Usage of the Optical Fiber and its significance in various fields

In today’s era information is being shared through various modes. For example, in the case of a telephone it is being done through a wire cable that transmits the sound from our voice to a telephone exchange or in case of a cell phone it is through invisible radio waves.Apart from the above-mentioned modes of transmitting data, there is another way through Optical fibers where information is coded in a beam of light down a glass or plastic pipe.

A Fiber-Optic cable consists of numerous thin strands of Optical Fibers and the cable can have a minimum of two strands or several hundred as well. These strands have the capability to carry around 25000 telephone calls. Thus, an entire cable can carry millions of calls with high speed and it is not prone to error. For example, when a person wants to send any data or information from his computer to his or her friend through fiber optics, the computer tagged with a laser which converts the information (in electrical medium) into a series of light pulses. The laser passes through the cable and reaches at the receiver’s end which is equipped with a photoelectric cell that converts the pulses of light into electrical information so that it can be interpreted by the computer.

If we look at the nitty-gritty behind the working methodology of optical cable, it is basically each photon (a particle of light) gets transmitted through Total Internal reflection i.e. it hits the glass at a shallow angle (less than 42 degrees) and reflects again and again. Apart from the above-mentioned phenomenon that keeps light inside the pipe, there is also one more extra feature which restricts the light from emerging out of the cable is the structure of the cable. The cable consists of two parts primarily the core and another one called cladding. The core is that part of the cable through which light is being transmitted. It is surrounded by another layer of glass called cladding whose main objective is to keep the light signals inside the core. It can be done through cladding because it is made up of the different types of glass material and has a lower refractive index that restricts the light from going outside of the core.

Optical fiber is basically of two types-Multimode fiber and single mode fiber. Single mode fiber has a small diameter of the glass fiber core which reduces the possibility of a reduction in signal strength. Thus, it is being widely used for long distances so that attenuation can be minimized. Also, Single-mode fiber has a smaller opening that isolates the light into a single beam which offers a more direct route and thus it helps to transmit for a longer distance. Single mode fiber has a higher bandwidth compared to Multimode fiber and it is expensive because the calculations need to be accurate to transmit laser light in a smaller opening. Multimode is primarily used for short distances because it has a larger core that allows light signals to reflect more along the way. As there is a large diameter it allows multiple pulses to be transmitted through the cable that leads to more data transmission which could create a possibility of signal loss reduction or interference. Also, Multi-mode fiber uses LED to create a light pulse whereas Single mode fiber uses Laser instead.

One of the manufacturers of optical fiber is World Precision Instruments who have over 50 years of experience and offices and distributors over the globe.

Optical fiber is being widely used in different fields, for example, computer networks, military, medicine, etc. In the case of Computer networks, fiber optic cables are used for carrying data because it has less attenuation interference and higher bandwidth. Also, in medicine, it is being widely used as it helped the doctor to look inside our bodies without cutting them. As Optical Fiber is inexpensive, secure, robust against attack, it is being widely used in the Military field for its reliability, connecting military bases launching missiles and many other fields.

The fiber patch cord – types and utilities in science

The fiber patch cord is also called as fiber optical jumper. It is a length of fiber cable that terminated with fiber optic connectors (LC, SC, MTRJ, ST, etc.) at each end. The connectors allow fiber patch cords to rapidly connect to an optical switch or other telecommunications and computer devices. This cord is a key player for indoor use, like in server rooms or in data centers. Superior adaptability and improved security, featuring excellent reliability, this cord has ranked the best choice for applications where conventional copper cables fail to reach.

Now as we consider these, we also need to understand the types and the utilities that it has. In the following section, these are explained in a nutshell.

Fiber cord types:

There are five types of fiber patch cord, such as

1. Fiber cable mode
2. Jacket type
3. Transmission mode
4. Polishing type and
5. Connecter type.

Now let us explain each of these types one by one for a better understanding, as follows:

• Fiber cable mode:- Single mode fiber (OS1, OS2) is colored yellow, while multi-mode fiber colored orange (OM1, OM2) and aqua (OM3, OM4). Single mode fiber patch cord (SMF) has a diameter of (8-10) µm that allows only one mode of transmission, so it can carry signals at much higher speed with lower attenuation. These are ideal for high data rates or long distance transmission. Multimode fiber patch cable (MMF) is made of larger diameter (50 µm and 62.5 µm) that can carry more than one mode of transmission. These are most commonly used for the short distances like the fiber to the desktop or to the patch panel to the equipment. Single mode fiber has less attenuation than Multimode fiber. Multi-mode is more costly than Single-mode fiber. Multimode fiber has much higher bandwidth than the Single-mode fiber. Single mode fiber can't be tapped because of its single path but multi-mode fiber requires a laser source to launch the signal.

