Technical data

Agilent Technologies

Cleaning Procedures for Lightwave Test and

Measurement Equipment Pocket Guide

Why is it important to

clean optical devices ?

In transmission links optical fiber cores are about 9 µm

(0.00035”) in diameter. Dust and other particles, however, can

range from tenths to hundredths of microns in diameter. Their

comparative size means that they can cover a part of the end

of a fiber core, and thus degrade the transmission quality. This

will reduce the performance of your system.

Furthermore, the power density may burn dust into the fiber

and cause additional damage (for example, 0 dBm optical

power in a single mode fiber causes a power density of approx-

imately 16 million W/m2). If this happens, measurements

become inaccurate and non-repeatable.

Cleaning is, therefore, an essential yet difficult task. Unfortu-

nately, when comparing most published cleaning recommen-

dations, you will discover that they contain several

inconsistencies. In this pocket guide, we want to suggest

ways to help you clean your various optical devices, and thus

significantly improve the accuracy and repeatability of your

lightwave measurements.

cleaning.book Page 9 Wednesday, May 22, 2002 5:16 PM