Multi Fiber Push On (MPO) connectors

Multi Fiber Push On (MPO) connectors

Multi fiber push connector, abbreviated as Multi fiber push connector MPO, is a fiber optic connector composed of multiple fibers. Although there may be. MPO array connectors are defined as more than 2 fibers, but typically 8.12 or 24 fibers, targeting both regular and common database LAN applications. There are other fiber quantities, such as 32.48.60 or even 72 fibers, but these are typically professional ultra high density multi fiber arrays used in large optical switches.

You will also see the exchange and usage of the terms MTP connector and MPO connector. MTP is a registered trademark of the MPO connector provided by USConec. The MTP connector is fully compatible with the MPO standard and has been described by USConec as using stricter tolerance designs to improve performance MPO. In this article, we only discuss MPO because connector MTP is also considered an MPO connector.

Certification and Standards

Like other standard connector interfaces, MPO connector manufacturers must comply with matching standards. The MPO connector, IEC61754-7 and EIA/TIA-604-5 (FOCSI5) standards specify the physical properties of the connector, such as male and female connector pins and guide hole sizes. These standards ensure that all compatible plugs and adapters can match each other and achieve specific performance levels.

In addition to mutual matching, MPO connectors must also meet the specific end face geometric parameters specified in the IECPAS61755-3-31 fiber interface standard. This includes the polishing angle of the array and adjacent fibers, as well as the difference between the fiber protrusion height and the maximum fiber height. The overall performance of connectors largely depends on the control of these mechanical characteristics. For example, if the height difference of the optical fibers exceeds the height of the optical fibers, and the heights of the optical fibers in the array are different, some of the optical fibers cannot be connected correctly. This will greatly affect insertion loss and return loss.

Usage and application

For many years, MPO connectors have been the duplex 10Gig fiber optic used in data centers for deploying pre plug and play main cables between switches, saving channel space, simplifying cable management, and improving deployment speed. In these 10 Gigs, both ends use MPO12 or 24 fiber backbone cables to form permanent backbone cables, which are then converted into duplex fiber optic connectors through patch panels using MPO-LC boxes or MPO-LC hybrid jumpers.

Because the demand for bandwidth speed far exceeds 10Gig, MPO connectors have become the actual interface for parallel fiber optic high-speed switches applied to the switch's main data center. For example, 400Gig and 100Gig applications on multimode fiber (40GBASE-SR4 and 100GBASE-SR4), 8 fiber 4 transmits at a speed of 100Gbps or 25Gbps4 and is received by 4 at a speed of 10 or 25Gbps. These common data center applications require 8 or 12 fiber MPO connectors (12 fiber MPO only uses 8/12 fiber). Looking ahead, standards agencies are looking forward to speeds higher than 200, and MPO connectors and parallel fibers also support 4000Gig. MPO therefore retains the connector interface.

Cleaning and testing

FI-7000-MPO comes with a toolkit MPO and a detection head MPO QuickCleanCleaner

Each fiber end face needs to be cleaned and inspected, and MPO connectors are no exception. In fact, due to the large surface area of MPO, the cleaning and inspection issues of connectors will be even greater. When cleaning these large surface areas, it is easy to transfer pollutants on the optical fiber to other optical fibers in the same array. The larger the array, the greater the risk. The more fiber, such as 24 or 32 fiber MPO in connectors, the more difficult it is to control the height difference of the fiber, which increases the risk of correctly cleaning all fibers. Therefore, inspection and cleaning are very important and must be checked again.

Check the fiber optic end face, IEC61300-3-35 "Basic Testing and Measurement Process Standards for Fiber Optic Interconnection Equipment and Passive Components". There is a specific cleanliness grouping standard for fiber optic end face inspection that passes or fails certification, avoiding subjective factors and various disputes caused by human factors. For various connector types and fiber sizes, IEC61300-3-35 calculates the number of scratches and defects found in each area of the end face, as well as the cleanliness of the fiber end face, including the core, cladding, bonding layer, and contact area.

FlukeNetworks' FI-7000FiberInspectorPro can verify fiber end faces according to the IEC61300-3-35 industry standard in just a few seconds, automatically providing pass/fail results. FlukeNetworks' FI-7000-MPO comes with a tool kit MPO and a detection head MPO QuickCleanCleaner, which makes it easier than before to ensure that MPO cleans the connector end face

Polarity

The fiber optic link should correctly transmit data, and the corresponding receiver for the transmission signal (Tx) at one end of the cable must match the corresponding receiver (Rx) at the other end. The purpose of all polarity modes is to ensure this continuous connection, making handling multi fiber components more complex. Industry standards call for the use of three different polarity methods A. Method B and Method C. Each method uses different types of MPO cables.

Method A uses an A-type straight through MPO main line, with one end being an up key connector and the other end being a down key, so that the fiber at position 1 reaches position 1 at the other end. When duplex application method A is applied, the transceiver receiver needs to be converted in a jumper at one end.

Method B uses ascending key connectors at both ends to achieve the transceiver-receiver conversion, so that the optical fiber at position 1 reaches position 12 at the other end, the optical fiber at position 2 reaches position 11 at the other end, and so on. For dual engineering applications, both ends of Method B are directly connected using A-B jumpers.

Method C is the same as Method A, with one end using an ascending key connector and the other end using a descending key, but the conversion occurs online. Each pair conversion causes the fiber at position 1 to reach the other end at position 2, and the fiber at position 2 to reach position 1. Although this method is suitable for duplex applications, it does not support parallel 8 fiber 40 and 100Gig applications, so it is not recommended.

Because there are three different polarity methods, each of which should use the correct jumper type, errors often occur during deployment. Fortunately, FlukeNetworks' MultiFiber ™ Pro users can use each jumper to test permanent links and channels to ensure correct polarity.

performance testing 

Like all other fiber optic links used in data centers, the links of MPO connectors still need to be tested to ensure they are within the insertion loss budget. Need to use. The MPO high-speed 40 and 100Gig applications are like this. Due to the much lower loss budget of these applications, ensuring the highest testing accuracy is crucial.

Before FlukeNetworks launched the MultiFiberPro tester and onboard MPO connectors, traditional duplex fiber optic testers for MPO were typically used to test types of fiber optic links. This is very time-consuming and requires separating multiple fibers into a single fiber channel MPO to LC. Before connecting to both ends, the testing baseline needs to be verified. This complex testing also leads to more inconsistencies, making it more difficult to ensure the cleanliness of all optical fibers during this process.