Losses in Optical Fiber
Reasons:
• Absorption Absorption loss
• Scattering Scattering loss
• Bending Bending loss
• Dispersion Dispersion loss
Absorption loss
Material absorption is a loss mechanism related to both the material
composition and the fabrication process for the fiber. The optical power is lost
as heat in the fiber.
The light absorption can be –
• Intrinsic (due to the material components of the glass)
• Extrinsic (due to impurities introduced into the glass
during fabrication).
Intrinsic absorption
Pure silica-based glass has two major intrinsic absorption mechanisms
at optical wavelengths:
(1) A fundamental UV absorption edge, the peaks are centered in the
ultraviolet wavelength region. This is due to the electron transitions
within the glass molecules. The tail of this peak may extend into the
shorter wavelengths of the fiber transmission spectral window.
(2) A fundamental infrared and far-infrared absorption edge, due to
molecular vibrations (such as Si-O). The tail of these absorption
peaks may extend into the longer wavelengths of the fiber
transmission spectral window.
Intrinsic absorption
Extrinsic absorption
• Major extrinsic loss mechanism is caused by absorption due to water (as
the hydroxyl or OH- ions) introduced in the glass fiber during fiber pulling
by means of oxyhydrogen flame.
• These OH- ions are bonded into the glass structure and have absorption
peaks (due to molecular vibrations) at 1.38 mm.
• Since these OH- absorption peaks are sharply peaked, narrow spectral
windows exist around 1.3 mm and 1.55 mm which are essentially
unaffected by OH- absorption.
• The lowest attenuation for typical silica-based fibers occur at wavelength
1.55 mm at about 0.2 dB/km, approaching the minimum possible
attenuation at this wavelength.
Extrinsic absorption
1st window: 850 nm, attenuation 2 dB/km
2nd window: 1300 nm, attenuation 0.5 dB/km
3rd window: 1550 nm, attenuation 0.3 dB/km
Extrinsic absorption
Scattering loss
Scattering results in attenuation as the scattered light may not continue to
satisfy the total internal reflection in the fiber core. One major type of
scattering is known as Rayleigh scattering.
The scattered ray can escape by refraction according to Snell’s Law
Scattering loss
• Rayleigh scattering results from random inhomogeneities that are small in
size compared with the wavelength.
• These inhomogeneities exist in the form of refractive index fluctuations which
are frozen into the amorphous glass fiber upon fiber pulling. Such fluctuations
always exist and cannot be avoided !
Rayleigh scattering results in an attenuation (dB/km)
Scattering loss
Bending loss
Bend loss occurs when an optical fiber cable bends are
smaller than the minimum recommended bending radius.
There are two type of fiber optics bending losses.
a. Macrobending loss
b. Microbending loss
Bending loss
Macrobending loss is referred to loss
induced by physical stress inserted into the
fiber optics itself. This bent is generally
visible to our eyes.
Microbending loss is caused by
imperfection in the fiber optics internal
structure might be due to manufacturing
process or due to pulling method. This
bent is generally invisible to our eyes.
