Field
The present disclosure generally relates to optical fibers and, more specifically, to multicore optical fibers.
Technical Background
Optical fiber is the leading alternative to traditional materials used for data signal communication such as copper wiring. Optical fiber is now widely utilized in a variety of electronic devices and systems to facilitate the high-speed communication of voice, video, and data signals at high bandwidths. However, as the speed and bandwidth of the electronic systems increases, there is a corresponding need to increase the speed of optical interconnects which interconnect components of the system. One solution to increase the speed of optical interconnects is to increase the fiber density of the optical interconnects. However, increasing the number of individual fibers in an optical interconnect increases the overall size and cost of the optical interconnect. To avoid the increased fiber count, multicore optical fibers (“MCFs”) have been developed. MCFs contain optical core elements contained in a single fiber. The core elements are designed for, for example, the transmission and receiving of data, and can be arranged as transmit and receive (Tx/Rx) pairs. Such MCFs may be used in data networks to enable high speed Tx/Rx transmission of data between system components such as transceivers, processors, servers, and storage devices. For connection and termination in the networks, connectors are attached to the MCFs. For correct Tx/Rx optical transport and connections to be manufactured, it is important for the operators to know the orientation of the optical fibers when the connectors are terminated to the MCFs.