Hochschule Wismar

University of Applied Sciences:

Technology, Business and Design
Fakultät für Ingenieurwissenschaften
Bereich Elektrotechnik und Informatik

Prof. Dr. A. Ahrens

Prof. Dr. S. Lochmann
Prof. Dr. I. Müller

Labwork No.
Splicing of optical fibers OCS 2

Date of the Group:

laboratory session:

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Name: Participants:

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Required Equipment:

No. of items Name of item

1 fiber optic stripper (Miller-Tool, Buffer stripper)

1 cleaning supplies (alcohol, special cleaning tissues)
1 fusion splicer (Fitel S153 or BIT MM-40)
1 optical power meter (transmitter and receiver) W&G
1 scale paper
2 single mode fiber drum
1 fiber cleaver
1 different fibers for practicing
 Splicing of optical fibers 1

1. Objective
 to learn about the structure of optical fibers and to practice fiber handling
 to investigate and evaluate the quality of fiber splices and connections
 to learn about the impact of macro-bending on optical fibers

2. Prerequisites
In depth knowledge of the following topics of the lecture Optical Communications is
required for this laboratory session:

 Structure of typical optical fibers

 Methodes of the different connection technologies
 Structure of optical cables
 Causes of optical losses
 Loss measurement methodes

3. Control questions for session preparation

The following questions have to be answered in written form before the lab session.

1. What types of optical fibers exist and what is their structure?

What are typical mechanical and optical parameters of these fibers?
2. What are extrinsic and intrinsic losses of a fiber-connection and how can you estimate
them?
What is different in this regard when using single mode and multimode fibers
respectively?
3. What connection technologies are typically applied in practice and what
characteristics can be assumed?
4. What work steps does fusion splicing involve?
What splicing errors can occur thereby?
5. How does the self-aligning effect work? Does it improve the splicing result in any
case?
6. What is the impact of micro and macro bending on the cable loss?
7. Why does fusion splicing decrease the fiber strength and what measures can be taken
to minimize this impact?

4. Laboratory session tasks

4.1. Fiber preparation
After removing the cable jacket the actual preparation of the optical fiber has to be
performed.
 Splicing of optical fibers 2

 The buffer can be removed by the fiber optic stripper.

For a non-damaging removal the diameters of the stripping tool and the optical
fiber cladding have to match!
 In case of gel-filled fibers the residuals of the gel have to be removed with
cleaning tissue.
 For final cleaning apply alcohol-soaked cleaning tissue (Attention! Harmful!).
 By using the fiber cleaver an even, clean and rectangular endface is produced.
 Place the fibers into the splicing equipment and examine the fibers cleanliness
and their breaking edges.
Hint: You must repeat the whole fiber preparation process in case of
contaminations or non-planar breaking edges!

5. Laboratory session tasks

5.1. Splicing of optical fibers
 Prepare the fiber ends respectively. Practice the cleaving of optical fibers and
evaluate the breaking edges with a microscope. Compare your results with a
manually broken fiber end.
 Practice fiber splicing and evaluate your results with regard to possible slubs or
narrowing and presumed losses. What measures could be taken for splice
improvement?
 Present your best splice to your supervisor!

5.2. Protecting the optical fiber splice

 Become familiar with the different possibilities for mechanical splice protection!

5.3. Loss measurement at a given fiber transmission link

 Measure the optical power of the the stabilized light source using its different
wavelengths, dc. and modulated light respectively. Interpret your spread sheet!
 Cut the fiber link and prepare the fiber ends for splicing.
 Produce a loose fiber knot at one fiber end and adjust the prepared fiber ends in
the splicer.
 Measure the loss of the fiber link when the fiber ends show an optimum
alignment!
 Measure the loss variation as a function of the radial fiber misalignment.
Plot this dependency and mark the mode field radius ⍵0.

5.4. Splice measurement

 Align the fiber ends for maximum transmission and splice the fibers!
 Determine the insertion loss of the splice and assess its quantity!
 Splicing of optical fibers 3

5.5. Macro bending losses

 Tighten the pre-prepared knot (about. 10cm diameter) slowly and measure the
loss variation as a function of the bending radius until the fiber breaks..
Interpret your results!

6. Literature
The university library offers the following literature covering also the laboratory
subject.

 E.GRIMM, W.NOWAK : Lichtwellenleitertechnik

Hüthig-Verlag, Heidelberg 1989
 J.-M. LABS u.a. : Verbindungstechnik für Lichtwellenleiter
Deutscher Verlag für Schweißtechnik, Düsseldorf 1989
und Verlag für Technik, Berlin 1989
 A.B. SHARMA/ S.J. HALME / M.M. BUTUSOV: Optical Fiber Systems and Their
Components
Springer-Verlag, Muenchen, Heidelberg, New York 1981
 J.M. SENIOR : Optical Fiber Communications
Prentice Hall, New York, London, Singapore, Tokyo, 1992
 W. VAN ETTN / J. VAN DER PLAATS : Fundamentals of Optical Fiber
Communications
Prentice Hall, New York, London, Singapore, Tokyo,1991
 P.K. CHEO : Fiber Optics and Optoelectronics
Prentice Hall, New York, London, Singapore, Tokyo,1990
 S. GECKELER : Lichtwellenleiter für die optische Nachrichtenübertragung
Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg usw. 1990
 W. GLASER : Lichtleitertechnik - Eine Einführung
Verlag Technik, Berlin 1990
 H.-G. UNGER : Optische Nachrichtentechnik, Bd.1 und 2
Hüthig-Verlag, Heidelberg 1990(85)