fiber optics: benefits of multimode fiber over single mode fiber?
- Thread starter jjyiz28
- Start date
Cost. MMF is cheaper itself and interfaces easily with cheaper LED optics.
I believe MMF is also more flexible / durable.
I believe MMF is also more flexible / durable.
Cmetz has it pretty much nailed: cost and necessity.
Multimode fiber is common in 62.5/125 and 50/125micron. The first number references the diameter of the glass element (some plastic/ it's sh!t / not worthy of discussion), the second number references the overall diameter including the cladding (a plastic coating to enhance the conductive properties of the glass, and to make it a more manageble size).
Single mode fiber is ~8.3 / 125 micron.
The tolerances to align SM fiber are much stricter than the tolerances for MM (you have to align an 8 micron fiber to another, or interface it to some variety of laser). Tighter tolerances and more thermally stable materials translate into much higher cost to produce, and price to sell. Terminating SM is almost as bad as doing a proper job on stranded UTP
D). Manipulating a 8 micron strand of glass requires a delicate touch (the cladding is usually stripped off before inserting the fiber into the connector) and very precise tools that are in good shape ("No Niks" and scoring / fracturing tools).
Multimode uses much cheaper diodes for the transmitters, has much lower tolerances (as in "sloppier") on the terminating apparatus, and is much easier / cheaper to produce.
There are other factors relating to the composition of the glass used to produce the strand, and the layering of the glass (typically. the glass at the center of the glass core is slightly different that than the glass at the outside ... in layers within the single extrusion of glass).
The bend radius for either SM or MM are the same. Handling is generally the same, but you generally want to be more careful handling potentially live SM - the (usually) lasers can produce eye-damaging radiation levels.
FWIW
Scott
Multimode fiber is common in 62.5/125 and 50/125micron. The first number references the diameter of the glass element (some plastic/ it's sh!t / not worthy of discussion), the second number references the overall diameter including the cladding (a plastic coating to enhance the conductive properties of the glass, and to make it a more manageble size).
Single mode fiber is ~8.3 / 125 micron.
The tolerances to align SM fiber are much stricter than the tolerances for MM (you have to align an 8 micron fiber to another, or interface it to some variety of laser). Tighter tolerances and more thermally stable materials translate into much higher cost to produce, and price to sell. Terminating SM is almost as bad as doing a proper job on stranded UTP
D). Manipulating a 8 micron strand of glass requires a delicate touch (the cladding is usually stripped off before inserting the fiber into the connector) and very precise tools that are in good shape ("No Niks" and scoring / fracturing tools). Multimode uses much cheaper diodes for the transmitters, has much lower tolerances (as in "sloppier") on the terminating apparatus, and is much easier / cheaper to produce.
There are other factors relating to the composition of the glass used to produce the strand, and the layering of the glass (typically. the glass at the center of the glass core is slightly different that than the glass at the outside ... in layers within the single extrusion of glass).
The bend radius for either SM or MM are the same. Handling is generally the same, but you generally want to be more careful handling potentially live SM - the (usually) lasers can produce eye-damaging radiation levels.
FWIW
Scott
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