ABSTRACT
The development of single-mode fiber (SMF) technology gives rise to two important categories of passive components. The first category comprises the components that are required to implement SMF-based systems, such as demountable connectors, permanent cable splices, T-couplers and fiber switches, laser-to-fiber couplers, and couplers between fibers and integrated optical components. Because of the very small core diameter of SMFs, SMF connectors were originally seen as bogeys by both the system designer and the connector manufacturer. However, most SMF applications require only one truly demountable SMF connector, or even none. The ferrules are precision-machined for the outer diameter, the inner diameter of the hole, and the concentricity between the hole and the outside surface. The FC/PC type of connector is a completely intermateable offspring of the FC-style connector. It features an all-ceramic ferrule instead of a stainless steel and ceramic one.
