The effect of buffer type and fiber NA on the microbending sensitivity of step and graded index fiber

The coating of an optical fiber provides both mechanical and optical protection. The coating should be hard enough to afford adequate abrasion protection yet soft enough to minimize excess attenuation due to micro- bending. The numerical aperture of the fiber also effects the severity of the microbend response. Furthermore, step and graded index fibers have different microbend responses under identical test conditions. The purpose of this work was to study the effects of different coating types and NA on the microbending response of step and graded index fibers. The results are useful in selecting the proper coating for a given NA and fiber type.