Face-to-Face with Your Fiber Ferrule
amitp@graycelltech.com2025-01-30T19:10:29+00:00The ferrule is the most important component of the fiber optic connector. Located at the tip of a fiber optic connector, the ferrule’s primary function is to hold the glass core in place. A securely fastened ferrule will allow for precise data transmissions between the multitude of connectors and cables within your fiber optic network. In fact, ferrules are so important that the quality of your network’s transmissions can be directly traced to the material used to make the ferrule and its precise dimensions.
Over the years, manufacturers have produced different fiber connector types with ferrules made from different materials. Even the mechanics of each ferrule vary from connector to connector. When a fiber connector is terminated, the glass fiber is glued with epoxy into the ferrule with the fiber slightly protruding past the ferrule end. Later, the fiber is trimmed back and polished co-planar with the ferrule to create a uniform, smooth surface. The end of the ferrule that is polished is called the endface of the connector. According the way the ferrules are polished, fiber optic connectors are classified as one of the following:
- PC (Physical Contact): Features a cone-shaped ferrule sleeve which decreases the air-gap issues faced by connectors with flatter enfaces. The curvature of the endface results in lower return loss (less light sent back towards the power source) within the fiber network.
- UPC (Ultra Physical Contact): The most dominant connector on the market today. The UPC connector utilizes extended polishing methods to build upon the convex-shaped ferrule of the PC connector to further decrease return loss. Used primarily in cable television, telecommunications networks, and data centers.
- APC (Angled Physical Contact): Sometimes the performance of an application requires exceptional optical performance. The APC connector overcomes this limitation with the introduction of an angled ferrule endface. This slight adjustment provides a higher optical performance level that allows for better transmission integrity in high bandwidth applications
