With the rapid development of data centers and 5G applications, optical transceivers are gradually becoming more and more well-known and widely used. We all know that optical modules can be distinguished according to parameter types, such as single-mode optical modules and multi-mode optical modules we often mentioned. So what are the differences between single-mode optical modules and multi-mode optical modules? This article will explain the difference between the two in detail.
Optical modules are divided into single-mode optical modules and multi-mode optical modules according to the different types of applicable fibers, the fiber wavelengths of single-mode optical modules are 1310nm, 1550nm and WDM wavelengths, while the fiber wavelength of multimode optical modules is 850nm or 1310nm, and the current wavelength is mainly 850nm optical fiber. Single-mode optical module and multimode optical module in single-mode optical module and multimode optical module refer to the transmission mode of optical fiber in the optical module, so they need to be used with single-mode fiber and multimode fiber, single-mode fiber with a wire diameter of 9/125μm, multimode fiber with a wire diameter of 50/125μm or 62.5/125μm.
The difference between single-mode optical modules and multi-mode optical modules
In fact, single-mode optical modules and multi-mode optical modules are not only different in the type of optical fiber used together, but also in other aspects, as shown below:
Transmission Distance
Single-mode optical modules are often used for long-distance transmission, and the transmission distance of single-mode optical modules with different optical fiber wavelengths is also different. The single-mode optical module with a fiber wavelength of 1310nm has a large loss but small dispersion during transmission, and the transmission distance is generally within 40km, while the single-mode optical module with an optical fiber wavelength of 1550nm has small loss but large dispersion during transmission, and the transmission distance is generally more than 40km, and the farthest can be directly transmitted without relay of 120km. Multi-mode optical modules are often used for short-distance transmission, and the transmission distance is generally within 300~500m.
Applied Range
Single-mode optical modules are usually applied to networks with long transmission distances and high transmission rates, such as the MAN passive optical fiber network, while multi-mode optical modules are usually applied to networks with short transmission distances and low transmission rates, such as the local area network (LAN) in the data center.
Light source
Single-mode optical modules and multi-mode optical modules use different light sources. Single-mode optical modules use leds or lasers, while multi-mode optical modules use LD or LED light sources
Power Dissipation
The power consumption of single-mode optical modules is generally larger than that of multi-mode optical modules, but the power consumption of optical modules is mainly determined by factors such as parameters, models and brands of optical modules, so different parameters, models and brands of single-mode optical modules will also have the same power consumption.
Price
Compared with the multi-mode optical module, the single-mode optical module uses more devices and the laser source is more expensive. Therefore, the price of the single-mode optical module is higher than that of the multi-mode optical module.
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