Fiber Optic Cable Single Mode Vs Multimode Pdf

Singlemode cables have a core of 8 to 10 microns.

Fiber optic cable single mode vs multimode pdf.

Multimode optical fiber as its very name indicates allows the signal to travel through different pathways or modes that are placed inside of the cable s core. In single mode cables light travels toward the center of the core in a single wavelength. In fiber optic communications single mode and multimode fiber constructions are used depending on the application. Compared to the multimode fiber the single mode patch cords carry a higher bandwidth but it requires a light source with a narrow spectral width.

The core from a single mode cable is smaller than one from a multimode. While multimode fiber is usually used with led based fiber optic equipment for short distance transmissions. Because of this the number of light reflections created as the light passes through the core decreases lowering attenuation and creating the ability for the signal to travel further. Single mode fiber cabling system is suitable for long reach data transmission applications and widely deployed in carrier networks mans and pons.

Designed for long distance communication a single mode fiber cable allows light signals to travel more than 10 miles a much longer distance than multimode. In multimode fiber figure 5 light travels through the fiber following different light paths called modes in single mode fiber only one mode is propagated straight through the fiber figure 6. From the comparison single mode vs multimode fiber it can conclude that both single mode optics and multimode optics have their own features. Single mode cable has a much smaller core 8 9um than multimode cable and uses a single path mode to carry the light.

The following are the standards for single mode optic fiber as given by several international committees. The single mode gives a higher transmission and up to 50 times more distance than the multimode. Os1 type cable uses a tight buffered construction while os2 is a loose tube or blown cable construction. Single mode fiber optic cable has a small diametral core that allows only one mode of light to propagate.

These larger cores have more space for bouncing lasers down the length of the cable which increases signal speed. Some studies report a difference of 100 000 ghz. Single mode fiber needs to be used with laser diode based fiber optic transmission equipment for precise calibration required to inject light into the fiber optic cable. Single mode fiber also accommodates much higher bandwidths than multimode.

While multimode is faster than single mode it also has a shorter maximum distance. The main difference between single mode os1 and os2 is cable construction rather than optical specifications.