An Introduction to Optical Fiber

Optical fibres (also called ‘fibre-optics’) are microscopic strands of very pure glass, each about the same diameter as human hair. Thousands of these optical fibres are arranged in bundles in optical cables and are used to transmit light signals over long distances with a capacity that is far superior to wires or coaxial cables. Travelling along the fibres at around two hundred trillion cycles per second, each photon bounces down the pipe with continued internal mirror-like reflection protected by the cladding that keeps the light signals inside the core. Inexpensive to produce, fibre-optic cables do not conduct electricity, are not degraded by lightning storms, and are small in size. This introductory course on fibre optics will expand your knowledge of this unique technology, breaking down how it works and all the relevant varieties.

To start with, you will learn about single and multimode fibre, two types of optical fibres. Single-mode is used for long distances, has small cores, and transmits infrared laser light while multi-mode is usually used for short distances, has large cores, and transmits infrared light. This course then explains how fibre-optic cables transmit data via fast-travelling pulsations of light. Lower attenuation and interference allow an optical fibre to have significant advantages over copper wire in long-distance, high-bandwidth applications. The information transmitted by fibre optics is typically digital information generated by computers, telephone systems, and cable television companies. Finally, you will learn the components that are needed to facilitate communication through an optical communication network, like light signal transmitters, optical fibre, and the photo-detecting receiver. The transmitted signal that travels through the fibres does not radiate. Moreover, the signal cannot be easily tapped from a fibre. Consequently, optical fibre communication provides a hundred per cent signal security. It is no wonder that it is becoming commercialized. To package fibre into a commercially viable commodity, it typically is protectively covered by using ultraviolet (UV), light-cured acrylate polymers, then finished with optical fibre connectors and subsequently assembled into a cable.

Fibre-optic cables are used in hundreds of industries around the world. Due to its versatility, the professional opportunities are limitless. Fibre-optic systems have enabled scientists to make numerous important strides in the telecommunication, mechanical, and medical fields. The realm of fibre optics has opened many opportunities for solving technological predicaments and has improved human civilization. This course is an exciting option for anyone contemplating a career in fibre optics, especially scholars who want to know more about what fibre-optic workers do on the job and how to get into the profession. A career in fibre optics will allow you to work anywhere in the world, from rural districts to big cities, outdoors or indoors, in large or miniature office buildings, on the ground, in the air, or inside a data centre. There are many exceptional benefits to working with fibre. You don’t need a high-level university degree, simply specialized skill experience. If you have an interest or dream to work and have a career in fibre optics, why wait? Start this course today and advance your career in this dynamic field!

• Module 1: Introduction to Optical Fiber
• Module 2: Course assessment

What You Will Learn In This Free Course

• Explain how the light gets guided into the fibre
• Discuss the mechanism of guidance
• Distinguish between absorptive and radiative loss
• Indicate what causes ‘Rayleigh Scattering’
• State what angles are supported in total internal reflection
• Define a ‘mode’
• Discuss what ‘Scalar Approximation’ is

Knowledge & Skills You Will Learn

• Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Technical Support
• STEM
• Technology
• Fibre Optics