FBT Optical Fiber Splitter vs. PLC Optical Fiber Splitter

Fiber optic splitter is an important component of ODN and one of the important passive components in optical fiber links. Its function is to divide one optical fiber signal into multiple optical fiber signals.
From FTTx system to traditional optical network, it can not only enable many users to share one optical fiber interface, but also help users expand the functions of optical network circuits to the greatest extent.
The two most common types are: FBT (Fused Bi-conical Tap) fiber splitter and PLC (Planar Lightwave Circuit) fiber splitter. What is the difference between them?

1.What is FBT optical fiber splitter?
This technology is to bundle two or more optical fibers with the coating removed, and then melt and stretch them on the tapered machine, and monitor the change of split ratio. Keep one fiber (cut off the rest) as the input end, and the other end as the multi-channel output end.

BAUDCOM FBT optical fiber splitter

2.What is PLC optical fiber splitter?
The PLC optical fiber splitter is made of semiconductor technology. It separates the input signal into multiple output signals through the optical fiber splitter chip. There are many types of PLC splitters to choose from. BAUDCOM company provides steel pipe type splitters, cassette type splitters, card type splitters, rack mount type splitters, and outdoor pole type splitters.

BAUDCOM PLC optical fiber splitter

3.Difference between FBT optical fiber splitter and PLC optical fiber splitter

3.1 Working wavelength
FBT optical fiber splitter only supports three wavelengths of 850nm, 1310nm and 1550nm, and can not work at other wavelengths. The working wavelength of the PLC optical fiber splitter is 1260nm ~ 1650nm, and the wavelength can be adjusted to support more application environments.
3.2 Split ratio
The split ratio of the FBT optical fiber splitter is up to 1:32, and the split ratio of the FBT optical fiber splitter is variable and supports customization, such as 1: 5, 1:7, 1:11, 1:12. The splitting ratio of PLC optical fiber splitter is up to 1:128, and the PLC optical fiber splitter is a standard product that can only choose 1:2, 1:4, 1:8, 1:16, 1:32, 1:64 and 1:128.
3.3 Distribution uniformity
The FBT optical fiber splitter is packaged by multiple 1x2 splitter. It lacks signal management and can not achieve uniform light splitting. Moreover, the higher the split ratio, the worse the uniformity, that affects the transmission distance. The PLC optical fiber splitter can achieve equal ratio and uniform light splitting.
3.4 Operating temperature
The operating temperature range of the FBT optical fiber splitter is -5 ~ 75ºC, while the PLC optical fiber splitter can work at -40 ~ 85ºC. Relatively speaking, the operating temperature range of the PLC optical fiber splitter is wider.
3.5 Failure rate
At present, the mature tapered process can only package optical fiber splitters below 1:4 at a time. When connect and package, errors are prone to occur, leading to failures. Which means that the higher the splitting ratio of the FBT optical fiber splitter, the higher the failure rate. The failure rate of the PLC optical fiber splitter is much smaller than that of the FBT optical fiber splitter.
3.6 Production costs
The FBT optical fiber splitter is made of heat shrink tube, steel, and other materials, the material cost is not high, and the device manufacturing technology is simple. However, the manufacturing process of PLC optical fiber splitter is complicated and the chip cost is high. So the price of FBT optical fiber splitter is cheaper than PLC optical fiber splitter.

4.Conclusion
In general, PLC optical fiber splitters and FBT optical fiber splitters are similar in appearance and size, but they have many differences in manufacturing process, working wavelength, Split ratio, temperature, etc. Compared with the FBT optical fiber splitter, the PLC optical fiber splitter is a passive optical equipment with superior performance. So it is recommended that you choose a PLC optical fiber splitter instead of a FBT optical fiber splitter, if your network has high performance.

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