Copper cable assemblies are generally
limited to meters or hundreds of meters.
But for fiber optics, depending on the type
of cable used, the fiber optic transceiver
distances can be hundreds to thousands of
meters without suffering signal integrity
issues. When compared to copper cables,
fiber optic cables offer around 1,000 times
more bandwidth."
Benjamin Grab
Manager, Applications Engineering Team, Optical Group, Samtec
C h a p t e r 5
While copper cable assemblies have been the primary
means of communication in electronics since the first
circuits were conceived, future electronic systems
will leverage the many advantages of optical systems.
For example, multiple wavelengths can use the same
transfer medium without interfering, thus offering
extremely high bandwidths.
Another major benefit to fiber optic systems is that
they are significantly lighter than copper cable
assemblies, which allows for more compact bundles.
This lower weight also allows designs to be reduced
in mass, which is important for applications where
weight is a design constraint (e.g., the aerospace
industry). Additionally, as light is itself fundamental, a
fiber optic cable can theoretically handle any future
communication system—fiber optic systems are
APPROACHING
LIGHT SPEED
19
Samtec Flyover
®
Solutions Break Next-Gen System Architecture Constraints
