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Fiber
Usually refers
to a single filament made of a dielectric material such
as glass or plastic, which is used to guide optical
signals. A fiber consists of a core, and cladding
with slightly lower index of refraction. In addition,
the fiber is protected by a buffer layer, and often
also covered in Kevlar (aramid yarn) and more buffer
tubing. Optical fibers may be used as a channel
to guide light for purposes of illumination or for data
and communications applications. Multiple fibers
may be grouped together in fiber optic cables.
The diameter of
the fiber is usually expressed in microns, with the
core diameter shown first, followed by the total fiber
diameter (core and cladding together). For instance,
a 62.5/125 multimode fiber has a core 62.5μm in
diameter, and is 125μm in diameter in total.
See also: core,
cladding, fiber
optic cable, single mode
fiber, multimode fiber,
polarization maintaining fiber,
ribbon fiber, index
of refraction |
