PLC optical splitter is a kind of integrated waveguide optical power distribution device based on quartz substrate, which is widely used in passive optical network (PON) and FTTx network. It is one of the most important passive optical devices in the optical fiber link. It has one or more input terminals and multiple output terminals. It is used to connect the local and terminal devices in the passive optical network (PON) and realize the optical signal shunt. According to the different network structure, the distribution mode of PLC optical splitter in the network is also different; generally, there are two kinds of PLC optical splitter: centralized distribution and cascade distribution, which will be introduced in detail in this tutorial.
Centralized vs cascade
In general, the PLC optical splitter between the optical line terminal (OLT) and the optical network unit (ONT) distributes the network service of the office to each end user evenly.
Centralized distribution of PLC optical splitter
The centralized distribution of PLC optical splitter means that the optical splitter is installed in a certain position between the optical line terminal (OLT) and the optical network unit (ONT), and the signals at the local end are processed by optical splitter, and then transmitted to each end user respectively, which is more suitable for the network application where the users are concentrated. The splitting ratio of the PLC optical splitter used here is usually 1:32 and 1:64. A PLC optical splitter with a 1:32 split ratio can be used to deliver the network services at the local end to 32 home users respectively:
Centralized PLC optical splitter is usually installed in optical fiber distribution hub or optical fiber terminal box. Among them, the PLC optical splitter used in the optical fiber distribution hub is tray type, plug-in type and ABS box type; the PLC optical splitter used in the optical fiber terminal box is bare fiber type, etc.
Cascade distribution of PLC optical splitter
The biggest difference between the cascade distribution and the centralized distribution is that there are two levels of light distribution in the cascade distribution (only one level of light distribution in the centralized distribution). Each optical splitter is distributed, and the ratio of the first stage is 1:4, and the ratio of the second stage is 1:8.
This kind of distribution mode is more complex than the centralized distribution of PLC optical splitter, but it can maximize the use of optical fiber resources, and the wiring is flexible, which is more suitable for users' more decentralized network applications.