Brian Teague – Product Line Manager November 2016

1. Sources of End Face Contamination on Fiber Optical Interconnects and Recommended Best Practices for Removing the Contaminates Brian Teague – Product Line Manager November 2016

2. Program Agenda Do It Right The First Time Residues Contamination Dust Contamination Electrostatic Charge Solve the Problem

3. Do It Right The First Time • A study of 300 reported failure causes of fiber cabling revealed: • 57% (172) dig ups • 7% (22) craft and workmanship failures • 5% (16) unknown • 4% (13) rodents • 4% (11) fire • 3% (8) defective cable • 2% (6) flood • 1% (4) lightning If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over? - Albert Einstein Source: Sumitomo Lightwave “Optical Fiber Cable Design & Reliability” P. VanVickle May 2014 for IEEE802

4. Industry Statics on Fiber Connector Cleaning • HTI Martin Technical Research Survey of 89 network owners and network contactors study on network failure. • 80% of Network Owners and 98% of Network Contractors have experienced fiber failures during the installation process • 82% of Network Owners and 92% of Network Contractors use IPA as the cleaning agent • 12% of Network Owners and 30% of Network Contractors use compressed air for cleaning • Truck Roll Back Expense Stats: • “The average truck roll is ~ $150 NOT including labor. Labor $50/hour. The average PRISM truck roll results in a three hour visit.” Matt Olson, Principal Architect at CenturyLink at CONF 2014 • National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners estimates a truck roll costs upwards of $275 in 2014 and that does not take into consideration the cost of parts.

5. Case Study on Installation Expenses • US National Association of Telecommunications Officers & Advisors • Installation of new fiber cables added to an existing community network • Adding 11KM of new fiber cables to connect to 9 buildings - schools, fire station and government buildings • Medium density suburban area outside of Washington, DC • Using 144F SM cable fiber for right of way

6. Case Study on Installation Expenses • 80% of project expense was spent on labor • Understanding and avoiding problems reduces the variability installation labor expenses • An upfront investment in fiber cleaning consumables reduces initial upfront labor expenses and truck roll back expenses

7. Contamination Issues - Residues • Residues change the refractive index of the transmission medium • The higher the frequency of the light signal, the greater the refractive angle • Changes in the refractive angle causes a phenomenon called chromatic aberration Light Refraction Through Glass & Water Chromatic Aberration 60° 60° Water Glass 41° 35° 60° 60°

8. Sources of Residue Contamination Skin Oil Source: Image taken with PROMET FiBO Cross Contaminated IPA Source: Image taken with PROMET FiBO

9. Isopropyl Alcohol Cross Contamination Issues • Alcohol is hygroscopic meaning it attracts water • Highly flammable and high vapor pressure • “Menda”-style bottles pull air in to dispense the alcohol • Pre-saturated wipes packaging breaks down over time and leeches into wipe

10. Contamination Issues – Fusion Splicing Fiber Ø125μm Fiber Core Ø 9μm Singlemode Ø 50μm for OM3/OM4 • Dust from cross contaminated IPA • Dirty electrodes and dust in fiber grooves • Dust from paper based wipe • Water residue from cross contaminated IPA

11. Dust Contamination is Common Source: RSM using RSM1 scope

12. Contaminations Issues – Dust Particulates Back Reflectance Insertion Loss • Dust interferes with physical contact creating small air gaps and permanent end face defects • Residues in signal path change index of refraction between the connector pair causing signal loss Absorption Loss

13. Sources of Dust Contamination Left: Dust from top of cabinet. Right: Paper Fiber(wood) from inside drawer Source: Karen Brynjolf Pedersen & Morten Ryhl-Svendsen National Museum of Denmark Zinc Whiskers Source: NASA Electronics Parts & Packaging Program

14. Sources of Dust Contamination Flower Pollen Source: Dartmouth College Electron Microscope Facility Coal Ash Source: University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research

15. Electrostatic Charge – Contact Friction At material separation, materials are oppositely charged Before material contact, materials are not charged - - - - - - - - - - - - + + + + + + + + Material 2 -4 Electrons +3 Protons -1 Net Material 1 -2 Electrons +3 Protons +1 Net Material 2 -3 Electrons +3 Protons 0 Net + + + + Material 1 -3 Electrons +3 Protons 0 Net

16. Electrostatic Charge - Attraction The Role of Electrostatic Charge Effect on Contamination of Fiber Optic Connectors and Ways of Eliminating it by T. Berdinskikh, A. Fisenko, J. Daniel, J.Bragg, D.Phillips of Celestica Applications of Photonics Technology 5, 420 (Feb 2003) ST placed 4mm above iron dust ST Connector is cleaned and image captured ST placed 2mm above iron dust ST placed 2mm above nickel dust • Conclusions: • The contact friction of the dry wipe created an electrostatic charge on the ceramic ferrule surface • The oppositely charged dust particles bonded on the ferrule surface quickly

17. Electrostatic Charge - Decay Base line image of cleaned ST 14 day Observation 30 day Observation 7 Day Observation • Conclusions: • The electrostatic charge on the ferrule surface came after the contact friction from the dry wipes • The electrostatic charge remains and does not go away on its own

18. Sources of Electrostatic Charge • Dry wiping connectors with wipes that do not have dissipative properties • Cleaning only with compressed air • Inserting or removing a connector into the adapter during mating • Removing the protective end cap from the connector or adapter • Connecting to test equipment • Using foam based cleaning sticks to dry an end face

19. Installer Best Practice Clean It NO Is It Clean? Inspect the end face YES Connect It! • Always clean just before mating. • Cleaning process takes < 10 secs (How much time does it take to trouble shoot a problem?

20. Best Practices for Removing Contamination • Wet-dry cleaning is most effective for removing all forms of contamination and eliminates electrostatic charge • Use optical grade cleaning fluids that are zero residue and fast evaporating • Use cleaning fluids in hermitically sealed packaging to prevent cross contamination • If you must use IPA, change it out frequently and thoroughly wash and dry (no water) the container • When using stick cleaners, one stick per end face to avoid cross contamination • When using sticks, rotate them in the same direction 6x to 8x times • Mechanical cleaners are good for light and medium levels of contamination levels • Boxes and tubs of optical grade wipes plus cleaning fluid are best for splicing pigtails to bulk cable • Clean your test assemblies and ports of the test gear • Always clean both ends of a mated connector pair just before mating

21. Cleaning Selection Guide

22. Final Thoughts

23. Thank You for your time. Questions?