Advantages and Features of Optical Fiber Quick Connectors

According to different classification methods, fiber optic connectors can be divided into different types. According to different transmission media, they can be divided into single-mode fiber optic connectors and multi-mode fiber optic connectors; according to different structures, they can be divided into FC, SC, ST, D4 , DIN, Biconic, MU, LC, MT and other types; according to the pin end face of the connector can be divided into FC, PC (UPC) and APC; according to the number of fiber cores, there are single-core and multi-core points.

In the actual application process, we generally distinguish according to the structure of the optical fiber connector. The following ZR Cable briefly introduces some of the more common fiber optic connectors:

ZR Cable Fiber Quick Connector

(1) Optical fiber connector

This connector was first developed by Japanese NTT. FC is the abbreviation of ferrule Connector, indicating that its external reinforcement method is a metal sleeve, and the fastening method is a turnbuckle. The earliest, FC type connector, the mating end face of the ceramic pin used is the plane contact method (FC). Such connectors are simple in structure, easy to operate, and easy to manufacture, but the fiber ends are more sensitive to dust, and are prone to Fresnel reflections, making it difficult to improve return loss performance. Later, this type of connector was improved, and the contact pin (PC) with spherical end face was adopted, and the external structure was not changed, so that the performance of insertion loss and return loss was greatly improved.

(2) SC type fiber optic connector

This is a fiber optic connector developed by Japan's NTT company. Its shell is rectangular, and the pins used are connected to the coupling sleeve.

The structure size is exactly the same as the FC type, and the end face of the pin is mostly ground by PC or APC; This type of connector is inexpensive, easy to plug and unplug, small fluctuation in insertion loss, high compressive strength, and high installation density.

(3) Biconic Connector

The most representative product of this type of fiber optic connector was developed by Bell Labs in the United States. It consists of two precision-molded cylindrical plugs with frusto-conical ends and a double-conical plastic sleeve inside. The coupling assembly of the cylinder is composed.

(4) DIN4 type fiber optic connector

This is a connector developed in Germany. The pins and coupling sleeves used in this connector have the same structural dimensions as the FC type, and the end face treatment adopts PC grinding. Compared with the FC type connector, its structure is more complicated, and there is a spring that controls the pressure in the internal metal structure, which can avoid damage to the end face due to excessive insertion pressure. In addition, the mechanical precision of this connector is high, so the insertion loss value is small.

(5) MT-RJ type connector

MT-RJ started from the MT connector developed by NTT. It has the same latching mechanism as the RJ-45 type LAN electrical connector. It is aligned with the optical fiber through the guide pins installed on both sides of the small sleeve. The optical fiber on the end face of the connector is designed in a double-core (0.75mm interval) arrangement. It is the next-generation high-density optical connector mainly used for data transmission.

(6) LC type connector

The LC-type connector was developed by the famous Bell Research Institute and is made of a modular jack (RJ) latch mechanism that is easy to operate. The size of the pins and sleeves used is half the size of ordinary SC, FC, etc., which is 1.25mm. This can increase the density of fiber optic connectors in the optical distribution frame. At present, in terms of single-mode SFF, LC-type connectors have actually occupied a dominant position, and the application in multi-mode is also growing rapidly.

(7) MU type connector

MU (Miniature unit Coupling) connector is the world's smallest single-core fiber optic connector developed by NTT based on the most used SC-type connector. The connector uses a 1.25mm diameter sleeve and self-retaining The advantage of the mechanism is that it can achieve high-density installation. Using MU's 1.25mm diameter sleeve, NTT has developed a series of MU connectors. They are available as receptacle-type optical connectors (MU-A series) for optical cable connection, backplane connectors with self-retaining mechanism (MU-B series), and simplified receptacles for connecting LD/PD modules to plugs (MU-SR series) )Wait. With the rapid development of optical fiber networks in the direction of larger bandwidth and larger capacity and the wide application of DWDM technology, the demand for MU-type connectors will also increase rapidly.