Using OFP’s recently acquired 10W CW high power test equipment, OFP have successfully completed long term testing of our single mode Micro-Expanded Beam (MEB) connectors at 1550 nm. OFP’s MEB fiber technology is incorporated within the 125 μm outer diameter of the standard fiber, and can therefore be mounted inside any industry standard termini/ferrule and connector interface, for example FC/PC or Military/Space standard termini such as 29504, ARINC 801, etc.
For these high-power tests, MEBs fiber tails were terminated within FC/PC connectors for use in physical contact. Five FC/PC patch cords were connected in series with a 10 W input laser source coupled into the first connector. The output power was monitored using an integrating sphere detector. All of the connectors were industry standard, and each MEB connector pair had an insertion loss of < 0.8 dB.
OFP’s MEB technology expands the MFD of a SM fiber by splicing a short section of 100/125 um GRIN fiber onto an expanded-core SM fiber tip, thus creating the collimator. The MFD at the end of the collimator is expanded by a factor of 10, which is approximately 2.5 times larger than other similar technologies on the market.
Normally, the continuous power limitation at which damage to a single mode PC fiber connection occurs is 1-2 W. By using OFP’s MEB technology the power at the interface is spread over an area approximately 100 times wider, greatly reducing the power density. Therefore, OFP’s connectors are expected to withstand significantly higher power than the 10 W laser available, likely up to 100 W.
Additionally, OFP’s connectors can be used with an air gap instead of physical contact for harsh environment applications, including explosion proof applications. This technology is ideal for assuring high optical signal integrity in most of harsh environments, including exposures to contamination, water/oil/fuel immersion, high vibration, shock, and explosion. Currently, applications for the technology include tactical military systems, space and aviation, naval communications (including UNDEX), FTTA, and harsh industrial networking.