fiberopticsplitter-1 FIBERONE: Fiber Optic Splitter Overview

 

 

Overview: Understanding fiber optic splitters for use in your network

FIBERONE offers a variety of optical splitters available for quick delivery to meet your project needs. This includes:

 

 fiberexpert-300x49 FIBERONE: Fiber Optic Splitter Overview

 

Common questions

Review answers to common questions, including:

 

What is a fiber optic splitter?

Let’s start with the basics.

Fiber networks use thin strands of glass to transmit light signals over long distances. Light travels through the fiber until it eventually is converted back into data and for use by network applications.

Fiber optic splitters are devices that take light from a single fiber and split it into one or more different fibers.

For instance, a 1×4 split configuration would take a single light beam and split it into four separate light beams to be transmitted through four individual fiber cables, as illustrated in this graphic courtesy of Thorlabs.

 

How does a fiber optic splitter work?

Fiber optic splitters are passive devices. This means that they don’t generate power or require power to function – nor do they require any electronic components.

They separate light using common materials (like quartz substrate, stainless steel, fiber, etc.) to create multiple light streams. FBT splitters function through stretched fibers that form a double cone to control the splitting ratio. PLC splitters function through a three-layer design comprised of a substrate, a waveguide, and a lid. (More on this distinction later.)

To make things simple: Light enters the splitter, and the splitter passively separates the light into different beams using non-electronic components, then outputs send distinct beams into seperate fibers.

 

What applications are fiber optic splitters used for?

Fiber optic splitters are critical components in today’s fiber networks. They’re commonly used to connect a central office to terminal equipment and, eventually, to end users in FTTX applications.

There are two key benefits to the use of splitters:

Splitters make networks more scalable

As Optigo writes, “splitting fiber makes the network flexible and expandable, so the network can grow over time without using up ports or running lots more lines of fiber.”

Without splitters, networks would require individual lines for each end-user connection – something that would be difficult to sustain both at a technical level and in terms of the raw costs involved. Splitters allow networks to grow and to serve more users more efficiently.

Splitters increase redundancy

In addition to making networks more scalable, splitters also play a role in making networks more dependable. Specifically, 2:N splitters (splitters with two inputs) are often deployed in a ring configuration to increase physical network redundancy.

 

What are the different types of fiber optic splitters?

As you’ve probably realized, there are many variations of fiber optic splitters, distinguished along a variety of categorical lines. Let’s take a look at a few of the most common.

FBT and PLC optical splitters

One of the key variations in splitters comes down to technology: FBT versus PLC.

FBT stands for fused biconical taper. This is the more traditional type of splitter, made (as mentioned above) by drawing two fibers together over controlled heat to form one fiber. Fused fibers are delicate, so they’re guarded by a glass tube made of epoxy and silica powder, then a steel tube that’s sealed by silicon.

FBT splitters support operating wavelengths of 850nm, 1310nm, and 1550nm. They may be concatenated (put in series) to create split ratios up to 1:32 (meaning one input can be split into a maximum of 32 fibers). Notably, FBT splitters are more cost-efficient than PLC splitters because they’re manufactured using more affordable materials.

PLC stands for planar lightwave circuit. As mentioned previously, this technology uses a micro-optical element comprised of a substrate, a waveguide, and a lid.

PLC splitters are somewhat more versatile than FBT splitters and can support a range of operating wavelengths between 1260nm and 1650nm. They have higher spectral uniformity, and losses aren’t sensitive to wavelength. However, they tend to be more expensive than FBT splitters, especially for higher split ratios, because manufacturing requires non-traditional materials and is fairly complex.

Single-mode versus multimode optical splitters

Single-mode optical splitters are designed to work with single-mode optical fiber, while multimode optical splitters are designed to work with multimode optical fiber.

The next questions, obviously, are: What’s single-mode fiber and what’s multimode fiber?

Single-mode fiber has only a single mode of light in the fiber core which provides tight tolerances and the most efficient  transfer of power from the laser light source into the fiber core. This makes long-distance data transfer easier and more effective. Single-mode fiber also has a higher bandwidth.

Multimode fiber, on the other hand, lets multiple modes of light pass through it so that more allowing for lower cost light sources to be used (LED). It has a core with a larger diameter and allows for more generous tolerances when coupling or connecting to the fiber. This type of fiber is commonly used in short-distance, premise-based applications.

Splitters play essentially the same role for both types of fibers – just make sure to order single-mode or multimode based on the fiber you’re using.

Inputs and outputs

Finally, splitters are differentiated by split ratios, which refer to the outputs of a fiber optic splitter. The most common being a symmetrical  (equal), 50% power to each output. Further, there are multiple other varieties of asymmetrical split ratios that provide different power ratios to each output.

There are also a range of common splitter input/output configurations, but some of the more common are:

  • 1×1
  • 1×2
  • 1×4
  • 1×8
  • 1×16
  • 1×32
  • 1×64
  • 2×1
  • 2×2

As Fiber Optics Share notes, different configurations can be created using either a centralized approach (with a single stage splitter performing all necessary splits) or using a cascaded approach (where multiple splitters are used to create multiple outputs).

Here’s the centralized approach:

And here’s the cascaded approach:

 

How to choose the right fiber optic splitter

The best way to make sure of that is to consult with the manufacturers to ensure that the product you’re considering will fit your needs.

As noted above, we offer a variety of fiber optic splitters, including:

  • Single mode optical splitters (1×2) – We offer FBT optical splitters available in a wide range of split ratios and a variety of jackets. See the product details here.
  • Multimode optical splitters (1×2) – We offer FBT splitters available in a wide range of split ratios and 250um and 900um jackets. See the product details here.
  • Single mode optical splitters (1xN) – We offer PLC optical splitters available in a wide range of output varieties and packages. See the product details here.

If you’re not sure which variation will best meet your needs, get in touch with us.

 

fiberexpert-300x49 FIBERONE: Fiber Optic Splitter Overview