Fiber Optics

Metrology solutions for fiber optic interconnect components (“ferrules”) require high accuracy and throughput. One of the critical dimensions is the concentricity of the outer housing to the fiber optic center. This ensures proper interface to support high-speed communications infrastructures.

A typical requirement for concentricity is less than a micron. To achieve this level of accuracy, staging of the ferrule normal to the optical axis is critical. Although a plane could be established by acquisition of points from the surface of the ferrule, the accuracy of the data points for the OD and ID should be taken without stage motion within a single FOV. This is accomplished with the 6:1 digital zoom capability of VMS.