What Is Optical Fiber Cable?

Optical fiber cable is also known as fiber-optic cable. This cable uses light pulses to carry and transmit data from point to point. Fiber-optic cable can transmit data and signals at a higher bandwidth and at a faster speed than traditional copper or aluminum cable lines. It can be used in a wide range of data transmission applications.

Optical fibers

History

Corning Glass Works created the first fiber optic cable in 1970. It was first commercially used in 1977 for telecommunications purposes. Fiber optics replaced old copper telephone lines during this time. As usage of fiber optics grew, applications like cable TV, LAN (local area networks) and power company monitoring grids became common places to find fiber-optic technology.

Types

There are two primary types of fiber-optic cables. Single mode cable has one glass fiber strand and multi-mode cable has 2 or more strands along the line. Multi-mode cable fibers are physically larger (up to 100 microns in diameter) when compared to single mode fibers, which may be up to 10 microns.

Identification

Fiber-optic cable has layers in its design. The core is in the center and is the glass fiber that carries the light signals. The cladding layer acts as a mirror allowing the light to reflect off it as it travels. The coating protects the fiber and cladding and prevents signals from leaking out of the cable.

Additional fibers known as strengthening fibers surround the coating to make the cable resistant against being crushed or broken. A thick plastic jacket covers the cable to protect it when being installed and used.

Function

Pulses of light are sent from one end of the cable to the other end. The pulses represent data being transmitted that a decoder at the other end of the cable can decode into information. The fiber is made of glass and the light travels through the fiber, which is coated with reflective material that bounces the light down the fiber. The light is either LED or laser. Fiber-optic cable is used in applications such as digital cable and internet connections as well as computer networks and digital telephone services.

Significance

Fiber-optic cable is faster than other modes of cable transmissions. Multi-mode has bandwidth and speeds ranging from 10 to 100 MBS (megabits per second). Single-mode fiber-optic cable reaches similar bandwidth levels but has higher transmission speeds and can cover distances up to 50 times longer than multi-mode cable, which has a maximum length of 3,000 feet before distortion occurs.

References

• Information on Optical Fiber Cables

Resources

• Diagram of a Fiber-Optic Cable