Agilent Technologies 86038A User Manual page 274

Troubleshooting and Upgrades Cleaning Connections for Accurate Measurements
Figure 21 Cross-section of the Diamond HMS-10 connector.
The nickel silver allows an active centering process that permits the glass
fiber to be moved to the desired position. This process first stakes the soft
nickel silver to fix the fiber in a near-center location, then uses a post-
active staking to shift the fiber into the desired position within 0.2 µm. This
process, plus the keyed axis, allows very precise core-to-core alignments.
This connector is found on most Agilent Technologies lightwave
instruments.
The soft core, while allowing precise centering, is also the chief liability of
the connector. The soft material is easily damaged. Care must be taken to
minimize excessive scratching and wear. While minor wear is not a
problem if the glass face is not affected, scratches or grit can cause the
glass fiber to move out of alignment. Also, if unkeyed connectors are used,
the nickel silver can be pushed onto the glass surface. Scratches, fiber
movement, or glass contamination will cause loss of signal and increased
reflections, resulting in poor return loss.
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Agilent 86038A Optical Dispersion Analyzer, Third Edition