Question

1. Plastic optical fiber (POF) is a low-cost alternative to standard fiber optic cable.The core is of either Poly(methyl methacrylate) or Polystyrene and the cladding is usually of silicone resin.Typically POFs have a large core size, making them easy and cheap to connectorize and couple to laser diodes but they have a low bandwidth-distance product and high attenuation.

a) Search the web and find typical values for the bandwidth-distance product and attenuation of step index plastic optical fiber. How do they compare with typical values for standard fiber?

Answer 1

POF -

Bandwidth is ~5 MHz-km @ 650 nm.

Attenuation loss is about 1 dB/m @ 650 nm.

Plastic optical strands are ordinarily utilized for low-speed, short-remove (up to 100 meters) applications in computerized home machines, home systems, mechanical systems and auto systems. Plastic strands have an imperative position in military correspondence system and mixed media hardware in the information transmission. By examination, glass fiber optic links can be connected for longer-separate transmission at higher-speed in office systems. Likewise, they are proficient to antagonistic conditions, more sturdy than their plastic partners.