What is Splicing?

       Splicing is used to permanently join two optical fibers where no additional changes are expected to be made to those fibers at that juncture. This is in contrast to connectors, which are designed to allow quick re-configuration of fiber links. 

There are two ways to splice optical fibers: mechanical and fusion. In a mechanical splice, the fibers are held together with ends touching inside some type of sleeve. Mechanical splices are typically used for semi-permanent connections, as in an emergency restoration or for testing and troubleshooting. Mechanical splices usually exhibit greater loss and reflection than fusion splices. 

In fusion splicing, the two fibers are literally welded or fused together. This makes for a strong joint that exhibits very low loss and virtually no reflection.  

This paper focuses on fusion splicing, although much of what is discussed here can also be applied to mechanical splicing.