TABLE OF CONTENTS Since it is taking some time to establish standards in the optical connector industry, several large companies developed their own particular design. This has resulted in numerous connector styles and configurations. Typically, the different connector types are designated by combinations of two or three letters. The main ones are ST, SC, FC, LC, MU, MT-RJ, MPO, and variations on MPO. Therefore the vendors refer to these connectors as, for example, SC-type connectors or simply SC connectors. Each of these connector types is described in greater detail below. However, to understand the purpose of the seemingly arbitrary letter designations, let us first take a brief look at their origins:
ST is derived from the words straight tip, which refers to the ferrule configuration.
The letters SC were coined by NTT to mean subscriber connector or square connector, although now the connectors are not known by those names.
A connector designed specifically for Fibre Channel applications was designated by the letters FC.
Since Lucent developed a specific connector type, they obviously nicknamed it the LC connector; that is, LC can be considered an acronym for Lucent connector, although it is not called a Lucent connector.
The letters MU were selected by NTT to indicate a miniature unit.
The designation MT-RJ is an acronym for media termination recommended jack.
The letters MPO were selected to indicate a multiple-fiber, push-on/pull-off connecting function.
Table 8.1 summarizes several popular...
