This document provides best practices for cleaning fiber optic connectors to prevent end face contamination. It discusses common sources of contamination like residues, dust, and electrostatic charge. Survey results show end face contamination is a major issue causing network failures. The document recommends using wet-dry cleaning methods with optical grade fluids to remove all contamination types. It provides cleaning product selection guidance and best practices for using wipes, sticks, and mechanical cleaners depending on contamination level. Following cleaning best practices can help reduce expensive repairs from human errors during installation.

1. Brian Teague – Product Line Manager
November 2016
Sources of End Face Contamination on Fiber
Optical Interconnects and Recommended Best
Practices for Removing the Contaminates

2. Program Agenda
1. Do It Right The First Time
2. Residues Contamination
3. Dust Contamination
4. Electrostatic Charge
5. Solve the Problem

3. Industry Statics on Fiber Connector Cleaning
Survey results of Installation Contractors
Reported YES to experiencing a network failure during the installation
process due to end face contamination
98%
Reported YES to having issues with defective splicing 71%
Reported YES to damage of the ferrule end face 79%
Reported using isopropyl alcohol (IPA) as cleaning agent for connectors 92%
Reported using compressed air as a method for cleaning connectors 30%
TAKE AWAY POINTS:
 The industry rule of thumb is labor accounts for 80% cost of an installation project
 End Face Contamination is a common issue that every one encounters
Source: Martin Technical Research Study 2001

4. Industry Stats on Failure of Fiber Cabling
Source: Sumitomo Lightwave “Optical Fiber Cable Design & Reliability” P. VanVickle May 2014 for IEEE802
CenturyLink data points from Matt Olson – CenturyLink Principal Architect at CONF 2014
Study of 300 reported causes of failure of a fiber cable link:
57% Operator Hit Cable during Digging 4% Rodents
7% Poor Craft & Workmanship 4% Fires
5% Undetermined Install Problem 2% Floods
3% Defective cabling 1% Lighting/Storms
TAKE AWAY POINTS:
 Operator errors cause more failures than catastrophic events
 Better products & training will reduce fiber cabling failures
 Truck roll cost for CenturyLink: $150 before labor + $50/hour at average time of 3 hours/visit
 National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners truck roll : $275 before parts & labor

5. The High Cost for Downtimes & Repairs
25%
22%
22%
11%
10%
6%
4%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
UPS Failures
Cyber Crime
Human Error
Heating & air failuer
Weather related
Genrator failure
IT Equipment failure
2016 Root Causes of Unplanned Outages for Data Centers
Sources: Root Cause data for Poneman Institute “Costs of Data Center Outages” Jan 2016
TAKE AWAY POINTS:
 Installers have the most influence to reduce expenses caused by human error
 Untrained labor & low quality installation products will create expensive repairs

6. Contamination Issues - Residues
 Residues change the refractive index of the transmission medium
 The higher the frequency of the light signal, the greater the refractive angle
 Changes in the refractive angle causes a phenomenon called chromatic aberration
60°
60°
35°
Glass
60°
60°
41°
Water
Light Refraction Through Glass & Water Chromatic Aberration

7. Sources of Residue Contamination
Skin Oil
Source: Image taken with PROMET FiBO
Cross Contaminated IPA
Source: Image taken with PROMET FiBO
 Outgassing of end caps  Plasticizers residues in components
 Skin Oil, Vegetable Oil, & Hand Lotion  Cross contaminated cleaning alcohol
 Humidity

8. Isopropyl Alcohol Cross Contamination Issues
 Alcohol is hygroscopic meaning it attracts water
 Highly flammable and high vapor pressure
 “Menda”-style bottles pull air in to dispense the alcohol
 Pre-saturated wipes packaging breaks down over time
and leeches into wipe

9. Contamination Issues – Fusion Splicing
Fiber Core
Ø 9μm Singlemode
Ø 50μm for OM3/OM4
Fiber Ø125μm
 Dust from paper based wipe
 Water residue from cross contaminated IPA
 Dust from cross
contaminated IPA
 Dirty electrodes and dust
in fiber grooves

10. Dust Contamination is Common
Source: RSM using RSM1 scope

11. Contaminations Issues – Dust Particulates
Absorption Loss
Back Reflectance
Insertion Loss  Dust interferes with physical
contact creating small air gaps
and permanent end face
defects
 Residues in signal path
change index of refraction
between the connector pair
causing signal loss

