Optical fiber connector is a device for detachable (movable) connection between optical fiber and optical fiber. It precisely butts the two end faces of optical fiber so that the optical energy output by the transmitting optical fiber can be coupled into the receiving optical fiber to the maximum extent. And to minimize the impact on the system due to its intervention in the optical link, this is the basic requirement of the fiber optic connector. To a certain extent, fiber optic connectors also affect the reliability and performance of optical transmission systems.

Optical fiber connectors can be divided into common silicon-based optical fiber single-mode and multi-mode connectors according to different transmission media, and other optical fiber connectors such as plastics as transmission media; according to the structure of the connector, it can be divided into: FC , SC, ST, LC, D4, DIN, MU, MT, etc. in various forms. Among them, ST connectors are usually used at the wiring equipment end, such as optical fiber distribution frames, optical fiber modules, etc.; while SC and MT connectors are usually used at the network equipment end. According to the shape of the fiber end face, there are FC, PC (including SPC or UPC) and APC; according to the number of fiber cores, there are single-core and multi-core (such as MT-RJ). Fiber optic connectors are widely used and come in many varieties. In the actual application process, we generally distinguish according to the different structures of optical fiber connectors. The following are some of the more common fiber optic connectors:

fiber optic connector

(1) FC fiber optic connector

This connector was first developed by Japan 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, the FC type connector, uses the docking port of the ceramic pin. This type of connector is simple in structure, easy to operate, and easy to manufacture, but the fiber end is more sensitive to dust and prone to Fresnel reflection, making it difficult to improve return loss performance. Later, this type of connector was improved by adopting a contact pin (PC) with a spherical butt end surface, and the external structure remained unchanged, which greatly improved the insertion loss and return loss performance.

(2) SC type fiber optic connector

This is a fiber optic connector developed by NTT Corporation of Japan. Its shell is rectangular, and the structure dimensions of the pins and coupling sleeves used are exactly the same as those of the FC type. Among them, the end faces of the pins are mostly PC or APC-type grinding; the fastening method is the plug-in pin-bolt type, which does not need to be rotated. This type of connector is cheap, easy to plug and unplug, has small fluctuations in insertion loss, high compressive strength, and high installation density.

ST and SC interfaces are two types of fiber optic connectors. For 10Base-F connection, the connector is usually ST type, and for 100Base-FX, the connector is mostly SC type. The core of the ST connector is exposed, and the core of the SC connector is inside the connector.

(3) Biconic Connector

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

(4) DIN47256 fiber optic connector

This is a connector developed in Germany. The structure dimensions of the pin and coupling sleeve used in this connector are the same as those of the FC type, and the end face treatment adopts PC grinding method. Compared with the FC type connector, its structure is more complicated, and there is a spring to control 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 latch mechanism as the RJ-45 LAN electrical connector. It is connected to the machine, and the optical fiber on the end face of the connector is designed as a double-core (0.75mm interval) arrangement. It is a next-generation high-density optical fiber connector mainly used for data transmission.

(6) LC type connector

The LC type connector is researched and developed by the famous Bell (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 optical fiber connectors in the optical fiber distribution frame. At present, in terms of single-mode SFF, LC-type connectors have actually occupied a dominant position, and their applications in multi-mode are also growing rapidly.

(7) MU type connector

The MU (Miniature unit Coupling) connector is the world’s smallest single-core optical fiber connector developed by NTT based on the most widely used SC-type connector. The connector uses a 1.25mm diameter sleeve and a self-retaining mechanism, which has the advantage of enabling high-density mounting. Using MU’s 1.25mm diameter ferrule, NTT has developed the MU connector series. They are available as receptacle type connectors for optical cable connection (MU-A series); backplane connectors with self-holding 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 towards larger bandwidth and larger capacity and the wide application of DWDM technology, the demand for MU connectors will also increase rapidly.

This is the introduction of several common optical fiber connectors on the market. If you have a demand for weak current products, please contact sales@hj-net.com