Never touch the end face of the fiber connectors. Never connect a fiber to a fiberscope while the system lasers are on. Never use unfiltered handheld magnifiers or focusing optics to inspect fiber connectors. Never touch products without being properly grounded. Never clean bulkheads or receptacle devices without a way to inspect them. Never look into a fiber while the system lasers are on. Never use alcohol or wet cleaning without a way to ensure that it does not leave residue on the endface. Locate the containers near the connectors for easy access.Īlways discard used tissues and swabs properly. Be sure that any laser safety glasses meet federal and state regulations and are matched to the lasers used within your environment.Īlways inspect the connectors or adapters before you clean.Īlways inspect and clean the connectors before you make a connection.Īlways use the connector housing to plug or unplug a fiber.Īlways keep a protective cap on unplugged fiber connectors.Īlways store unused protective caps in a resealable container in order to prevent the possibility of the transfer of dust to the fiber. RemindersĪlways turn off any laser sources before you inspect fiber connectors, optical components, or bulkheads.Īlways make sure that the cable is disconnected at both ends or that the card or pluggable receiver is removed from the chassis.Īlways wear the appropriate safety glasses when required in your area. Review these reminders and warnings before you inspect and clean your fiber-optic connections. Remember that inspection, cleaning and re-inspection are critical steps which must be done before you make any fiber-optic connection. The goal is to eliminate any dust or contamination and to provide a clean environment for the fiber-optic connection. When you clean fiber components, always complete the steps in the procedures carefully. This burn might damage the optical surface enough that it cannot be cleaned. These contaminants can be more difficult to remove than dust particles and can also cause damage to equipment if not removed.Ĭaution: With the high powered lasers now in use for communications systems, any contaminant can be burned into the fiber endface if it blocks the core while the laser is turned on. Powdery coatings, left after water or other solvents evaporate away Such materials include:įilm residues, condensed from vapors in the air In addition to dust, other types of contamination must also be cleaned off the endface. So, even though dust might not be visible, it is still present in the air and can deposit onto the connector. These contaminants can be more difficult to remove than dust particles.īy comparison, a typical human hair is 50 to 75 micrometers in diameter, as much as eight times larger. Even if a particle is only situated on the cladding or the edge of the endface, it can cause an air gap or misalignment between the fiber cores which significantly degrades the optical signal.Ī 1-micrometer dust particle on a single-mode core can block up to 1% of the light (a 0.05dB loss).Ī 9-micrometer speck is still too small to see without a microscope, but it can completely block the fiber core. Dust particles trapped between two fiber faces can scratch the glass surfaces. A particle that partially or completely blocks the core generates strong back reflections, which can cause instability in the laser system. Even microscopic dust particles can cause a variety of problems for optical connections. One of the most basic and important procedures for the maintenance of fiber optic systems is to clean the fiber optic equipment.Īny contamination in the fiber connection can cause failure of the component or failure of the whole system. Inspection and Cleaning are CriticalĬlean fiber optic components are a requirement for quality connections between fiber optic equipment. Note: This document is intended for use by service personnel, field service technicians, and hardware installers. The procedures in this document describe basic inspection techniques and processes of cleaning for fiber optic cables, bulkheads, and adapters used in fiber optic connections. It is important that every fiber connector be inspected and cleaned prior to mating. This document describes inspection and cleaning processes for fiber optic connections.
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