Optical fiber and connector inspection

Procedure 14-3.3: Optical fiber and connector inspection

Overview

Important!

This is not a stand-alone procedure. Perform this procedure only as directed by Procedure 14-3: Clean optical fibers, dual LC adapters and LC lightguide buildouts (LBOs).

Use this procedure to inspect fiber adapters and circuit pack connectors following cleaning.

WARNING

Laser hazard

When using an optical power meter to verify the connector and fiber to be clean, take special precaution to make sure that no power is being emitted from the fiber before viewing.

Steps

After cleaning the connector, inspect the ferrule endface to ensure that it is free from any particulate contamination using an optical fiber inspection scope of at least 200X magnification. When using an optical fiber scope (for example, the Noyes OFS 300-200X) exercise extreme caution to assure that the fiber being examined is de-energized.


1	Follow the instructions in the manual provided with the Optical Fiber Scope to view the ferrule endface of the fiber under inspection.
2	The visual area of the ferrule endface (ferrule and fiber) as observed by the inspection system/scope should be free of any contaminates. Repeat the Cleaning Procedure if the fiber endface does not meet the following requirements: No fixed type of contamination (contaminates that remain at the same location after 3 wet-dry cleaning cycles), regardless of size, is allowed in the restricted area of the glass fiber endface. Important: The restricted area is defined as ~66 microns (mm) diameter for both singlemode and multimode fibers. No chips, cracks or scratches are allowed near the core of the glass fiber endface. No large floating (loose) contaminates are allowed on the glass fiber and ceramic ferrule endface.
3	After the connector has been verified to be cleaned, it should be immediately inserted into the adapter buildout of the optical component. This will assure maximum cleanliness and effectiveness of the connector.
4	If the cleaned connector cannot be immediately connected to a corresponding adapter, the connector ferrule must be protected with a connector dust cap. Before placing the cap on the ferrule, make sure the cap is clean. This can be accomplished by inserting a CLETOP stick cleaner (swab) of the same inside diameter as the cap (either 2.5 or 1.25 mm) and rotate the stick 360 degrees three (3) times. Following this procedure, carefully place the cap over the ferrule. When the cleaned connector is ready for assembly, it should be re-inspected for cleanliness prior to connection. End of steps