Types of Fiber Optics
There are different types of fiber optics based on several categories as mentioned below:
Based on the Number of Modes
- Single-mode fiber: In single-mode fiber, only one type of ray of light can propagate through the fiber. This type of fiber has a small core diameter (5um) and high cladding diameter (70um) and the difference between the refractive index of core and cladding is very small. There is no dispersion i.e. no degradation of the signal during traveling through the fiber. The light is passed through it through a laser diode.
- Multi-mode fiber: Multimode fiber allows many modes for the light rays traveling through it. The core diameter is generally (40um) and that of cladding is (70um). The relative refractive index difference is also greater than single-mode fiber. There is signal degradation due to multimode dispersion. It is not suitable for long-distance communication due to the large dispersion and attenuation of the signal. There are two categories based on Multi-mode fiber i.e. Step Index Fiber and Graded Index Fiber. These are categories under the types of optical fiber based on the Refractive Index
Based on Refractive Index
- Step-index optical fiber: The refractive index of the core is constant. The refractive index of the cladding is also continuous. The rays of light propagate through it in the form of meridional rays which cross the fiber axis during every reflection at the core-cladding boundary.
- Graded index optical fiber: In this type of fiber, the core has a non-uniform refractive index that gradually decreases from the center towards the core-cladding interface. The cladding has a uniform refractive index. The light rays propagate through it in the form of skew rays or helical rays. it does not cross the fiber axis at any time.
Based on the Material Used
- Plastic Optical Fibres: For transmission of light, polymethylmethacrylate is used as core material
- Glass Fibres: These are extremely fine glass fibers, the core and cladding of the optical fiber is made of plastic.
Fiber Optics and Types
Fiber Optics or Optical Fiber is a modern technology that transmits information/data as a light pulse along glass or plastic fiber. An Optical Fiber is a cylindrical fiber of glass that is hair-thin in size or any transparent dielectric medium. The fiber which is used for optical communication is waveguides made of transparent dielectrics.
In this article, we will discuss Optical Fiber/Fiber Optics in detail. We will also discuss Types of Fiber Optics based on different categories, advantages, and disadvantages of Fiber Optics as well.