Product category:
Optical Fibres, Cables and Connectors
News Release from: Sumitomo Electric Industries | Subject: Miutifibre connectors and ribbons
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 21 March 2003
Multifibre connectors mate with novel
fibre ribbon
Sumitomo Electric has developed a super-low-loss multifibre optical connector which provides insertion loss equal to that of single-fibre optical connectors.
Sumitomo Electric has developed a super-low-loss multifibre optical connector which provides insertion loss equal to that of single-fibre optical connectors and high-density multifibre optical connectors each having 16 or 24 fibres The company has also developed a flame-retardant fibre ribbon
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 29 Jan 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
X-ray lithography produces next-generation probe
Using novel X-ray lithographic micromachining technology, Sumitomo Electric Industries has developed a compact contact probe that can be used to test next-generation high-frequency ICs.
Soft magnetic material makes greener motors
Sumitomo Electric Industries (SEI) has developed a sintered material that can be used as a soft magnetic material in high-performance actuators and high-speed rotary motors used in hard disk drives.
Commercial supply of these developments as advanced function MPO connector products began in March 2003.
The new products will be exhibited next week at OFC 2003 in Atlanta, Georgia.
The increase of DWDM wavelengths and the expansion of metro and access optical networks are driving requirements for higher density.
Further reading
Low-dislocation substrate yields more blue lasers
Sumitomo has developed a novel single-crystal gallium nitride (GaN) substrate that may be used in violet lasers for high-capacity next-generation optical video recording technology.
Transceivers boost density for 10Gbit systems
Two new series of 10Gbit/s optical transceiver products are designed for use in 10Gbit Ethernet and 10Gbit Fibre Channel.
Single-mode fibre is at home on tight corners
PureAccess-Ultra single-mode optical fibre (SMF) features a minimum bend radius of 7.5mm - a substantial improvement on the 30mm bend radius found in conventional SMF.
Presently, various cords with single-fibre optical connectors are used in optical transmission and exchange equipment.
To obtain higher density, it is essential to reduce the size of various optical modules and to increase the density of optical interconnection.
Two design concerns with multifibre systems are: first, the expected higher insertion loss, and secondly the flammability of fibre ribbons.
Sumitomo Electric's new multifibre developments address these issues with low loss optical connectors, high-density optical connectors and flame retardant ribbons.
Typically, an MPO connector, incorporating an MT ferrule, simultaneously connects up to 12 cores in ribbonised fibre.
Sumitomo Electric has developed a super-low-loss multifibre optical connector for SM fibre applications, which features a maximum insertion loss of 0.35dB or lower at random with an average insertion loss of 0.1dB or lower.
These values are equivalent to, or better than, that of single-fibre connectors.
The new super-low-loss multifibre optical connector can be used in optical transmission equipment and modules that require low optical loss and small variations of loss between fibres.
Sumitomo Electric also has a proprietary ferrule design available with chamfered guide holes for enhanced reliability.
A mating multifibre optical connector has metal guide pins on one MT ferrule and guide holes on the other MT ferrule.
When the guide pins are inserted into the guide holes, the precision alignment required by mating connectors is accomplished.
However, in case of repeated rapid or rough mating cycles, guide pins may damage the ferrule area around the guide holes, potentially causing an increase in insertion loss.
Sumitomo Electric's proprietary chamfered guide hole structure solves this problem, offering smooth connector mating and improved reliability after repeated mating cycles.
In response to the demand for denser multifibre optical connectors, Sumitomo Electric has developed two types of high-density multifibre optical connectors.
In its new multifibre optical connector, optical fibres are arranged side-by-side on a MT ferrule.
Due to limitations of ferrule and fibre dimensions, 12 fibres had been the maximum.
Sumitomo Electric has now developed a 16-fibre ribbon by reducing the fibre diameter and narrowing the fibre-to fibre pitch from standard 250um to 180um.
Using this new fibre ribbon, Sumitomo Electric has succeeded in developing a 16-fibre, single row optical connector.
A 24-fibre optical connector s also available, using an MT ferrule and two rows of 12-fibre ribbons.
Additionally, Sumitomo Electric has developed the first flame-retardant fibre ribbon in the world.
This UL VW-1 compliant optical fibre ribbon can be combined with newly developed super-low-loss multifibre optical connectors and high-density multifibre optical connectors.
When high flame retardant is required inside an optical transmission device, ribbon cords with flame-retardant outer coverings are usually used.
Using the new fibre ribbon, a high degree of flame resistance and high-density fibre routing can be obtained at the same time.
Sumitomo Electric offers various types of these new highly flame retardant fibre ribbons: in addition to the standard eight- and 12-fibre ribbons with 250um fibre pitch, a 16-fibre ribbon with 180um fibre pitch is also available for 16-fibre connector application.
Outside of the standard SMF fibre type, additional types that use fibres with enhanced flexural properties (Sumitomo Electric's PureAccess and PureAccess-Ultra fibres, and HNA fibre) are also available.
Sumitomo Electric expects the newly developed super-low-loss multifibre optical connectors, high-density multifibre optical connectors, and highly-flame-retardant fibre ribbons to be widely used in interconnection applications among optical transmission retardant and optical modules.
• Sumitomo Electric Industries: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Electronicstalk email newsletter
• Electronicstalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
