SMF/QSMF Single Mode Fibers

320-2200 nm; Core Diameter 2-25 µm; Cladding Diameter 125, 130, 250 µm; Mode Field Diameter 2.2-10.4 µm; Numerical Aperture 0.06-0.2

OZ Optics offers a wide range of optical fibers suitable for many applications. SMF/QSMF single mode (SM) fibers come in a variety of fiber sizes, operating wavelengths, and fiber types, and can be assembled into patchcords or more complex fiber optic components to suit your needs. OZ Optics categorizes fibers based on fiber type, operating wavelengths, core/cladding size, jacket diameter, and numerical aperture (NA).

OZ Optics’ SMF/QSMF single mode (SM) fibers have core sizes small enough that only one single path exists in the fiber for the light to travel. As a result, they maintain the high spatial coherence and constant Gaussian profiles of high-quality lasers. This makes them ideal for many applications where the goal is to generate a high-quality beam or focused spot. However, the output polarization of the light from the fiber will change as one bends, twists, squeezes or change the temperature of the fiber. They do not preserve polarization.

SMF/QSMF single mode fibers have an operating wavelength determined by their cutoff wavelength and core diameter. At wavelengths shorter than the cutoff wavelength, the fiber is no longer single mode in nature and instead starts to act like a multi mode fiber, generating a beam that is not Gaussian and that changes as one bends the fiber. At long wavelengths, the core becomes too small to trap the light well. The transmission becomes more and more sensitive to bending the fiber, and eventually the light is no longer transmitted by the fiber.

OZ Optics offers special broadband RGB single mode fibers for visible light applications, able to transmit light from 400 nm to 650 nm. Standard single mode fibers (SMF) normally have a germanium doped core with a pure silica cladding. For wavelengths shorter than 600 nm, OZ Optics instead uses fibers with a pure fused silica core with a fluorine doped cladding (QSMF fibers).

For many high-power applications transmitting tens of Watts of optical power, standard single mode fibers are not suitable because of their small core size. On the other hand, multi mode fibers suffer from speckle patterns and large beam sizes.

Large mode area (LMA) fibers offer a compromise by giving a large core size for high power handling at the expense of a lower numerical aperture, making them more sensitive to bending losses. In many cases, these fibers are not truly single mode, but are better described as low-order multi mode fibers. However, by carefully controlling how light is launched in these fibers and how much they bend, one can transmit nearly single mode light, thus generating output beams that can be focused to the small spot sizes needed for laser marking, welding and machining operations.

Key Features:

• Huge Variety of Fibers Available Uncabled and Precabled
• Single Mode (SM) and Large Mode Area Fibers
• Fibers for Wavelengths from 320 nm to 2200 nm
• Core Diameter: 2 µm to 8.2 µm, 20, 25 µm for Large Mode Area (LMA) Fibers
• Cladding Diameter: 125 µm, LMA Fibers Also 130, 250 µm
• Mode Field Diameter: 2.2 µm to 10.4 µm
• Jacket or Buffer Diameter: 0.25 mm to 3.0 mm
• Attenuation: <0.22 dB/km to 200 dB/km
• Numerical Aperture (NA): 0.11 to 0.2, 0.06 to 0.10 for Large Mode Area (LMA) Fibers
• Effective Numerical Aperture (1/e²): 0.074 to 0.155

Applications: Telecommunications; Life Sciences and Biotechnology; Industrial; Sensing