Engineering Services Department t 800 743-2671 www.corning.

com/cablesystems
800 17th Street NW f 828 901-5533
PO Box 489
Hickory, NC 28603-0489
Applications Engineering Note

Fiber Reflections
AEN 4, Revision 3
Revised: November, 2002

As a light pulse travels through an optical fiber a small percentage of the light is reflected back,
or backscattered, to the source. This phenomenon, called Rayleigh scattering, is caused by
microscopic variations in the refractive index of the fiber material and forms the basis by which
optical time domain reflectometers (OTDR) operate. Because the reflected light comes from the
light pulse the pulse power decreases, causing the signal to lose some strength (i.e., attenuate)
before it reaches the receiver. Rayleigh scattering is a major contributor to signal attenuation,
the other being light absorption by minute impurities in the fiber material. Figure 1 depicts an
OTDR trace showing the effect of normal Rayleigh scattering. The characteristic slope of the
trace represents the attenuation coefficient of the fiber for the particular wavelength of light
being transmitted. The trace is straight because the attenuation coefficient of the fiber, which
includes the backscatter coefficient, is essentially constant throughout the length of fiber. The
purpose of this Applications Note, however, is to address the occurrence of discreet light
reflections in a length of optical fiber.

As the light pulse encounters a larger refractive index discontinuity (e.g., an air/glass boundary),
significantly more light may be reflected back from that point than occurs just from Rayleigh
scattering alone. This is known as a Fresnel reflection and occurs when the light pulse
encounters a boundary between to mediums with significantly different indices of refraction.
The increase in reflected power caused by the discontinuity will show up as a “spike” or "bump"
on the OTDR trace. The primary sources of Fresnel reflections are: connector pairs, couplers,
and mechanical splices

Figure 2 depicts an OTDR trace with a typical fiber reflection. Since the power reflected from
the discontinuity overpowers the light already being backscattered a spike is seen on the OTDR
trace marking the location of the reflective event.

Figure 1: BACKSCATTERING Figure 2 REFLECTIONS

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 Engineering Services Department
800 17th Street NW
PO Box 489
Hickory, NC 28603-0489
t 800 743-2671 www.corning.com/cablesystems
f 828 901-5533
Applications Engineering Note

Optical Return Loss (ORL) is a common expression used to describe the power reflected from a
refractive index discontinuity. The reflected pulse has the characteristic shape and properties of
the input pulse, accounting for attenuation and dispersion. ORL is a measure of the power
reflected from a discontinuity relative to the power incident upon it. The equation is:
Pinc
ORL = 10 log10
Prefl

The unit for ORL is the decibel (dB). The larger the magnitude of the ORL, the less the
reflected pulse energy relative to the input power. This means that an ORL of 50 dB is better
than 30 dB, with less of the light pulse being reflected. Another expression used to describe the
effect of refractive index discontinuities is reflectance. By convention, reflectance is a negative
value. Thus –30 dB of reflectance is equivalent to 30 dB of ORL.

Large reflective events are of concern due to the impact that they can have on system
transmitter and receiver performance. First, any significant reflective event detracts from the
pulse power, reducing the signal-to-noise ratio. Second, if reflected light reaches the laser
transmitter it can enter the laser cavity and can create spontaneous emissions (i.e., feedback)
that may degrade the transmitter's performance and increase system noise. Finally, a signal
reflected numerous times could further degrade the system signal-to-noise ratio, resulting in
power penalties at the receiver end. Numerous independent laboratories and organizations
have studied reflections in order to establish a limit for acceptable ORL. Some industry
organizations have established maximum value for ORL for various system components.

Over a length of a fiber, light backscattered from the fiber itself can approach –30 dB of
reflectance (an ORL of 30 dB), depending on the fiber type and materials. The following is a
partial list of references that specify ORL performance for various fiber types.

IEEE Std. 802.3, 1998 Edition, “IEEE Standard for Carrier Sense Multiple Access with
Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) Access Method and Physical Layer Specifications,” and
TIA/EIA 568 B.3, “Optical Fiber Cable Components Standard.”

• > 26 dB return loss for single-mode connections

• > 20 dB return loss for multimode connections

Telcordia GR-765-CORE, "Generic Requirements for Single Fiber Single-Mode Optical

Splices and Splicing Systems.”

• > 40 dB ORL for digital systems

• > 45 dB ORL acceptable for AM-VSB (analog video) systems

Telcordia GR-326-CORE, “Generic Requirements for Single Mode Optical Connectors

and Jumper Assemblies.”

• > 40 dB ORL acceptable for digital systems

• > 55 dB ORL acceptable for AM-VSB (analog video) systems

Page 2 of 3
 Engineering Services Department
800 17th Street NW
PO Box 489
Hickory, NC 28603-0489
t 800 743-2671 www.corning.com/cablesystems
f 828 901-5533
Applications Engineering Note

To investigate whether reflections have any effect on other fiber performance characteristics, a
series of tests were conducted on fibers that contained reflections. Testing included a
microbend test, a macrobend test, and a fiber strength test. In each case, there were no
measured differences in the performance of the fibers containing reflections and of a control set
of fibers that did not contain reflections.

Corning Cable Systems has adopted an internal specification to ensure that any fiber reflections
present have an ORL > 60 dB. Corning Cable Systems has been proactive on the matter of
reflections and established requirements that are consistent with its policy of maintaining high
quality standards. The 60 dB specified limit more stringent than 40 dB often quoted in technical
literature and industry Standards.

For more information please see:

Corning Cable Systems Applications Note-OTDR Return Loss Measurement

EIA/TIA-455-8, "Measurement of Splice or Connector Loss and Reflectance Using an

OTDR"

EIA/TIA-455-107, "Return Loss for Fiber Optic Components"

© 2000, 2002 Corning Cable Systems LLC. All rights reserved.

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