FOA CFOT Terms and Definitions A thru Z|
Attenuation / Attenuator - ✔✔Reduction in optical power as it passes along a fiber is called
___________, usually expressed in dB. Devices that do this purposefully are called
_____________
Angled Physical Contact (APC) - ✔✔Technique involving polishing the end surface of the fiber
to a slight angle to prevent reflectance. Considered better than convex polishing techniques
(PC).
Analog - ✔✔Signals that are continually changing as opposed to being digitally encoded.
Absorption - ✔✔Portion of fiber optic attenuation resulting from the conversion of optical
power to heat
Buffer - ✔✔A protective coating applied directly on the fiber.
Bit - ✔✔An electrical or optical pulse that carries information.
Bit-Error Rate (BER) - ✔✔Fraction of data bits transmitted that are received in error.
Bending Loss / Microbending Loss - ✔✔Loss in fiber caused by stress on the fiber bet around
a restrictive radius.
Bandwidth - ✔✔Range of signal frequencies or bit rate within which a fiber optic
component, link or network will operate. The maximum speed that data can be transmitted
over the link.
Backscattering - ✔✔The scattering of light in a fiber back toward the source, used to make
OTDR measurements.
, Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing (CWDM) - ✔✔Use of lasers spaced widely over the
range of 1260nm to 1670 nm.
Cutoff Wavelength - ✔✔The wavelength beyond which singlemode fiber only supports one
mode of propagation is called a what?
Cutback Method - ✔✔Technique for measuring loss of bare fiber by comparing the sources
initial coupled power to the power measured at the end of a long length of fiber.
Coupler - ✔✔Device that splits or combines light from more than one fiber.
Core - ✔✔The center of the optical fiber through which light is transmitted.
Connector - ✔✔A device that provides for a demountable connection between two fibers (or
fiber and active device). Also provides protection for the fiber.
Cladding - ✔✔Lower fractive index optical coating over the core of fiber that "traps" light
into the core.
Chromatic Dispersion - ✔✔Temporal spreading of a pulse in an optical waveguide caused by
the wavelength dependence of the velocities of light.
Dispersion - ✔✔Temporal spreading of a pulse in an optical waveguide. May be caused by
modal or chromatic effects.
Distributed Feedback Laser (DFB) - ✔✔Used for high speed and long distance transmitters.
Attenuation / Attenuator - ✔✔Reduction in optical power as it passes along a fiber is called
___________, usually expressed in dB. Devices that do this purposefully are called
_____________
Angled Physical Contact (APC) - ✔✔Technique involving polishing the end surface of the fiber
to a slight angle to prevent reflectance. Considered better than convex polishing techniques
(PC).
Analog - ✔✔Signals that are continually changing as opposed to being digitally encoded.
Absorption - ✔✔Portion of fiber optic attenuation resulting from the conversion of optical
power to heat
Buffer - ✔✔A protective coating applied directly on the fiber.
Bit - ✔✔An electrical or optical pulse that carries information.
Bit-Error Rate (BER) - ✔✔Fraction of data bits transmitted that are received in error.
Bending Loss / Microbending Loss - ✔✔Loss in fiber caused by stress on the fiber bet around
a restrictive radius.
Bandwidth - ✔✔Range of signal frequencies or bit rate within which a fiber optic
component, link or network will operate. The maximum speed that data can be transmitted
over the link.
Backscattering - ✔✔The scattering of light in a fiber back toward the source, used to make
OTDR measurements.
, Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing (CWDM) - ✔✔Use of lasers spaced widely over the
range of 1260nm to 1670 nm.
Cutoff Wavelength - ✔✔The wavelength beyond which singlemode fiber only supports one
mode of propagation is called a what?
Cutback Method - ✔✔Technique for measuring loss of bare fiber by comparing the sources
initial coupled power to the power measured at the end of a long length of fiber.
Coupler - ✔✔Device that splits or combines light from more than one fiber.
Core - ✔✔The center of the optical fiber through which light is transmitted.
Connector - ✔✔A device that provides for a demountable connection between two fibers (or
fiber and active device). Also provides protection for the fiber.
Cladding - ✔✔Lower fractive index optical coating over the core of fiber that "traps" light
into the core.
Chromatic Dispersion - ✔✔Temporal spreading of a pulse in an optical waveguide caused by
the wavelength dependence of the velocities of light.
Dispersion - ✔✔Temporal spreading of a pulse in an optical waveguide. May be caused by
modal or chromatic effects.
Distributed Feedback Laser (DFB) - ✔✔Used for high speed and long distance transmitters.
