multi-fiber push-on (MPO)
MPO connector, Multipath Push-On (MPO) or Multi-Fiber Push-On, is a multi-fiber connector for monomode fibers and multimode fibers that can accommodate 4, 8, 12, 24, 36, 48, 72, 96 or 144 optical fibers. The optical fibers are accommodated in multiple rows in the connector. The multi-fiber connector is used with ribbon fiber, and the spacing between the optical fibers is 250 µm.
MPO connectors are similar in size to the RJ45 connector, they feature extremely high density, take up little space, simplify network design, and have extremely high connection density. They can be used both indoors and outdoors.
The MPO connector has a fiber-optic ferrule with a diameter of 2.5 mm and a length of 6.4 mm, making it slightly larger than the MTRJ connector, another multi-fiber connector. The insertion loss and return loss of the individual fibers differ from each other; the average insertion loss is 0.35 dB, the return loss is over 15 dB, and the number of mating cycles is over 1,000.
The MPO connector has a push-pull latch with sliding sleeve and two alignment pins at the ferrule end and, like most FO connectors, can be used over a wide temperature range. It is available for face coupling with Physical Contact( PC) and also for Angle Polished Convex( APC) coupling.
Standards and applications
The MPO connector is defined in the IEC 61754-7 and TIA/ EIA 604-5 standards. It is standardized in the ISO11801 and EN 50173 (-5) standards alongside the LC connector for data center applications. Indata centers, the corresponding technology is referred to as Base-8 cabling for 8-fiber systems and Base-12 cabling for 12-fiber systems. In addition, the multi-fiber connector is ideal for parallel optical transmissions and is used in backbone and front-end optical transmission technology with Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing( DWDM), in ATM, Gigabit Ethernet, 10 Gigabit Ethernet( 10GbE), 40 Gig abit Ethernet( 40GbE) and 100 Gig abit Ethernet( 100GbE), 10 Gigabit Fibre Channel, InfiniBand, in cable TV, video transmissionsand in industry. The distribution of the various fibers from the ribbon fiber loose tubes to individual fibers with corresponding FO connectors takes place in fan-out units or by means of fan-out cables.
The MPO connector was already developed by NTT in the 1980s. The MTP connector is a further developed MPO connector. This designation is a registered trademark of US Conec. While the MPO connector is better known in Europe, the MTP connector is better known in the USA. Both differ in the metallic guide pin that identifies the Male version. In the MPO connector, the guide pin is round, in the MTP connector it is elliptical. Other multi-fiber connectors are the MTRJ connector and the URM connector from Euromicron.
In addition to the MPO connector, there is also the MTP connector from the US company US Conec, which has the same dimensions and appearance, but it differs slightly from the MPO connector in its mechanical design.