LC Connector Family

The LC connector developed by Lucent Technologies and shown in Fig.3.10 is a more evolutionary approach to achieving the goals of a SFF connector. The LC connector utilizes the traditional components of a SC duplex connector having independent ceramic ferrules and housings, with the overall size scaled down by one-half. The LC family of connectors includes a stand-alone simplex design; a "behind the wall” (BTW) connector and the duplex connector available in both single-mode and multimode tolerances are all designed using the RJ-style latch.

The outward appearance and physical size of the LC connector varies slightly depending on the application and vendor preference. Although all the connectors in the LC family have similar latch styles modeled after the copper RJ latch, the simplex version of the connector has a slightly longer body than either the duplex or BTW version, and the latch has an additional latch actuator arm that is designed to assist in plugging as well to prevent snagging in the field. The BTW connector is the smallest of the LC family and is designed as a field-or board-mounatable connector using 900-um buffered fiber and in some cases has slightly extended latch for extraction purposes. The duplex version of this connector has modified body to accept the duplexing clip that joins the two connector bodies toghther and actuates the two latches as one. Finally, even the duplex clip itself has variations depending on the vendor. In some cases the duplex clip us a solid one-piece design and must be placed on the cable prior to connectorization, while other design and must be placed on the cable prior to connectorization, while other designs have slots built into each side to allow the clip to be installed after connectorzation. In coclusion, all LC connectors are not created equal, and depending on style and manufacturer’s preference, there may be attributes that make one connector more suitable for a specific application then another.

The LC duplex connector incorporates two round ceramic ferrules with outer diameters of 1.25mm and a duplex pitch of 6.25mm. These ferrules are aligned through the traditional couplers and bores using precision ceramic split or solid sleeves. In an attempt to improve the optical performance to better than 0.10 db at these interfaces, most of the ferrule and backbane assemblies are designed to allow the cable manufacturer to tune them. Tuning of the LC connector simply consists of roating the ferrule to one of four available positions dictated by the backbone design. The concept is basically to align the concentricity offset of each ferrule to a single quadrant at 12.00; in effect, if all the cores are slightly offset in the same direction, the probalility of a core-to-core alignment is increased and optimum performance can be achieved. Although this concept has its merits, it is yet another costly step in the manufacturing process, and in the case where a tuned connector is mated with an untuned connector, the increase in performance may not be realized.

Typically, the LC duplex connectors are terminated onto a new reduced-size zipcord referred to as mini-zip. However, as the product matures and the applications expand, it may be found on a number of different cordages. The mini-zip cord is one of the smallest in the industry with an outer diameter of 1.6mm compared with the standard zipcord for an SC style product of 3.0 mm. Although this cable has passed industry standard testing, the cable manufacturers have raised some issues concering the ability of the 900-um fibers to move freely inside a 1.6-mm jacket and others involving the overall crimped pull strengths. For these reasons, some end users and calbe manufactures are opting for a larger 2.0-mm, 2.4-mm, or even the standard 3.0-mm zipcord. In application wher the fiber is either protected within a wall outlet or cabinet, the BTW connector is used and terminated directly onto the 900-um buffers with no jacket protection.

The factory termination of the LC cable assemblies is very similar to order ceramic-based ferrules using the standard pot and polish processes with a few minor differences. The one-piece design of the connector minimizes production handling and helps to increase process yields when compared with other SFF and standard connector types. Because of the smaller diameter ferrule, the polishing times for an LC ferrule may be slightly lower than the standard 2.5-mm connectors, but the real production advantage is realized in teh increase number of connectors that can be polished at one time in a mass polisher. For the reasons mentioned above and because the process is familiar to most manufacturers, the LC connector may be considered one of the eaisest SFF connectors to factory terminate.

Field termination of the LC connector has typically been accomplished through the standard pot and polish techiques using the BTW connector. However, a pre-polished, crimp and cleave connector is also available. The LCQuick Light field-mountable BTW style connector made by Lucent Technologies is a one-piece design with a factory polished ferrule and an internal cleaved fiber stub. Unlike other pre-polished SFF connectors previously discussed, the LCQuick light secures the inserted field cleaved fiber to a factory polished stub by crimping or collapsing the metallic entry tube onto the buffered portion. This is accomplished by using a special crimp tool that is designed not to damage the fibers. However, light is designed specifically for use in protected environments such as cabinets and wall outlets and has no provision for outer jacket or Kevlar protection.

LC connections allow higher density applications based on its smaller diameter. The LC connection, commonly referred to as Lucent Connection, Little Connector or Local Connector, is commonly used today for uplink modules and other devices. This connector is a "snap” type, has a ferrule diameter of 1.25mm and defined by IEC 61754-20. We offer LC fiber cables and lc connector patch cable single mode

The LC fiber patch cable cable is with a small form factor (SFF) connector and is ideal for high density applications. The LC fiber patch connector has a zirconia ceramic ferrule measuring 1.25mm O.D. with either a PC or APC end face, and provides optimum insertion and return loss. The LC fiber patch cable connector is used on small diameter mini-cordage (1.6mm/2.0mm) as well as 3.0mm cable. LC fiber cable connectors are available in cable assembled or one piece connectors. The LC fiber optic assemblies family is Telcordia, ANSI/EIA/TIA and IEC compliant

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