Polishing fibre end-faces and connectors, to allow optical signals to pass into devices with minimum insertion loss, involves removing excess epoxy or fibre stub, shaping the ferrule and removing scratches.

Yuji Kakutani Seiko Instruments Inc

The basic optical performance requirement of a fibre-optic connector is low insertion loss. Factors that affect insertion loss include: variations in the ferrule which move the fibre from a dead-centre position in the ferrule, variations in the fibre, particularly ellipticity or lack of concentricity; an incorrectly formed ferrule/fibre end-face, which prevents fibres from touching; and poor fibre end-finish.

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