How much do you know about fiber optic splitter

In today's optical communication, fiber optic splitter,also referred to as optical splitter, PLC splitter, contributes to helping users maximize the performance of optical network circuits. The optical splitter is used to transmit the signal from the central office to multiple end users in passive optical networks .Faced with many types of fiber optic splitters, hou much do you know about fiber optic splitter ?After reading the article, you will be more understand about it.

What is Fiber Optic Splitter?

Fiber optic splitter is a kind of optical passive device in fiber optic networks.Its primary function is to split optical signals into multiple outputs to meet the fiber optic access needs of multiple terminal devices.  It can distribute the light equally to every branch or according to a certain proportion (splitting ratio). Also you can check the article “What is fiber optic splitter?”  

How Does Fiber Optic Splitter Work?

An optical splitter acts like a traffic divider for light signals in fiber networks.It’s main components include input port(s), output ports,couplers, fiber array,and a protective shell.

Do you know how does it work? When an optical signal enters the input port, the coupler inside the splitter can help split the signal into multiple paths that lead to the output ports of the splitter. An optical splitter allows the split signal to exit the device and safeguard stable transmission along separate channels. The distribution of the signal is determined by the splitting ratio, which varies with different splitter configurations.

Specifically speaking, the fiber optic splitter can split, or separate, an incident light beam into several light beams at a certain ratio. For example, a 1x8 PLC splitter will equally divide the input optical signal energy into 8 parts, with each part having an optical signal that is 1/8 of the original input signal power.

How many of Fiber optic Splitters Types？

Fiber optic splitters can be classified into several types from different aspects.

1.Categorized by Package

The fiber splitter can be terminated with different from connectors, like SC,FC,LC and FC connectors.

The following are five typical PLC splitters types:

• Bare Fiber Optic Splitter

• Blockless Fiber Optic Splitter

• ABS Module Fiber Optic Splitter

• Fiber Optic Splitter LGX Module 

• Fiber Optic Splitter 19-in Rack

• lUniversal Splitter Module (USM)

Bare Fiber Optic Splitter

Bare fiber optical splitter has no connectors at the bare fiber ends. It requires comprehensive protection, widely used in FTTH, PON,CATV, and testing equipment.

                                                                                                                                    Figure1:Bare fiber splitter               

Blockless Fiber Optic Splitter

Although the blockless PLC splitter is similar to the bare fiber splitter. However,the Blockless Fiber Optic Splitter can provide stronger fiber protection because it is in stainless steel tube and give it more stronger fiber protection. The blockless PLC splitter does not require fiber optic fusion when installation.Due to it’s small size, it can be easily placed in fiber optic splice closure or fiber optic terminal box.It's advantages are compact design, minimal space occupation, low installation cost. It is widely used for FTTH.

 Figure2:  Blockless Fiber Optic Splitter      

ABS Module Fiber Splitter

The ABS fiber optic splitter is in a plastic ABS box, which provides it effective protection for internal optical components. ABS splitter is simple and compact, which can be adapted to different installation environments. It is mainly used for fiber optic distribution boxes.

Figure3:ABS fiber splitter

LGX Cassette Fiber Splitter

The LGX PLC splitter is used alone or easily installed in optical distribution box.

Figure4:Fiber Optic Splitter LGX Module 

1U Rack Mount PLC splitter

1U rack-mount splitters are more commonly used. The 1U 19" rack-mount splitter type adopts a 19-inch rack unit standard, PLC splitter is installed in the rack unit, whichoffers excellent optical performance and easy installation. The rack-mount splitter is suitable for high-density wiring environments, widely used in PON, FTTX, and FTTH.

 Figure5:1U Rack Mount PLC splitter

Universal PLC Splitter Module (USM)

In the fiber networks,fiber optic splitters are more commonly used due to their ability to switch power in the required proportion. The USM splitter is used in PON networks.Especially in the Russian market, there is lots of request for it

Figure 6：Universal PLC Splitter Module (USM)

2.Categorized by Working Wavelength

According to the different operating wavelength, there are single mode fiber optic splitter and multimode optical splitter.

The single mode optical splitter is for 1310nm and 1310nm operation wavelength, while  the multimode mode splitter is for 850nm and 1550nm wavelength. Besides, based on working wavelength differences, there are single window and dual window optical splitters. The former is  working on one wavelength, while the latter fiber splitter is with two working wavelengths.

3.Categorized by Manufacturing Technique

Optical splitters can be manufactured using fused bi-conical taper technology or planar lightwave circuit technology. So there are two types of fiber splitter ,that is  FBT Splitter and PLC Splitter.FBT coupler splitter is based on traditional technology to weld several fibers together from the side of the fiber, featuring lower costs.

Fused Biconical Taper Splitter / FBT Splitter

Fused biconical tapering(FBT Splitter) is a traditional technology to weld several fibers together from the side of the fiber, featuring lower costs. And it is packaged in  the in stainless steel tube or plastic box. Splitting ratio is decided by the inputs and outputs of an optical cable splitter. The maximum split ratio of FBT splitter is up to 1:32, which means one or two inputs can be split into an output maximum of 32 fibers at a time. For  example 1x2 fiber coupler,2x2 fiber coupler,1x3,1x5,1x10. FBT splitter only supports four wavelengths: 850nm, 1310nm, 1490nm,and 1550nm, which makes its inability to work on other wavelengths. 

Planar Lightwave Circuit Splitter / PLC Splitter

The PL splitter ,short for Planar Lightwave Circuit Splitter,is based on planar lightwave circuit technology and offers a lot of split ratios. The PLC splitter support wavelengths from 1260 to 1650nm. The adjustable range of wavelength makes PLC splitter suitable for more applications. The split ratio of PLC splitter is up to 1:64 - one or two inputs with an output maximum of 64 fibers.For example, the PLC Splitter is available in configurations such as 1x2, 1x4, 1x16, 1x32. 2x4,2x8. Due to the advanced technology,the optical splitter is high stability, and superior for fiber optic communication.

Here are differences technical characteristics of FBT optical splitters and PLC optical splitters:

How to Choose the Right Optical Splitter?

General speaking, a superior fiber optic splitter needs to pass a series of rigorous tests as follows:

Insertion loss,Return loss,Splitting ratio,uniformity, directivity, and PD.PDL polarization loss is also crucial parameters that affect the performance of the beam splitter.

For the specific selections, FBT and PLC are the two main choices for the majority of users. The differences FBT splitter and PLC splitter is in operating wavelength, splitting ratio, asymmetric attenuation per branch, failure rate, etc. The FBT splitter is regarded as a cost-effective solution. PLC splitter featuring good flexibility, high stability, low failure rate, and wider temperature ranges can be used in high-density applications.

And the costs of PLC splitters are generally higher than the FBT splitter according to manufacturing technology. If for a single or dual wavelength transmission, FBT splitter can definitely save your money. For PON transmission, PLC splitter is a better choice considering future expansion and monitoring needs.