Air  Gap,  Non-­‐Contact    Fiber  Connectors  

March 21, 2013

Ben Jian Arrayed Fiberoptics Corporation

Sunnyvale, CA 94089, USA

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Outline

1.  Problem statement 2.  Development of non-contact

connectors 3.  Conclusion

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Issues with Physical Contact Connectors

1. Insertion loss variation between matings 2. Damage due to repeated mating 3. Sensitivity to contaminants 4. Not guaranteed random mating 5. Limited mating life (rated 500-1000)

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Air Gap Connector

AR coating

ü Ferrule surfaces make contact, forming precise gap ü Fibers are not in contact so they last forever ü APC becomes ANC, PC becomes NC

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ANC Connector Design

•  Contact between ferrules, but not fibers •  Improves repeatability, random mating

reliability

0.4um fiber recess 2.8um fiber recess

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ANC Connector Photo

0

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12

0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.1 0.11 0.12 0.13 0.14 0.15 0.16 0.17 0.18 0.19 0.2 0.21 0.22 0.23 0.24 0.25

Cou

nt

Insertion Loss (dB)

ANC

APC

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Insertion Loss in Random Mating

Average = 0.07 dB St. Dev. = 0.036 dB

Average = 0.07 dB St. Dev. = 0.030 dB

•  APC used is a premium connector •  ANC is comparable to APC in IL

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0.02

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0.18

0.20

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000

Inse

rtio

n Lo

ss (d

B)

Mating Cycle

APC/APC

ANC/ANC

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Repeatability & Reliability

•  No long term drift in ANC connector •  Went through 10,000 matings unchanged

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Superior Return Loss

ANC has 10 dB better return loss compared to APC

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Compatibility with Regular Connector

•  NC and ANC connectors are compatible with physical contact connectors

•  ANC has the best overall performance

Polish Angle 0 degree 8 degree

PC/PC PC/NC NC/NC APC/APC APC/ANC ANC/ANC

Insertion Loss 0.1 dB 0.25 dB 0.1 dB 0.1 dB 0.25 dB 0.1 dB

Return Loss 40 dB 14 dB 28 dB 60 dB 60 dB 70 dB

Guaranteed connection No Yes Yes No Yes Yes

Table. Typical Performance of Connector Combinations

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Where ANC can make a difference Transceiver

•  Dust •  Reflections •  Wiggle test

Test and Measurement •  Long lifetime •  Repeatability

System Noise Improvement •  Superior return loss translates to longer

distance and higher speed

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Conclusion Revolutionary Air Gap Fiber Connectors " Low insertion loss " 10 dB higher return loss " Guaranteed random mating for critical missions " Extremely long mating life " Low cost " Could have significant system level benefits