Optical Module Terms

Maximum distance over which optical signals can transmit. Optical signals sent from different types of sources can transmit over different distances due to negative effects of optical fibers, such as dispersion and attenuation.

Maximum rate of electrical signals that an optical device can transmit without bit errors. The interface rates defined in Ethernet standards include 125 Mbit/s, 1.25 Gbit/s, 10.3125 Gbit/s, and 41.25 Gbit/s.

Appearance type of an optical module. Encapsulation types of optical modules include SFP, eSFP, SFP+, XFP, SFP28, QSFP+, CXP, CFP, and QSFP28.

Wavelength measured at the midpoint of the half-amplitude line in the transmit spectrum.

Mode of fibers defining based on core diameters and features of optical fibers. Optical fibers are classified into single-mode fibers and multi-mode fibers. Generally, multi-mode fibers have large core diameters and severe dispersion, so they transmit optical signals over short distances when working with multi-mode optical modules. Single-mode fibers have small dispersion and can transmit optical signals over long distances when working with single-mode optical modules.

Bandwidth measured at a point with transmit power several dB lower than that of the point with the peak center wavelength. Modal bandwidth reflects spectrum characteristics of an optical module.

Diameter of the core of a fiber. According to international standards for optical fibers, the diameter of a multi-mode fiber is 62.5 um or 50 um, and the diameter of a single-mode fiber is 9 um.

Optical signals with different wavelengths have their best working windows in different optical fibers. To help efficiently adjust wavelengths or dispersion features of optical fibers and change their refractive indexes, the following classes are defined: multi-mode fiber (G.651), common single-mode fiber (G.652), shifted dispersion fiber (G.653), and non-zero shifted dispersion fiber (G.655). G.651 and G.652 are commonly used fiber classes.

Type of the interface on an optical module to accommodate a fiber. Commonly used connector types are LC (applicable to all the SFP, SFP+, and XFP modules) and MPO (applicable to 150 m QSFP+, 100 m CFP, and CXP modules).

Output optical power of an optical module when it is working properly.

Minimum average input optical power that the receiver of an optical module can receive within a range of bit error rate (BER = 10-12).

Maximum average input optical power that the receiver of an optical module can receive within a range of bit error rate (BER = 10-12).

Minimum ratio of the average optical power with signals transmitted against the average optical power without signals transmitted in complete modulation mode. The extinction ratio indicates the capability of an optical module to identify signal 0 and signal 1.