• Jacket type:- PVC and LSZH are used to describe the jacket material of the cable. PVC cables are very soft, and LSZH cords are hard as they contain the flame retardant compound that doesn’t emit toxic fumes if it burns. PVC cord is usually used for horizontal runs from the wiring center while LSZH cable is used between floors in building.

• Transmission Mode:- For transmission mode, there is simplex and duplex fiber patch cord. Simplex cable has one fiber and one connector on each end, whereas duplex cables have two fibers and two connectors on each end.

• Polishing Type:- Mostly the Fiber optic connectors are systematically designed and being polished to different shapes to minimize the back reflection. However, this is particularly important in the single mode applications. According to this connector polish types, PC/APC/UPC fiber patch cord is best.

• Connector Type:- Divided by fiber connector, there are same-connector type fiber and hybrid cord. Fiber patch cables that have the same type of connector on both ends include LC to LC cables, SC to SC cord and etc. While hybrid cord has different connectors on each end, like fiber patch cord LC to SC.

This cord has helped many people to achieve larger bandwidths and great speed. So there is possibility to customize your fiber patch cord with specific features as well. An image is provided here for better understanding.

Spectroscopy Applications with Bifurcated Fiber

Optical Fiber or Fiber optic is a medium of transmitting data by the pulse of light through a glass or plastic strand or fiber. Fiber optics transmits data in the form of light particles that passes through a thin fiber optic cable. Hence, it is an external transducer and a Photo detector. It works like sensor process. They sense by detecting the modulation of one or more of the properties of light, guided inside the fiber (intensity, wavelength, or polarization), for instance.  BIFURCATED FIBER, a fiber optic assembly, contains more than one fiber optic in a single cable. A Y-shaped bifurcated fiber has two fibers side-by-side in the common end and break out into two legs at the other end. The main goal of this assembly is to split a signal or to combine signals. It is used in spectrometers to direct light from sample, to extend the spectral coverage of the measurement and to maintain higher resolution.

Bifurcated fibers are good for directing the light from a source to two different locations, and from a single sample to two spectrometers configured for different wavelength ranges. WPI providing bifurcated fiber has wide range of benefits compared to other products. This being a certified product of WPI, has a wider market acceptance. It is a unique extended range fiber that covers the high UV to long NIR wavelength range. WPI’s fiber resists degradation due to UV exposure better than virtually any fiber on the market. This means less change outs and better data comparison run to run. This Qualified fiber allows true “plug and play” replacement in anywhere.  This fiber optics has wide selection of fiber materials and sizes to manufacture the optimum fiber assembly for your application. WPI’s fiber optic assemblies are uniquely designed for biology and physiology applications with small size and excellent photon efficiency. It is uniquely designed for biology and physiology applications with small size and excellent photon efficiency.

A bifurcated fiber can also be used to couple the signal from multiple samples into the same spectrometer and our product is custom configurations for your specific application and customer support with in-house engineering and manufacturing  for optical assemblies are easy to specify and quick to deliver.

WPI provides product developers and researchers with UV basic attenuation data by fiber length after manufacturing for starters. DIN 58145:2017-01. The proprietary formulation of the WPI fiber resists UV degradation to a great extent to allow for deep UV down to 185 nm. The UV performance of the fiber is dependent on two parameters; the basic attenuation and the solarization induce loss over usage time. 

When you Purchase UV qualified fiber; you receive a certificate for the UV transmission of your assembly after it has been built. Secondly, you receive a certificate of the induced loss generated by continuous exposure to a 30 W deuterium bulb of each fiber material batch from 185-360 nm. The proprietary formulation of WPI fiber allows for excellent transmission of UV light in longer length fiber than has been feasible in the past. This is primarily because of the degradation of the fiber itself over time. WPI’s QUALIFIED OPTICAL FIBERS let you easily clear this hurdle in designing your next product.

