Ocean Optics Optical Fiber Assemblies User Manual

Optical Fiber Assemblies

Installation and Operation Instructions

Overview

Ocean Optics offers an extensive line of standard and premium grade optical fibers and accessories –
including patch cords, bifurcated assemblies, splice bushings, and splitters – for a variety of SR, UV-VIS
and VIS-NIR applications. All optical fibers couple easily via SMA terminations to Ocean Optics
miniature fiber optic spectrometers, light sources, and sampling optics.

Optical fibers offer great flexibility as the core of our spectrometer interface systems. They allow you to
easily connect the optical interface from one application to another to create an almost endless variety of
optical sensing systems.

Ocean Optics optical fibers are silica-core and silica-clad fibers optimized for the SR (190–1100 nm),
UV-VIS (300–1100 nm), or VIS-NIR (450–2200 nm) wavelength ranges. The standard length of a fiber
assembly is two meters, and assemblies are available in diameters ranging from 4 µm to 1500 µm.

We design our premium-grade optical fiber assemblies for maximum optical transmission, long-life, and
encase them in a rugged jacketing that protects the fiber and prolongs its life. The sections that follow
discuss premium-grade optical fiber assemblies in more detail.

Optical Fiber Use and Care Notes

Follow the tips below to optimize the use and lifetime of your Ocean Optics fibers:

• Remove the plastic cover from the SMA 905 Connectors gently. Pulling the connector away from
the fiber when removing the cover will permanently damage the fiber.

• Inspect the fibers periodically to ensure that the fibers are transmitting light. Broken fibers stop
transmitting light. Visually inspect the fibers for light transmission from time to time.

• Avoid coiling the fiber too tightly. While the momentary bend radius of a fiber is typically 200x
the diameter of the fiber, the maximum bend radius of a fiber that you fix in place is 400x the
diameter of the fiber (e.g. 16 cm for a 400 µm fiber). Bending the fiber past this threshold causes
attenuation and can cause permanent damage to the fiber.

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Optical Fiber Assemblies Installation and Operation Instructions

• Avoid exceeding the temperature thresholds for the fiber materials: For standard fibers, the
temperature threshold for the polyimide fiber is 300 °C, while the PVC cabling is rated to 100 °C.
For premium-grade fibers, Ocean Optics rates the entire assembly to 220 °C.

• Avoid bending the fiber in sharp angles. A bending radius of less than 200x can cause permanent
fiber damage.

• Cover the SMA 905 connectors with the supplied caps when the fiber is not in use.

• Clean the fiber ends periodically with lens paper and distilled water, alcohol, or acetone. Avoid

scratching the surface.

• Avoid immersing the fiber in caustic materials or other materials that can damage quartz, nickel,
steel, aluminum, or the epoxy.

Premium-grade Optical Fiber Assemblies

Ocean Optics premium-grade optical fiber assemblies are our best optical fibers available for
spectroscopy. The materials and specifications used to manufacture our premium-grade line result in a
rugged, high-performance fiber that can withstand environments our lab-grade fibers cannot.

See Table 3: Premium-grade Fiber Specifications in the
at the end of this document for specific technical information on our premium line of fibers.

Optical Fiber Assembly Specifications section

Fiber Assembly Types

The following sections detail the various types of fiber assemblies, as well as usage tips and
manufacturing information.

General Fiber Assembly Information

The following list provides information on the composition and manufacturing of all optical fiber
assemblies:

• Buffer Materials – Glass fiber is fragile, and would be useless for most applications if a suitable
buffer material were not protecting it. Buffer materials consist of polymer or metallic coatings
that provide mechanical strength (either polyimide, acrylate, aluminum, gold or copper).

Premium-grade fibers feature a pure fused-silica fiber core and a fluorine-doped cladding,
surrounded by a polyimide buffer (except 1000um and single mode, which have acrylate).

• Cabling Materials – Cabling further protects the buffer-coated fiber. Our standard laboratory
cabling is blue PVC, but other cabling types (such as stainless steel monocoil) are available.

Premium-grade fibers feature silicone-coated steel monocoil with Nomex braiding.

Manufacturing Notes: The fiber ends are cleaved, epoxied onto the SMA 905 Connectors, and polished.

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Optical Fiber Assemblies Installation and Operation Instructions

Patch Cords

Patch cords are single strands of optical fiber. The active part of the patch cord consists of a silica core
surrounded by a silica cladding material. See buffer and cabling material information above for more
information.

Bifurcated Assemblies and Splitters

Bifurcated assemblies and splitters allow you to route light from a single location to multiple locations, or
to collect light from multiple locations and route that light to a single location. The assemblies are “Y”
shaped, with a breakout typically located midway down the length of the fiber.

The common end of bifurcated fiber assemblies has two fibers side-by-side. The spatial difference
between each of the fibers may be critical to your application. If this difference is important, you will
need a splitter. The common end of a bifurcated fiber can be coupled to a larger diameter single fiber with
a splice bushing, creating a functional splitter.

Splice Bushings and Bulkhead Fittings

Splice Bushings couple two SMA 905-terminated fibers. To couple the fibers, screw each fiber into the
splice bushing until tight. Tighten by hand only.

Bulkhead Fittings are used to fix a fiber onto a panel. Install the bulkhead by drilling a hole in the wall
where you intend to mount the fiber. Fasten the back of the bulkhead fitting using the lock washer and nut
provided.

Solarization-resistant Fibers

When using an ultraviolet light source with standard fibers, the UV radiation from the light source
degrades the silica over time. This results in increased absorption and invalid data, a phenomenon referred
to as fiber solarization.

Ocean Optics solarization-resistant fibers consist of a silica core surrounded by silica cladding material.

Optical Fiber Color Codes

When using an Ocean Optics optical fiber assembly, you can determine the fiber diameter and the fiber
type by examining the color bands on the ends of each fiber. The table below contains color-coding data
to assist you in identifying fiber information:

Each optical fiber consists of a color-coded boot (flush against the SMA 905 Connector) and a color band
(at the base of the boot).

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