Objectives of the report: 

The objective of this report is to: 

 Define optical fibre 
 Describe the working principle of fibre optics 
 Distinguish the difference between the types of fibre and their properties 
 Explain characteristics of optical fibre 

Introduction: 
It has repeatedly been observed that there is always a demand to enhance the capacity of transmission
of information, and in order to achieve this target, scientists and engineers across the globe are putting
their efforts into technological fields. The invention of the laser in 1960 has given a boom to the
revolutionary world of telecommunication and networking and since then the technological field has
never been the same. Laser-presented communication with convenient carrier waves is capable to carry
an extensive amount of information or data, whereas compared to radio waves and microwaves. 

Fig 1: Basic Optic Fibre Communication System

Utilization and demand for optical fibre have been escalating attractively since its invention in the early
1970s. The adoption of optical fibre is very obvious in this era. With the immense outbreak of
information traffic because of the internet, the requirement for a transmission medium with bandwidth
effectiveness for carrying a huge amount of information is of utmost priority. However, optical fibre with
its analogously infinite bandwidth has proven to be the answer to the problem.  
In 2019, Nobel Prize was also awarded to Charles K. Kao for contributing in the prominent field of
Physics in this regard for “transmitting light in  fibre  optics for optical communications.”   
 
What is optical fibre?  

In recent years, there has been a significant improvement in the composition of fibre optics. The
fundamental constituent of sand, which is abundant on our planet, is silica, which is one of the key
elements that make an extraordinary advancement.  
Fibre is a non-conductor, cylindrical cable, with a translucent appearance. Its internal framework
comprises four main concentric layers. These four layers are explained below:  

 Core: The fibre’s light-transmitting area is the core, which is comprised of silica. Concatenated

silica, polycarbonate, quartz is the most prevalent material used in fibre optics. However, such
components are decided on the transmission spectrum desired. 
 
 Cladding: This is the outermost layer that envelops the core. One of the components is silica,
but not the same as the core for the reason that it should have a lower index of refraction. By entire
reflection at the core-cladding contact, an optical waveguide is created, which confines light in the
core. The cladding essentially coerces the light to stay confined within the core of the fibre by total
internal reflection at the boundary between the two. 
 
 Coating: This is the cladding's initial non-optical covering. The coating is mainly composed of one
or more polymer layers which safeguard the silica framework from geological and physiological
degradation. 
 
 Buffer: The buffer is a critical element of the fibre. It has a thickness of 900 microns and is
situated outside of the coating to protect the fibre from physical-mechanical breaking during
installation and termination. It conserves the waveguide.