Things You Should Know About Fiber Optic Connector

With the fast development of fiber optic technology over the past  years, fiber optic connector has traditionally been the biggest concern in  fiber optic systems. So what is fiber optic connector? Fiber optic connector, also named fiber connector or optical fiber connector, is designed to terminate the end of fiber optics, which can be repeatedly used for connecting two fibers or fiber optic cables to form a continuous light path. Every fiber connection has two values-attenuation (insertion loss) and reflection (return loss). A better connector loses little light because of misalignment or reflection of the fibers. And a fiber optic connector which is lower loss, lower cost, easier to terminate or solved some other complicated problems is really needed for the phonetic industry. Thus about hundreds of fiber optic connectors have been introduced to the market with different standards and applications, but only few of them can represent the majority of the market.

There are several commonly used types of fiber optic connector including LC, SC, ST, FC, MU, MTRJ, E2000, SMA and MTP/MPO connector. Each of different types of fiber optic connector offers its advantages and disadvantages, and it can be applied to which it’s better suited according to its specific application.

LC Connector (Lucent Connector): LC is a small form factor connector that uses a 1.25mm ferrule, which is only half size of the SC,ST and FC fiber optic connectors. It is considered by some people that it can replace the SC connector, because it is stable and simple. The LC connector can be used in mutimode (beige), single-mode (blue) and in a non-reflective design (green). This type of high-density connector is needed in many pieces of communications technology, such as SFP and XFP transceiver.

SC Connector (Subscribe Connector): SC is a snap-in connector with a 2.5mm ferrule which was one of the first connector to hit the market following the advent of ceramic ferrules. And it is a connector that latches with a simple push-pull motion. It is widely used due to its excellent performance and it is very popular with the industry because it can be manufactured at a low price and it actually works. The SC connector is perfectly suited for telecoms and datacoms. Nonetheless its size is the only disadvantage.

ST Connector (Straight Tip): ST is a slotted bayonet type connector with long ferrule, about a 2.5mm ferrule.After the advent of the FC, it was developed by AT&T. Most ST are ceramic, but some can be metal or plastic. And it is a connector for multimode network, like working buildings, corporate networks and in military applications.

FC Connector (Ferrule Connector): FC was the first fiber optic connector to use a ceramic ferrule and was one of the most popular single-mode connector for many years. It also uses a 2.5mm ferrule, like SC and ST. Because it is usually used with single-mode fiber optic cables, many datacom and telecom systems employ FC connectors for this purpose. Nevertheless it has been almost replaced by LCs and SCs.

MU Connector (Miniature Unit): MU looks like a miniature SC with a 1.25mm ferrule. It also has the same push-pull motion, but it can fit two channels in the same footprint of a single SC. It is often used in high-speed data communications, voice networks, telecommunications, and DWDM(wavelength division multiplexing).

MTRJ Connector (Mechanical Transfer Register Jack): MTRJ was considered to be the FTTD (Fiber To The Desk) connector for some time, which has two fibers and is just as small as a RJ45 connector. And it uses a 2.45×4.4mm ferrule. The MTRJ connector is suitable for indoor application in telecommunications and data network system.

E2000 is a trademark of Diamond Company and it has varieties of styles. Even though E2000 connector is more expensive than most of the other connectors, it is widely used in the world of telecommunications, because it has high quality and spring-loaded protective cap that provides increased safety protection. The E2000 connector is available for single-mode and multimode applications.

SMA Connector (Sub Miniature Version A): SMA connector is semi-precision coaxial RF connector developed in the 1960s with a 3.14mm ferrule. Due to its compact size and excellent durability, this connector and related products are widely used in media, sensor and fiber optic test application.

MTP/MPO Connector: MTP and MPO are compatible ribbon fiber connectors based on MT ferrule which allow quick and reliable connection. A MPO connector is the industry for “multi-fiber push on”, while the MTP connector is a high performance MPO connector with multiple engineered product enhancement to improve optical and mechanical performance when compared to MPO connectors. A single MPO/MTP connector can suspend the combination of 4, 8, 12, 24, 48 fiber ribbon cables. MTP/MPO connectors features male and female connector design. Male connectors have two guide pins while female connectors do not. MTP/MPO fiber optic connectors are used extensively, both at single-mode and multimode wavelengths., in high density patch environments such as data-centers.

In conclusion, there are so many different types of fiber optic connectors and each of them has unique applications. If users read this article carefully, it will be useful for them to choose a connector they need.