Bifurcated Qualified fibers for NIR applications: WPI offer QVLUX fiber for the 700-2200 nm range that works well in demanding petro-chemical, food and pharmaceutical applications. This region is very difficult for standard fibers from traditional suppliers since they cannot control their processes or glass chemistry sufficiently to have the purity required for high-standard of uniformity and superior optical throughput that these applications demand.

Bifurcated Qualified fiber is in UV applications:  QVLUX fiber has been engineered to not only provide superior transmission in the UV but have excellent consistency over length. This makes QVLUX a perfect choice for critical measurements or where “plug-and-play” capability is required without having to recalibrate after a fiber assembly change. Standard silica fiber exhibits a “solarization impact” when transmitting light in the UV below ~280 nm. Over time, depending on the optically transmitted power, the fiber’s ability to transmit UV light drops off. Our QVLUX fiber offers superior resistance to solarization, lowest basic attenuation at 200 nm (< 1 dB/m) and the lowest solarization at 214 nm on the market. WPI is the only company offering DIN 58145:2018-01 certified low solarization UV fibers and assemblies for 185 nm to 340 nm. These standard WVLUX fused silica optical fibers are designed for value, but keep in mind that they lose their transmission over time and at high power due to the solarization effects of UV light below 280 nm.

Bifurcated Fiber usage in Life Science Industry. It is of great value in the field of Life Sciences. It offers new approaches to major health problems such as cancer, heart disease, knee disease etc. Fiber optics can be used to replace open surgery therapy. This wide use of optical fiber technique gives us many benefits like solving biological research problems, providing new way of disease treatment, medical diagnosis to name a few.

Oxygen Sensing and UV-NIR Spectroscopy Measurements using Fiber Optic Assemblies

World Precision Instruments (WPI) offers a full range of fiber optic assemblies including standard optical fibers with 2 connectors and furcation tubing, bifurcated fiber, cross fiber connectorized assemblies, long length assemblies to name a few.

Along with this product, WPI offers fluorescence probes designed for small sample sizes and small volumes. These probes can be used for the detection of the transient response of free ion concentrations, like calcium, potassium, sodium or magnesium.

Fluorescence probes can also be designed to detect pH or membrane potential. Auto-fluorescence like the detection of ATPase activity via NADH or FAD is another application. 

You can detect oxygen in small sample in living tissues using the phase shift between a reference signal and a measured signal. Here BioOxy can play a major role. BioOxy is a new and innovative technology for measuring oxygen in gaseous and aqueous phase. BioOxy is an optical oxygen sensor with important advantages over using common Clark type electrodes. These sensors have a rapid response time with the t90 = 3 seconds (in gas phase). No oxygen is consumed making measurements. These sensors are perfect for bioprocess control and making oxygen measurement in small samples, Gamma sterilizable.

As we consider the low volume for the flow cell, be it for FIA or HPLC and for the process analysis, WPI has performance advantages. The advantages that WPI provides are as follows:

• High UV transmission.
• Low internal volume, 2.4 – 24 µL.
• 0–10 mL/min flow rate.
• Fits 500 and 600 µm fibers.
• Wetted materials of PEEK, fused silica or PTFE.
• Liquid core waveguide technology–UV/VIS flow cell.

On the other hand, the benefits are manifolds that include but not limited to the followings:

• Minimum baseline (refractive index) offset with changing solvents.
• High efficiency light coupling.
• Fits fiber-coupled spectroscopy equipment and WPI TIDAS systems.

As a company, WPI provides the product developers and the researchers with the UV basic attenuation data by fiber length. This is post manufacturing for starters. One of such proprietary formulation of WPI fiber, resists UV degradation and allow for deep UV down to 185 nm. However, the UV performance of the fiber is dependent on two parameters like the basic attenuation and solarization induced loss over the usage time. When you purchase the UV qualified fiber from WPI, you will receive a certificate. This certificate states for the UV transmission of fiber optic assemblies after it has been built. Also at the same time you will receive a certificate of the induced loss that is generated by continuous exposure to a 30 Watt deuterium bulb of each of the fiber material batch from 185-360 nm. The proprietary formulation of WPI fiber allows for excellent transmission of UV light in longer length fiber than has been feasible in the past. This is primarily because of the degradation of the fiber itself over time. WPI’s Qualified Optical Fibers let you easily clear this hurdle in designing your next product.