The Fiber Optic Transceivers

Overview

The internet is an industry that is largely based around the fiber. There is a wide range of confusion, misconceptions, and errors when working with fiber optic networks. Fiber is essentially a waveguide of light that works on the principle of total internal reflection.

Fiber Optic Transceivers

A fiber optic transceiver is a device that makes use of the fiber optical technology to send and receive data. The transceiver is composed of electronic components to condition and encode /decode data into light pulses and then send them to other ends as electrical signals. In order to send data as light, the transceiver makes use of light source that is controlled by the use of electronic parts to receive the light pulses and make use of the photodiode semiconductor.

The Transmission

Data can basically travel only in one way in a fiber optic cable. This makes most transceivers to have two ports to facilitate the bi-directional communication. One is used for sending while the other is used for receiving the signals.

Alternatively, a single cable can be uses. However, it can only receive or send data at a time, but not simultaneously. The opposite end of the transceiver has a special connector used for fitting it into specific models of the enterprise-grade Ethernet switches, routers, firewalls and network interface cables.

The modern fiber optic transceiver is a small device because it is intended to be plugged into the switches, routers, firewalls or network interface cards. This forms a small form-factor pluggable transceiver. These transceivers are available in different kinds and models with the different range of size, performance, and pricing.

Fiber transceiver Classification

There are many types and classes of fiber optic transceivers. Generally in the Ethernet system, there are SFP, SFP+ SFP CWDM, SFP DWDM, XFP., XENPAK module.

In the WDM system, there are CWDM and DWDM transceivers including CWDM SFP, DWDM SFP, CWDM SFP+, CWDM XFP, CWDM XENPAK and DWDM XENPAK.

Detectors of fiber optic transceiver

The transceivers use semiconductor detectors to convert the optical signals to electrical signals. The Silicon photodiodes are utilized for short wavelength links. The long wavelength systems usually use indium gallium arsenide detectors as they have low noise that allows for more sensitive receivers.

Fiber Optic Termination

The Fiber optic involves the physical termination of a length of a fiber optic cable into one of the many types of connectors. The type of the connector to be used in the termination depends upon the type of the cable and the application.

The tools needed for the termination are fiber strippers, a polished glass plate and puck, a cable jacket stripper, fiber scissors and a rubber pad for polishing the connectors.

There are two methods of terminating the fiber. The first type of termination is through the use of connectors that basically form a temporarily joint and the other is through splicing, which involves the actual conversion of connecting two bare fiber ends directly. The splicing can be done mechanically by simply aligning two ends of the fastening with an adhesive. The other methods involve a fusion splice that involves melting the fibers and welding them together.

Packaging

Fiber transceivers
The transceivers are usually packaged in industry packages like the XFP modules for gigabit data links.

Performance
Just as with the normal copper wire or radio transmission, the performance of the Fiber transceivers can be determined by how well and structured the reconverted electrical signals out of the receiver matches the input of the transmitter.

Every manufacturer of the transceiver specifies their product for receiver sensitivity and the minimum power coupled into the fiber from the source. These specifications end up being the data link specifications on the final product used in the field.