Posted by
Jilong Fibers on Thursday, January 08, 2009 5:00:00 PM
Before optical fibers can be successfully fusion-spliced,
they need to be carefully stripped of their outer jackets and polymer coating,
thoroughly cleaned, and then precisely cleaved to form smooth, perpendicular end
faces. Once all of this has been completed, each fiber is placed into a holder
in the splicer’s enclosure. From this point on, the fiber
optic fusion splicer takes over the rest of the process, which
involves 3 steps:
- Alignment: Using
small, precise motors, the fusion splicer makes minute
adjustments to the fibers’ positions until they’re properly aligned, so
the finished splice will be as seamless and attenuation-free as possible. During the
alignment process, the fiber optic
technician is able to view the fiber alignment, thanks to magnification by optical power meter,
video camera, or viewing scope.
- Impurity Burn-Off: Since
the slightest trace of dust or other
impurities can wreak havoc on a splice’s ability to transmit optical signals, you
can never be too clean when it comes
to fusion splicing. Even though fibers are hand-cleaned before being inserted into the splicing device, many
fusion splicers incorporate an extra
precautionary cleaning step into the
process: prior to fusing, they generate a small spark between the
fiber ends to burn off any remaining
dust or moisture.
- Fusion: After fibers
have been properly positioned and
any remaining moisture and dust have been
burned off, it’s time to fuse the fibers ends together to form
a permanent splice. The splicer
emits a second, larger spark that melts the optical fiber end faces without causing the
fibers’ cladding and molten glass core to run together (keeping the cladding and
core separate is vital for a good
splice – it minimizes optical loss). The melted fiber tips are then joined together, forming the final fusion
splice. Estimated splice-loss tests
are then performed, with most fiber fusion splices showing a typical optical loss of 0.1 dB or
less.
Nanjing Jilong Optical
Communication Co.,
Ltd is professional in developing and producing
Fusion
Splicer.