Circulator analyzer ComputerThCC3 Fig. 1. Experimental setup for the proposed chromatic dispersion measurement system. To PDFrom TLS ThGG3 Fig. 2. Equivalent model of hi-directional modulation of MZM.tice to clean connectors before assembly, test and use, since contamination of optical surfaces degrades device performance and causes data errors. A minimum level of cleanliness for single mode optical connector and jumper assemblies has been defined in the Telcordia Technologies Generic Requirements.' Other leading optoelectronics industry manufacturers have provided specifications and important guidelines for cleanliness, notably those from Lucent Technologies and Agilent Technologies.'.' Tests for assessing the performance of connector assemblies under severe dust conditions is part of the Materials and Environmental section described in.'The results of such contamination t e~u have been discussed by Madge and Wisenden.' It should be noted that the end-face of the connector needs to be extremely clean to maintain reflectances of better than 4 0 dB.' It has been shown that scratches to the end-face of the connector resulted in hieher reflectance! In this investidon " " our primary concern was the sourccs of contamination, the mechanism of contaminant transfer onto the critical optical surfaces, as well as influence of contaminationlscratches an system performance (BER test). Some practical recommendations to eliminate the need for cleaning and inspection of incoming component optical surfaces have been included. . Y9 d U . W , sl , a 4 $ 0 U) m 0 E Experimental Methodology E F Active components included transmitters, trans-= ?--= ' rc E --. U ceivers and receivers with pigtail termination (SC and ST ~onnector types) and fiber jumpers with SC and ST connectors were inspected for connector cleanliness. The cleanliness of the connectm was initially checked o~ticallv usinz a fiberscove .4o 1500 (520 Is40 1560 lSB0 11B.5 ,011.7 4s9.0 1W.l 200.3 200.5 ( 2 Frequency [MHz] Wavelenglh [nm] ThCC3 Fig. 3. (a) Normalized amplitudes of the measured transfer function as a function of modulation fr~quencyfor fourdifferent wavelengths. (b) Themearuredtimedelay(triang1e) and themeasured chromatic dispersion (circle) as a function of the wavelength. obtained chromatic dispersion with the proposed method, we compared our reSults with the chromatic dispersion by given Corning Fiber.' The solid line of Fig. 3(b) shows the chromatic dispersion by Riven Cornine Fiber. The difference bement of chromatic dispersion in optical fibers using LEDs:' IEEE J. Quantum Elrctron. QE-18,1509-1515 (1982). 3. L. Thevenar, and J.P. Plsur,"Modulation frequencv-shift technique for disversion mea--(Westover Scientific) at the standard magnification 200x. Experimental techniques such as Transmission X-ray inspection, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) have been reported in.''' Details of the time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) analyses are contained in a report.' Bit error ratio was used as the fundamental measure of the ...

Contaminated optical connectors result in degradation of optical performance, functional failures, and increased deployment costs. Currently there is no widely accepted cleanliness standard based on a systematic study of the impact of cleanliness on the optical performance of fiber optic connectors. This paper summarizes the latest research of iNEMI (International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative) on development of cleanliness specification for fiber optics connectors. This research is used as a baseline for the development of IPC-8497-1 "Cleaning Methods and Contamination Assessment of Optical Assembly" standard. It compares the influence of Arizona road dust particles on the optical performance of 2.5 mm ferrules, (SC and FC), and 1.25 mm ferrules, (LC and MU) type connectors. The team measured the Insertion Loss (IL), Return Loss (RL), and the geometric parameters for both clean and contaminated connectors. Fiberscope images of the connectors before and after each mating operation were also recorded. Correlations in the changes in optical performance were analyzed as a function of the level, size, and location of the contamination. The IL and RL data were analyzed using statistical methods and images were analyzed using automated software. The particle number, size and occluded area were identified as critical factors on optical signal performance. Based on the experimental results and statistical analysis, the iNEMI team has developed a proposal for an inspection criteria matrix for 1.25 mm ferrule and 2.5 mm SM UPC connectors. The iNEMI team continues to work with IEC Working Group 6, the TIA and the IPC on universally accepted industry standards for cleanliness of fiber optics connectors. The acceptance of an industry standard for single-mode (SM) connectors will result in significant cost savings to the fiber optics industry due to the elimination of insufficient cleaning , over-cleaning, and/or the reduction of contaminated non-conforming material.JThB85.pdf 1. Introduction Contaminated optical connectors result in degradation of optical performance, which can be quantified by return loss (RL) and insertion loss (IL); functional failures; and increased deployment costs. Fiber optic connector end-face cleaning is recognized as a necessity for optimal signal performance. Currently, there is no widely accepted cleanliness standard based on a systematic study of fiber optic connectors. This potentially results in unnecessary cleaning being done even though it may not impact signal performance. Our previous research [1,2] shows that contamination impacts signal performance by blocking the core and impeding light transmission, as well as, by preventing direct physical contact creating an air gap between the two connector end-faces. If an air gap exists, optical performance will be impacted due to the change in transmission medium. As contaminated connectors are mated and demated, contamination can be redistributed around the connectors' end-face and block the fiber core. This presents a risk of signal perfo...

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