Thorlabs - AR-Coated Single Mode Fiber Optic Patch Cables

Item # Prefix	AR-Coated Connector	Uncoated Connector
P1	FC/PC	FC/PC
P5	FC/PC	FC/APC
P4	FC/APC	FC/PC
P3	FC/APC	FC/APC

Single Mode Patch Cables Selection Guide
FC/PC to FC/PC
FC/APC to FC/APC
Hybrid
AR-Coated Patch Cables
Low-Insertion-Loss Cables

AR-Coated Patch Cables Selection Guide
Single Mode AR-Coated Patch Cables
Multimode AR-Coated Patch Cables

Features

AR-Coated FC/PC or FC/APC Connector for Fiber-to-Free Space Use
Ideal for Use with Our Fiber Collimation Packages and FiberPorts to Minimize Fresnel Losses
AR Coating Improves Return Loss
One FC/PC or FC/APC Uncoated Connector for Fiber-to-Fiber Connection

Thorlabs offers patch cables with a single, antireflection-coated FC/PC or FC/APC connector on one side and an uncoated FC/PC or FC/APC connector on the other. The AR coating is designed to minimize reflections when either launching a free-space beam out of a fiber or coupling a free-space beam into a fiber. The coated connector provides an average reflectivity of <0.5% over the designated AR coating ranges (see the AR Coating Curves tab for plots of reflectivity vs. wavelength).

Fiber-to-Free Space Coupling
When coupling from a fiber into free space, such as when using one of our fiber collimators, the return loss (absence of signals reflected back to the source by the glass-air interface at the end of the fiber) will be worse than comparable values for fiber-to-fiber coupling. By AR coating the connector face, the return loss of an FC/PC connector can be improved by ~8 - 10 dB, and the return loss of an FC/APC connector can be improved by ~2 - 5 dB. In our testing, a cable with an uncoated connector has a typical return loss of ~15 dB (3.16%), while an AR-coated connector has an improved return loss of ~24 dB (0.40%). AR-coated connectors also increase performance when coupling a free-space beam into a fiber.

Note: The AR-coated end is meant for free-space applications (e.g., collimation) and will be damaged if it comes into contact with another connector tip. Mating two AR-coated connectors can increase back reflections, causing a greater loss of transmission than when just using two uncoated connectors.

These cables, which feature FT030-Y Ø3 mm Kevlar reinforced furcation tubing, are well suited for use with our selection of fiber collimators and FiberPort collimators/couplers. AR-coated connectors are designated by the color of the connector's boot or included dust cap. See the Boot Colors tab for details.

Custom-coated patch cables are also available. Contact Tech Support for more details.

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The shaded region of the plots indicates the wavelength range of the AR coating.

Each patch cable includes two protective caps that shield the ferrule ends from dust and other hazards. The AR-coated and uncoated connectors are designated by these caps, the color of the strain relief boots, and a label on the furcation tubing near the AR-coated connector. See the table below for details.

Additional CAPF Fiber Caps for FC/PC- and FC/APC-terminated ends are also sold separately.

FC/PC (Coated) to FC/PC (Uncoated): Part Numbers Starting with P1
AR Coated FC/PC Connector - Black Boot	Uncoated FC/PC Connector - Yellow Boot
FC/PC (Coated) to FC/APC (Uncoated): Part Numbers Starting with P5
AR Coated FC/PC Connector - Black Boot	Uncoated FC/APC Connector - Green Boot
FC/APC (Coated) to FC/APC (Uncoated): Part Numbers Starting with P3
AR Coated FC/APC Connector - Green Boot and Label on Yellow Tubing	Uncoated FC/APC Connector - Green Boot with Attached Cap
FC/APC (Coated) to FC/PC (Uncoated): Part Numbers Starting with P4
AR Coated FC/APC Connector - Green Boot and Label on Yellow Tubing	Uncoated FC/PC Connector - Yellow Boot with Attached Cap

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Posted Comments:

Poster:

Posted Date: 2013-05-15 18:03:30.143

Thorlabs, Would it not make more sense to have the AR end flat polished instead of PC? This is, for me at least, only for fiber to freespace, so the curvature at the AR end only adds spherical aberation to my beam, and contributes nothing of value. Flat polish would be more useful.