12. Sources of Dust Contamination
Common Internal Contributors:
 Dead skin, hair, and clothing lint  Packaging and construction materials
 Foam based swabs and paper based wipes  Connector wear debris and dirty test assemblies
 Zinc whiskers from electroplated surfaces  Protective end caps for connectors and adapters
Zinc Whiskers
Source: NASA Electronics Parts & Packaging Program
Left: Dust from top of cabinet. Right: Paper Fiber(wood) from
inside drawer
Source: Karen Brynjolf Pedersen & Morten Ryhl-Svendsen National Museum of Denmark

13. Environmental Contributors:
 Electricity generation & vehicle emissions  Aerial blown dirt and sands
 Plant pollen and molds  Concrete dust
Sources of Dust Contamination
Flower Pollen
Source: Dartmouth College Electron Microscope Facility Coal Ash
Source: University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research

14. Electrostatic Charge – Contact Friction
Material 1
-3 Electrons
+3 Protons
0 Net
-
-
-
+ +
+
-
-
-
+ +
+
Material 2
-3 Electrons
+3 Protons
0 Net
Before material contact,
materials are not charged
-
-
-
+ +
+
-
-
+ +
+
-
Material 1
-2 Electrons
+3 Protons
+1 Net
Material 2
-4 Electrons
+3 Protons
-1 Net
At material separation,
materials are oppositely charged

15. Sources of Electrostatic Charge
 Dry wiping connectors with wipes that do not have dissipative properties
 Cleaning only with compressed air
 Inserting or removing a connector into the adapter during mating
 Removing the protective end cap from the connector or adapter
 Connecting to test equipment
 Using foam based cleaning sticks to dry an end face

16. Installer Best Practice
Inspect the end face
Is It
Clean?
YES
NO
Clean It
Connect It!
 Always clean just before mating.
 Cleaning process takes < 10 secs (How much time does it take to trouble shoot a problem?

17. Quality Matters With Cleaning Products
Signs of Knock Off Products
 No Brand name
 No manufacturer
 No country of origin
 Generic packaging
Mechanical cleaners are dependent on all the components working together as a system
Knock off manufacturers reduce costs by using lower quality components, wider tolerances on
the components, and eliminating quality control
TAKE AWAY POINTS:
 Recleaning a connector after using a cheap product destroys any potential costs savings
 How reliable can a product be when the supplier hides his contact information

18. Best Practices for Removing Contamination
 Wet-dry cleaning is most effective for removing all forms of contamination and eliminates
electrostatic charge
 Use optical grade cleaning fluids that are zero residue and fast evaporating
 Use cleaning fluids in hermitically sealed packaging to prevent cross contamination
 If you must use IPA, change it out frequently and thoroughly wash and dry (no water) the container
 When using stick cleaners, one stick per end face to avoid cross contamination
 When using sticks, rotate them in the same direction 6x to 8x times
 Mechanical cleaners are good for light and medium levels of contamination levels
 Boxes and tubs of optical grade wipes plus cleaning fluid are best for splicing pigtails to bulk cable
 Clean your test assemblies and ports of the test gear
 Always clean both ends of a mated connector pair just before mating

19. Cleaning Selection Guide
What kind of contamination have the
connectors been exposed to?
What are the work conditions like at
the work site?
 Residues, Dust, Both
 Light, Medium, Heavy Levels
 Ventilation and Air Flow
 Flammability Concerns
 Operating and Storage Conditions
How do the cleaning fluids need to be
transported ?
What are regulatory requirements?
 Air Shipment Requirements
 HAZMAT Restrictions
 Spill and Leak Concerns
 DOT Restrictions
 RoHS, REACH, GHS Compliance
 Substance

20. Final Thoughts
Best Practices for Cleaning Fluid:
 Use hermetically sealed containers to avoid cross contamination
 Less is more – Dispense just enough to clean a connector
Best Practices for Sticks & Swabs:
 Rotate stick at least 6X in a single direction
 Limit force to about the same pressure you would use for a writing pen
 Never excessively scrub the end face to prevent scratching with wear particulates
Best Practices for Wiping Connectors:
 Wipe connectors in a single direction
 Always wipe MT based connectors (i.e MPO) in a single direction vertical direction ↑↓ → ↕
 Tilt end face for APC so the 8˚ angle is touching the wipe
General Best Practices:
 Never look directly into a connector with the bare eye
 Inspect, clean if necessary & re-inspect
 Reusing wipes & sticks causes cross contamination

21. Thank You for your time.
Questions?
Contact Information
Austin Mireles
Mexico Business Manager
agustinmireles@microcare.com
+52 656 687 4008 or +1 860 681 9063