to electromagnetic interference (EMI), generates no heat throughout the cable, and signals cannot be poached off fiber optics as they can easily be done in copper-based systems. Also, fiber optics is future- proof. The physics of light do not change, so the fiber optics being used today will essentially be the same a hundred years from now. Additionally, fiber optics has a fraction of the weight of copper. This is crucially important for aerospace applications where engineers work for days simply to save a pound of mass. All these favorable attributes are readily acknowledged; however, there remains a bias against using fiber optics in harsh environments. Most of our everyday lives are not lived in such settings; our homes and offices are protected places where less vigorous equipment is used. Nevertheless, there are many applications where electronic equipment is exposed to more robust conditions that include temperature extremes, physical shock, high vibrations, intense electrical interference, atmospheric pressure fluctuations, water immersion, corrosive chemical exposure and many other harsh conditions that have the potential to disable the system that these electronics are intended to service. Such systems are most vulnerable at the interconnection devices. Fiber optics is the perfect solution for high-reliability, high-performance, and quality signal integrity in extreme environments like agriculture, mil/aero, and space applications, where space and weight is limited. At first glance, fiber optics may seem unsuitable for such applications. After all, a single mode optical fiber is just 9 micrometers (microns) of glass that is cladded (essentially insulated) up to 125 microns and then protected with a similar sized coating, typically up to 250 microns. For comparison’s sake, a human hair is
Fiber optics is the perfect solution for high-reliability, high-performance, and quality signal integrity in extreme environments like agriculture, mil/aero, and space applications, where space and weight is limited.
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