PC/APC/UPC refers to different grinding methods of optical fiber connectors on optical fiber jumpers, and different grinding methods determine the optical fiber transmission quality, mainly reflected in return loss and insertion loss. So what's the difference between these three grinding methods? Today I will explain it to you in detail.
1. What is a PC?
PC, i.e. physical contact. It is the most common grinding method for optical fiber connectors on optical fiber jumpers, and is widely used in telecom operator equipment. Although the end face of the optical fiber connector looks flat, in fact, the end face is slightly bent and polished, and the highest point of bending is the center of the fiber core, which can effectively reduce the air gap between the optical fiber components. The return loss of the jumper is -40dB.
Comparison of PC/APC/UPC Interfaces
2. What is UPC?
UPC, or Ultra-Physical Contact. Evolved from PC, it is optimized for end face polishing, resulting in a better surface finish. Like PC, UPC has the highest bending point in the center of the fiber core, but the return loss of UPC is higher than that of PC, generally -50dB (or even higher). It is usually used in Ethernet network equipment (such as ODF fiber optic patch panels, media converters and fiber optic switches, etc.), and is also used in telephone systems.
3. What is APC?
APC, or Angular Physical Contact. It is the latest technology of optical fiber end face grinding. The end face adopts an 8-degree angle grinding method, which makes the end face grinding more accurate, which can effectively reduce reflection, and the return loss is about -60dB. APCs are typically used in high wavelength range optical RF applications such as CATV.
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