Last updated on Sunday, November 24th, 2019
Single-mode step-index fiber:
Core diameter: 7 to 11 μm
Cladding diameter: generally 125 μm
Coating diameter: 200 to 300 μm
Numerical aperture: 0.08 to 0.15
Performance: 2 to 5 dB/km with a scattering limit of around 1 dB/km at a wavelength of 0.85 μm
Bandwidth: Greater than 500 MHz km
Applications: These fibers are suited for high bandwidth and medium to long-haul applications using single-mode injection laser sources.
Multimode step-index fiber:
Core diameter: 100 to 300 μm
Cladding diameter: 140 μm to 400 μm
Buffer Jacket diameter: 400 to 1000 μm
Numerical aperture: 0.16 to 0.5
Attenuation: 2.6 to 50 dB/km at a wavelength of 0.85 μm, limited by absorption or scattering.
Bandwidth: 6 to 50 MHz Km
Applications: These fibers are best suited for short distances, limited bandwidth, and relatively low-cost applications.
Multimode graded-index fiber:
Core diameter: 50 to 100 μm
Cladding diameter: 125 μm to 150 μm
Buffer Jacket diameter: 400 to 1000 μm
Numerical aperture: 0.2 to 0.3
Attenuation: 2 to 10 dB/km at a wavelength of 0.85 μm with generally a scattering limit.
Bandwidth: 200MHz to 3 GHz Km
Applications: These fibers are best suited for short-haul and medium to high bandwidth applications (Local Area Network)
