In today’s optical network typologies, the advent of fiber optic splitter contributes to helping users maximize the performance of optical network circuits. Fiber optic splitter, also referred to as optical splitter, or beam splitter, is an integrated wave-guide optical power distribution device that can split an incident light beam into two or more light beams, and vice versa, containing multiple input and output ends. Optical splitter has played an important role in passive optical networks (like EPON, GPON, BPON, FTTX, FTTH, etc.) by allowing a single PON interface to be shared among many subscribers.
How Does Fiber Optic Splitter Work?
Generally speaking, when the light signal transmits in a single mode fiber, the light energy cannot be entirely concentrated in the fiber core. A small amount of energy will be spread through the cladding of the fiber. That is to say, if two fibers are close enough to each other, the transmitting light in an optical fiber can enter into another optical fiber. Therefore, the reallocation technique of optical signal can be achieved in multiple fibers, which is how fiber optic splitter comes into being.
Specifically speaking, the passive optical splitter can split, or separate, an incident light beam into several light beams at a certain ratio. The 1×4 split configuration presented below is the basic structure: separating an incident light beam from a single input fiber cable into four light beams and transmitting them through four individual output fiber cables. For instance, if the input fiber optic cable carries 1000 Mbps bandwidth, each user at the end of output fiber cables can use the network with 250 Mbps bandwidth.