What is a PLC Splitter and How Does a PLC Splitter Work?

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What is PLC Splitter?

PLC splitter known as Planar Lightwave
Circuit is used for dividing one or two light beams to multiple light beams
uniformly or combining multiple light beams to one or two light beams. It has a
passive component with special waveguide made of planar silica, quartz, or
other materials. It is mainly applicable to PON (EPON, GPON, BPON, FTTX, etc.)
to combine with the MDF (main distribution frame) and the terminal equipment to
branch the optical signal.

 

As a micro-optical device PLC splitter uses
optical to split the input signal into various outputs. PLC
splitter mainly adopts silica glass as the material of the lightwave
circuit and accepts different types of polished finishes. They can be
categorized into different types including bare PLC splitters, blockless PLC
splitter, ABS PLC splitters, LGX box PLC splitters, mini plug-in type PLC
splitters, tray-type PLC splitters, and 1U rackmount PLC splitters. PLC
splitters can offer splitting ratio up to 1*64, it is generally higher than the
splits of FBT splitter.

 

Importance of PLC Splitter

PLC splitters are especially important in
FTTH (Fiber to the Home) networks. FFTH are fiber optic communication
deliveries where the fiber can be extended from the central office to the
boundary of home living space or business offices. It is used in sharing a
single PON network with many subscribers.

 

Unlike FBT (fused biconical taper)
splitter, PLC splitter provides better performance that offers accurate splits
with minimal loss in the efficient packages. Some typical types can widely be
used in optical network applications like bare fiber splitter, blockless
splitter, ABS splitter, fan-out splitter, rack-mount splitter, LGX splitter,
mini plug-in type splitter, and many more.

 

How Does PLC Splitter Work?

In Fiber to the Home (FTTH) networks PON
(Passive Optical Network) plays an important role. It allows a single PON
network interface to be shared among many subscribers. The splitters containing
no electronics use no power. These are the network elements that put the passive
in Passive Optical Network.

 

PLC splitter is widely used between PON
Optical Line Terminal (OLT) and the Optical Network Terminals/Units (ONTs/ONUs)
the OLT services. Networks implementing BPON, GPON, EPON, 10G EPON, and 10G
GPON technologies all use simple optical splitters.

 

The single fiber link coming from the
Central Office (CO) OLT is connected with the input of a splitter and is split
into a given number of fibers leaving the splitter. The number of outputs in
the PLC module determines the number of splits. PLC splitters can be used in
centralized PON architecture or categorized architecture. In a centralized PON
architecture commonly a 1×32 PLC splitter is used in the Central Office. While
in a distributed PON architecture 1×4 PLC splitter is first directly connected
to an OLT port in the Central Office and then each of the four fibers is routed
to an outside plant terminal box that houses a 1×8/1×4 PLC splitter.