reporting, communications necessary for fault location, and orderwire. Not used to carry payload traffic.

A passive component possessing two or more ports that selectively transmits, redirects, or blocks optical power in an optical fiber transmission line.

A device that uses an emitted light pulse of known power and width and measuring the light that is scattered back from events along the length of the fiber. Distance to splices, connectors, faults and the end of the cable can then be calculated and displayed.

See Transmitter.

Dielectric waveguide with a core consisting of optically transparent material of low attenuation (usually silica glass) and with cladding consisting of optically transparent material of lower refractive index than that of the core. It is used for the tra

A high refractive index core with low refractive index cladding.

Specifies a network switch that receives an optical signal, and demultiplexes, switches, multiplexes and re-transmits the signal optically. Can perform 3R functions.

Shorthand notation for a point or device that converts an optical signal to an electrical signal.

Electronic and optoelectronic functions fabricated onto a single substrate by a monolithic process. May also include optical functions.

Bipolar switch, based on moving fibers or mirrors, that moves optical signals between fibers.

Generic top-level Internet domain name

A surge which includes both positive and negative polarity values.

The external conductive member in a coaxial structure, such as the housing in a coaxial connector.

1) De-aeration or other gaseous emission from a connector when exposed to heat, reduced pressure or both.  2) Percentage of a gas released during the combustion of insulation or jacketing material

See telecommunications outlet.

A metallic or nonmetallic box mounted within a wall, floor or ceiling and used to hold telecommunications outlet/connectors or transition devices.

A connecting device in the work area on which horizontal cable terminates.

A term used to describe the sockets provided in the work location of a Structured Cabling System. These are usually 8-pin modular sockets which can support a variety of services e.g. voice, video and data.

The useful power or signal delivered by a circuit or device, or the terminals on the device from which the signal is extracted.

Radiant power, expressed in watts.

A measurement of the diameter of ferrules, cables, ducts, and innerducts, e.g., 2.5 mm.

Telecommunications infrastructure designed for installation exterior to buildings. The portion of a communication network that exists mostly outdoors, but also between transmission sites. It includes patch panels, closures, pedestals, the media (e.g., fiber, twisted pair, coax) and the structure (aerial, underground, etc.) where the cable is installed and routed. The patch panels at each end are points of access for testing, as well as a point of separation of responsibilities for the transmission network.

The current which causes an excessive temperature rise in a conductor.

Finished diameter over wire or cable.

Network deployment in an area that is served by an incumbent network operator. Although the services offered by the new provider may differ from those offered by the incumbent provider(s), some degree of competition is usually implicit.

Individual strands of tinned copper wire stranded together and then covered with a tin coating.

A stranded conductor made from individual strands of tin coated wire stranded together, and then given an overall tin coat.

The current which causes an excessive temperature rise in a conductor.

A condition for launching light into the fiber where the incoming light has a spot size and NA larger than accepted by the fiber, filling all modes in the fiber.

When a light pulse floods the core of a fiber. Since LEDs produce erratic or incoherent burst of lights, they “overfill” the core when coupled to it.

The amount the trailing edge laps over the leading edge of a spiral tape wrap.

The maximum level of current, voltage, or power which a device can withstand before it is damaged.

1) The addition of oxygen to a metal.  2) Any process where a metal loses electrons and is converted from a metal of zero electrical charge to a metallic ion with a positive charge.

A special aging test given to adhesives. Five hundred hours exposure to the condition in this test generally indicates whether a product will provide a good deal of service over a long range period of time.

Percentage of oxygen necessary to support combustion in a gas mixture. Flame retardant materials have a higher oxygen index.

Reactive form of oxygen, typically found a round electrical discharges and present in the atmosphere in small quantities.

Percentage of oxygen necessary to support combustion in gas mixture.

Exposure of material to a high concentration of ozone to give an accelerated indication of oxidation in normal environments and in proximity to ozone producing apparatus.