Effect of polishing conditions on terminating optical connectors with spherical convex polished ends

Increased demand for fiber-optic technology has created significant growth in the sales of interconnection devices such as fiber-optic connectors, cable assemblies, and adapters. To ensure good connector performance during actual use, several process parameters related to geometric and optical characteristics of the connector must be thoroughly understood during the manufacturing stage. The experimental design has been used here to see the influence of applied pressure and time on the fiber end geometry as well as optical performance. The mathematical model is also applied to explain the phenomena of the present fiber undercut-reflectance relation. By a proper choice of polishing film grit size and processing conditions, it is possible to obtain fiber connectors with less fiber undercut and better return loss. Influences of film grit size and rubber-pad thickness on the reflectance and the fiber undercut are also presented. (C) 2002 Optical Society of America.