Fiber Optics

Fiber Basics

Remember to practice safety when breaking fiber and handling broken ends: wear safety glasses and tape up ends

The following list discusses the highlights of connectorizing fiber. Consult Thorlab's Fiber Polishing and Connectorization Manual for a more complete description.

Strip coating from fiber, leaving 2-3 inches of bare fiber
Prepare epoxy (EpoTek 353ND, mixing ratio 10:1 A:B by weight)
Inject epoxy into connector
Insert bare fiber through ferrule and cure epoxy (20 min @ 120 C, or level 6 on our oven)
Use diamond tipped blade to score and cleave fiber just above epoxy bead
Hand polish tip until fiber is flush with epoxy
Polish using abrasion sheets and polishing puck: 30um (green), 6um (yellow), 3um (red), 1um (white)

Some useful fiber polishing pictures