Simply put, a fiber optic cage (also commonly called an optical transceiver cage or cage assembly) is a precision metal housing designed to securely hold, align, and connect an optical transceiver module to a printed circuit board (PCB). Cage systems are available with center-to-center rod spacings of 16 mm, 30 mm, or 60 mm so as to accommodate Ø1/2", Ø1", or Ø2" optics, respectively. Thorlabs provides an extensive selection. While the industry-standard OSFP (Octal Small Form-Factor Pluggable) module has successfully enabled 400Gbps, 800Gbps, and 1. 8Tbps of switching. Figure1 shows the structure of an optical module. Module connector Optical modules are available in various types to meet diversified requirements. Understanding how SFP cages work is essential for network hardware designers, system integrators.
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