Fiber optic cable, which is lighter, smaller and more flexible than copper, can transmit signals with faster speed over longer distance. However, many factors can influence the performance of fiber optic transmission. Losses in optical fiber are negligible issues among them, and it has been a top priority for every engineer to work with and figure out solutions for.

Different Types of Losses in Optical Fiber

The various losses in optical fiber are due to either intrinsic or extrinsic factors. Fiber attenuation, which is also called signal loss or fiber loss, is the consequence of the intrinsic properties of an optical fiber (multimode and single mode fiber). Apart from the intrinsic fiber losses, there are some other types of losses in the optical fiber that contribute to the link loss, such as splicing, patch connections, bending, etc.

How to Reduce Losses in Optical Fiber

In order to ensure the output power can be within the sensitivity of the receiver and leave enough margin for the performance degradation with the time, it is an essential issue to reduce the losses in optical fiber. 

Here are some common approaches in fiber link design and installation.

1. Make sure to adapt the high-quality cables with same properties as much as possible. Choose qualified connectors as much as possible. Make sure that the insertion loss should be lower than 0.3dB and the additional loss should be lower than 0.2dB.

2. Try to use the entire disc to configure (single disc more than 500 meters) in order to minimize the number of joints. During splicing, strictly follow the processing and environment requirements. The connecting joints must have excellent patch and closed coupling so that can prevent the light leakage.

3. Make sure of the cleanliness of the connectors. Choose the best route and methods to lay the fiber cables during design the construction. Select and form a qualified construction team to guarantee the quality of the construction.

4. Strengthen the protection work, especially lightning protection, electrical protection, anti-corrosion and anti mechanical damage. Use high quality heat-shrinkable tube.

5. Use high precision fiber fusion splicer.