Poster: tcohen

Posted Date: 2013-05-23 13:38:00.0

Response from Tim at Thorlabs: Thank you for your feedback. Currently, we use the same FC/PC connectors as our standard patch cables. These are pre-radiused which ensures that when two connectors are mated, the fiber cores are touching, minimizing insertion loss. These cables with pre-radiused FC/PC connectors have been tested to improve RL. We will also look into whether these cables, where the end face is not going to be mated, would be beneficial to have a flat polish. Thank you for sharing your suggestion.

Poster: mbakker

Posted Date: 2013-05-08 08:59:21.277

Would it be possible to have AR at both ends of the fiber as well? Why is this not a standard option?

Poster: jlow

Posted Date: 2013-05-08 09:27:00.0

Response from Jeremy at Thorlabs: The AR coated patch cables are typically used in applications where one end is in physical contact with another fiber. Having an AR coating on that surface would degrade the performance because the AR coating is optimized for fiber/air interface. We can have both ends AR coated for you if needed. We will get in contact with you directly to discuss further about this.

Poster: bdada

Posted Date: 2011-10-25 23:37:00.0

Response from Buki at Thorlabs: Thank you for using our Web Feedback tool. We do not currently offer reflective coatings on our fiber. We will contact you to discuss your application and see how we can be of further assistance.

Poster: jikim

Posted Date: 2011-10-22 15:39:50.0

Could you offer a fiber with 50 % reflection coating instead of AR coating? If you could, I would like to ask you a quotation for a 1 m long fiber patch cable with SMF-28e+, FC/PC (R = 50 %) to FC/APC (no coating) for 1550 nm.

Poster: georg.simmerle

Posted Date: 2011-09-20 13:58:25.0

Would it be possible to get the AR coating service for SM fibers (SM450 to SM980) as well? Thank you. Georg

Poster: bdada

Posted Date: 2011-09-20 12:57:00.0

Response from Buki at Thorlabs: Thank you for your feedback. We will act on your suggestion immediately and will provide this service soon. We will contact you with more information shortly.

Poster:

Posted Date: 2010-08-23 15:36:57.0

A reply from Jens at Thorlabs: yes, this can be done. We will contact you with price and lead time information.

Poster: Adam

Posted Date: 2010-04-16 13:20:01.0

A response from Adam at THorlabs to carlsonrt: We can offer the fiber you are looking for. I would like to contact you directly to get more information about your application and the exact requirements for this patch cable.

Poster: carlsonrt

Posted Date: 2010-04-16 11:19:35.0

I would like a quote for price and delivery on fiber patchcord of this type, but made with 1550 PMF instead of SMF28 fiber: Qty 2-5 Length: 1 meter 1550-PM fiber One end: FC/PC with 1550 ARC Other end: FC/APC uncoated Thank you

Poster: Tyler

Posted Date: 2008-06-26 16:55:25.0

A response from Tyler at Thorlabs to lance: The operating temperature range of the P1-SMF28-FC-1-15 is -60°C to 85°C. The return loss is wavelength dependent. The reflectivity plot specifies the reflectivity at 1550 nm as 0.22%, which corresponds to a return loss of 26.6dB at 1550nm assuming a fiber to air interface. Since the reflectivity plot is typical, there could be some variation from fiber to fiber. Finally, maximum laser power at 1550nm is not a specification that I can provide. Silica has a damage threshold somewhere around 1MW/cm², which means if the MFD of the fiber is ~10µm it would take less than 1W to damage the fiber.

Poster: lance

Posted Date: 2008-06-10 13:52:06.0

What is the operating temperature range? What is the return loss at 1550 nm? What is the maximum laser power at 1550 nm?

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AR-Coated Single Mode Fiber Optic Patch Cables

Features