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A cleave in an
optical fiber An optical fiber, or optical fibre in Commonwealth English, is a flexible, transparent fiber made by drawing glass ( silica) or plastic to a diameter slightly thicker than that of a human hair Hair is a protein filament that grows ...
is a deliberate, controlled break, intended to create a perfectly flat end face perpendicular to the fiber's longitudinal axis. The process of cleaving an optical fiber forms one of the steps in the preparation for a fiber splice operation regardless of the subsequent splice being a fusion splice or a mechanical splice; the other steps in the preparation being those of stripping and
fiber alignment Fiber or fibre (from la, fibra, links=no) is a natural or artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The strongest engineering materials often incorporate ...
. A good cleave is required for a successful low
loss Loss may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''Loss'' (Bass Communion album) (2006) * ''Loss'' (Mull Historical Society album) (2001) *"Loss", a song by God Is an Astronaut from their self-titled album (2008) * Losses "(Lil Tjay son ...
splice of an optical fiber, often it is the case that fibers spliced by identical methods tend to have different losses, this difference can often be attributed to the quality of their initial cleaves. The general method of cleaving involves a general strategy known as the scribe-and-tension or scribe-and-break strategy. This strategy involves the introduction of a small crack into the fiber and the subsequent application of a tensile force in the vicinity of the crack that causes the fiber to cleave.


Cleaving technique

A general cleaving strategy that is employed is known as the scribe-and-tension strategy or the scribe-and-break strategy. This process involves the introduction of a crack in the fiber, generally utilizing a cutting tool made from a material such as
diamond Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, b ...
,
sapphire Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium. The name sapphire is derived via the Latin "sa ...
, or
tungsten carbide Tungsten carbide (chemical formula: WC) is a chemical compound (specifically, a carbide) containing equal parts of tungsten and carbon atoms. In its most basic form, tungsten carbide is a fine gray powder, but it can be pressed and formed into ...
, followed by the application of tensile stress in the vicinity of the crack. However, the specific implementations of the cleaving vary and result in cleaves of different qualities. Certain implementations may apply the tensile force uniformly across the cross-section of the fiber whereas others might bend the fiber around a curved surface causing excessive tensile stress on the outside of the bend. The introduction of the crack in the fiber may also be generated in different ways; the crack may be introduced at a single point on the circumference or it may be generated all along the circumference of the fiber before the application of the tensile force. The circumferential introduction of the crack often allows fibers of considerably large diameters to be cleaved while maintaining a high quality of the cleave.


Tools

* Pen-shaped scribe (aka diamond-tip scribe or diamond wedge scribe) looks like a ballpoint pen but has a small wedge tip made of diamond or other hard material. This tool is used with the "scratch and pull" technique. First, the fiber is scribed perpendicular to its length. The fiber is then pulled, which breaks at the scribe. This tool requires an experienced operator to produce good cleaves. * Mechanical cleavers clamp the fiber in the correct position before a diamond wheel or blade scribes the fiber. Then, a force is applied and the fiber gives a nice break at the scribe. Mechanical cleavers give nicer and more repeatable cleaves. * Multifiber cleavers are used for ribbon fiber cables.


See also

*
Fiber-optic communication Fiber-optic communication is a method of transmitting information from one place to another by sending pulses of infrared light through an optical fiber. The light is a form of carrier wave that is modulated to carry information. Fiber is pr ...
*
Optical communication Optical communication, also known as optical telecommunication, is communication at a distance using light to carry information. It can be performed visually or by using electronic devices. The earliest basic forms of optical communication date ...
* Recoating *
Stripping (fiber) Stripping is the act of removing the protective polymer coating around optical fiber in preparation for fusion splicing. The splicing process begins by preparing both fiber ends for fusion, which requires that all protective coating is removed or ...


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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Optical Fiber Optical fiber