Feb 21 2008
In the world of fiber optic splicing, it’s been the choice of two technologies: electric arc fusion or filament splicing. Not anymore.
Furukawa America Inc. will introduce its new FITEL® series of splicers featuring three-phase plasma technology for high strength, high yield, large diameter and specialty fiber splicing at the industry’s premier annual conference, OFC/NFOEC, in San Diego, Feb. 24-28.
Jointly developed by The Furukawa Electric Company Ltd. and 3SAE Technologies Inc., the FITEL S184 model is the first splicer ever to use three-phase plasma technology utilizing three electrodes. A two-electrode system has served the bulk of fusion splicing applications for nearly 30 years. A filament system emerged about 17 years ago for highly temperature-controlled, specialty-fiber splicing.
Three-phase plasma technology places a third electrode in a “T” configuration. This additional electrode, combined with an advanced arc discharging unit for independent modulation, produces a “ring of fire” arc zone. The useable region of the “wide-area plasma field” is up to 100 times larger than a two-electrode system, and it provides consistent heating throughout the entire zone.
For the market, this technological breakthrough means the ability to:
- Splice larger diameter fiber with extremely low insertion loss
- Use a thermally expanded core process for dissimilar MFD fibers
- Achieve an extremely stable, reliable, and controllable heat zone every time
“This is the first major technology shift we’ve seen in the industry in 17 years,” said Jason Greene, division manager for Furukawa America. “We’re pleased to bring this new level of performance to the splicing industry with the FITEL S184.”
The S184 splicer can easily accommodate small fibers such as 80µm and large fibers up to 1mm in diameter. The improved stability and extended dynamic range of the three-phase plasma field also allows for a thermally expanded core process. This core diffusion method can be used pre- or post-splice to achieve significantly lower optical loss for fibers with mismatched mode field diameters (MFD).
Three-phase plasma technology also produces temperatures stable enough to perform a “flame polish” post splice to increase the tensile strength of the splice. The flame polish removes imperfections in the silica created during the splice itself.
Furukawa teamed with 3SAE (www.3sae.com) to develop the S184 splicer as 3SAE specializes in custom splicing solutions for the OEM photonics industry and mission-critical military, government, aerospace, medical, and oil and gas applications. 3SAE holds multiple patents and awards related to optical fiber preparation and fiber optic stripping, and continues its focus on development of new fiber optic tools and technologies for key fiber applications. 3SAE has three patents pending for the three-phase plasma technology module used within the FITEL® S184 splicer.
“The physics are different,” explained Don Grasso, chief executive officer of 3SAE. “With three-phase plasma splicing, radiation and convection are the primary means of heat transfer to the fiber as opposed to the non-linear thermal conduction achieved with a standard two-electrode system.”