What term defines defects that result from poor polishing, fiber misalignment, poor cleave angles, and poor cleaning practices?

What term defines defects that result from poor polishing, fiber misalignment, poor cleave angles, and poor cleaning practices?

• A. Intrinsic
• B. Extrinsic
• C. Modal
• D. Chromatic

Answer: (B)

Defects that come from how the fiber is finished and handled are extrinsic defects. Issues like poor polishing, fiber misalignment, an improper cleave angle, and inadequate cleaning are all external factors introduced during processing or assembly, and they directly affect how light is coupled into and through the fiber. Rough end faces scatter light and raise insertion loss; misalignment and bad cleave angles worsen coupling and reflections; dirty surfaces add scattering and absorption. These problems aren’t inherent to the glass itself, which is why they’re classified as extrinsic. Intrinsic defects would be flaws built into the material itself, chromatic relates to wavelength-dependent dispersion, and modal concerns describe how light propagates among modes rather than surface-quality defects.

Defects that come from how the fiber is finished and handled are extrinsic defects. Issues like poor polishing, fiber misalignment, an improper cleave angle, and inadequate cleaning are all external factors introduced during processing or assembly, and they directly affect how light is coupled into and through the fiber. Rough end faces scatter light and raise insertion loss; misalignment and bad cleave angles worsen coupling and reflections; dirty surfaces add scattering and absorption. These problems aren’t inherent to the glass itself, which is why they’re classified as extrinsic. Intrinsic defects would be flaws built into the material itself, chromatic relates to wavelength-dependent dispersion, and modal concerns describe how light propagates among modes rather than surface-quality defects.