Cladding (fiber optics)
Encyclopedia
Cladding is one or more layers of material of lower refractive index
, in intimate contact with a core
material of higher refractive index. The cladding causes light to be confined to the core of the fiber by total internal reflection
at the boundary between the two. Light propagation in the cladding is suppressed in typical fiber. Some fibers can support cladding mode
s in which light propagates in the cladding as well as the core. (From Federal Standard 1037C
and from MIL-STD-188
)
The numerical aperture
of a fiber is a function of the indices of refraction of the cladding and the core by:
Refractive index
In optics the refractive index or index of refraction of a substance or medium is a measure of the speed of light in that medium. It is expressed as a ratio of the speed of light in vacuum relative to that in the considered medium....
, in intimate contact with a core
Core (optical fiber)
The core of a conventional optical fiber is a cylinder of glass or plastic that runs along the fiber's length. The core is surrounded by a medium with a lower index of refraction, typically a cladding of a different glass, or plastic...
material of higher refractive index. The cladding causes light to be confined to the core of the fiber by total internal reflection
Total internal reflection
Total internal reflection is an optical phenomenon that happens when a ray of light strikes a medium boundary at an angle larger than a particular critical angle with respect to the normal to the surface. If the refractive index is lower on the other side of the boundary and the incident angle is...
at the boundary between the two. Light propagation in the cladding is suppressed in typical fiber. Some fibers can support cladding mode
Cladding mode
In fiber optics, a cladding mode is a mode that is confined to the cladding of an optical fiber by virtue of the fact that the cladding has a higher refractive index than the surrounding medium, which is either air or the primary polymer overcoat...
s in which light propagates in the cladding as well as the core. (From Federal Standard 1037C
Federal Standard 1037C
Federal Standard 1037C, titled Telecommunications: Glossary of Telecommunication Terms is a United States Federal Standard, issued by the General Services Administration pursuant to the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, as amended....
and from MIL-STD-188
MIL-STD-188
MIL-STD-188 is a series of U.S. military standards relating to telecommunications.-Purpose:Faced with “past technical deficiencies in telecommunications systems and equipment and software…that were traced to basic inadequacies in the application of telecommunication standards and to the lack of a...
)
The numerical aperture
Numerical aperture
In optics, the numerical aperture of an optical system is a dimensionless number that characterizes the range of angles over which the system can accept or emit light. By incorporating index of refraction in its definition, NA has the property that it is constant for a beam as it goes from one...
of a fiber is a function of the indices of refraction of the cladding and the core by: