Fundamentals of Fiber Optics

1
 Optical Communication

Why Optical Communication??

IT Revolution - Need for exchange of more and more
information

2
3
 D e m a n d o f B a n d w id th

A p ril 2 0 0 0 3 , 5 0 , 0 0 0 T b / m o n th

A p ril 2 0 0 3 1 6 M illio n T b / m o n th
4
5
6
 TYPICAL SIGNAL LOSSES
Input Received
signal Over one Kilometer distance signal
Strength Strength

1000 UTP : 30dB 1

1000 Microwave : 10 dB 100

1000 STP and coaxial cable :20dB 10

1000 Fiber : 2 dB 950

1000 Experimental fiber : 0.0005dB 999.99

7
EM Spectrum

8
Optical Communications: What does it
offer?
Uses an optical carrier: 1013 - 1014Hz
can carry 1013 - 1014Hz( 10 to 100 THz) of information
- analog voice: 20KHz bandwidth 500million
channels
- digitized voice at 64kbps 160 million channels
- analog video:5MHZ 2 million channels
- digitized voice at 100Mbps 100k channels

Unguided Optical Communication

atmospheric link: requires line of sight
high attenuation

9
10
11
What is the difficulty in using light wave???

Requirement of a Suitable media to carry light

Which is the most suitable medium to carry light???

Air?????????????????

12
Air is vulnerable,which leads to interference of signals
with other light waves present in the atmosphere

Due to the presence of fog,moisture etc in the atmosphere

there will be a lot of distortion introduced to light waves

Which is the most suitable medium to carry light???

13
 Glass

Glass is known since ancient times as the most suitable

transmission medium for light

To use light for long distance transmission,light is

required to be carried in glass

Light should have enough power so that signal can be

sustained for long distance

14
 Evolution of Optical
Communication

Problem1 is solved with the invention of glass fiber which

is popularly known as Optical fiber

Problem2 is solved with the invention of LASER and LEDs

How Light transmits through

Fiber??

15
Principle of Light Transmission

Light Transmission

16
Structure Of Optical Fiber

17
Structure Of Optical Fiber(Contd..)

18
Schematic representation of Optical
Fiber

19
Why is Cladding required??
 Why Cladding is
required??

Mechanical protection
Guard against electromagnetic interference

20
 Acceptance
Angle

Acceptance Angle

21
Numerical Aperture

22
 Numerical Aperture

• Numerical aperture (NA): NA= (n12 –n22)1/2

• Typical NA values are 0.1 to 0.4 which correspond to
acceptance angles of 11 degrees to 46 degrees
• Acceptance angle of a fiber: θa = sin-1 NA
• Light that enters at an angle equal to or less than the
acceptance angle will be guided
• NA is more means more light gathering power

23
Concept of
Modes

Modes

24
 Concept of V-number

• Concept of V-Number :
v= 2 * π * (a / λ) * NA

• Number of modes directly proportional to V-number

No. of modes M ≈≈ v2 /2
If M is large

• Fiber is Single Mode, if

v <= 2.405
25
 Common designs of
fiber

R.I.

θ1 θ2 θ3 θ4 n2

n1 n1

n2

Step Index Fiber

26
Common designs of fiber

Total internal reflection

Refraction
n6
n5
n4
n3
n2
n1

Core
n1>n2>n3>n4>n5>n6 etc. Cladding

Graded Index Fiber

27
 Graded Index Fiber

r r

n2
Refractive
Index n (r ) a
n1

Core
Cladding

28
Types of Optical Fiber

Jul 26, 2008

Source From: Internet
 R.I. Distribution of Different
Optical Fiber

Jul 26, 2008

Why SingleMode Fiber Is always Step Index ?

31
Single mode and Multimode
fiber

Single mode and Multimode

32
Single mode and Multimode fiber

33
34
 Core Cladding Jacket

Multimode 50 micron 125 micron 250micron

62.5micron 125 micron 250 micron

Single mode 9micron 125 micron 250 micron

35
Advantages of Optical communication

 Explosive demand for higher bandwidth

 Low bandwidth of copper
 Nearly 25THz possible with fiber
 Low Loss-Longer distance transmission(Less Repeaters)
 No EMI in fiber-based telecom
 Less cross-talk,more reliability
 More secure communications
 Lighter than copper
 Lower cost per unit bandwidth(made of silica which is very
cheap)
36
 Safer and more advantages
Very light weight and compact

Comparison of copper cable & Optical fiber cable with

same information carrying capacity 37
38
39
40
41
Characteristics of Cables Based on copper
wire and fiber optics
Copper Fiber

Diameter (inches) 2.8 0.5

Weight (lb/1000-ft length) 4800 80
Data capacity (megabits/sec) 3.15 417

42
 Limitations of Fiber Optics

Communication over optical fiber is limited by two

factors:
•Loss
•Dispersion

Loss and dispersion

43
 Reasons for Attenuation

Because of the following factors:

Rayleigh scattering (Attenuation decreased with

wavelength)

Attenuation absorption peaks associated with the hydroxyl

ion (OH-)

Attenuation to increase at wavelength above 1.6 micron

due to
bending induced loss due to silica absorption

Attenuation for SM fiber is typically 0.20 to 0.35 dB/Km

44
o

45
 Attenuation

Transmitter Receiver

Electrical ~1 mW 80 km of fiber ~10 µW Electrical

signal 0.25 dB/km signal

• There should be enough optical power at the receiver

for error free detection
 Bit Error Rate (BER), typically less than 10-12

• To travel long distances, we need to amplify or regenerate

the optical signal
46
 Loss
Mechanisms

47
 Density
Fluctuations

48
 Loss in a
Fiber
First
Attenuation

Window
100
(dB/km)

50 Early 1970s
20
Second
10 Third
Window
5.0 Window
2.0 1980s
1.0
0.5
0.2
0.1
600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800
Wavelength (nm) 49
50
Loss due to external
reasons

•Micro Bending
•Macro Bending

51
 Macro Bending

Figure : Propagation
around a Bend in the
Fiber

If the radius of a bend is relatively large (say 10 cm

or so) there will be almost no loss of light. However,
if the bend radius is very tight (say 1 cm) then some
light will be lost.
52
Micro Bending

53
 Micro Bends

Micro-bends can be an important source of loss.

If the fiber is pressed onto an irregular surface
you can get tiny bends in the fiber as illustrated
in the figure
54
Micro Bends

55
DISPERSION

56
57
58
59
Dispersion is of two types

3. Intermodal dispersion or Modal dispersion

5. Intramodal dispersion or Chromatic dispersion

60
 θ1 θ2 θ3 θ4 n2

n1

Step Index Fiber

61
 Modal
Dispersion
 Modal dispersion is the spreading of optical signals in
different modes
 Multimode fiber has large number of modes and each
mode travel with different distances, which results in
modal dispersion
 Multimode fiber is not used for long distance
communication due to this large modal dispersion
coefficient
 Graded-index multimode fiber have less modal
dispersion coefficient, thus can be used for longer
distance than multimode fiber

62
 r r

n2
Refractive
Index n (r ) a
n1

Core
Cladding

63
Chromatic Dispersion

64
 Chromatic Dispersion
 Different frequency components within the optical
pulse (different wavelength) travels with different group
velocities
 Chromatic dispersion occurs only in single mode fiber
since it has only one mode of propagation
 High chromatic dispersion broadens the optical pulses
in time and lead to inter-symbol interference that can
produce an unacceptable bit error rate

65
Chromatic Dispersion

66
 Chromatic Dispersion (Contd…)
There are two contributions to the chromatic dispersion:

 The material dispersion of the glass

When velocity variation is caused by some property of the
wave guide materials - Effect is called “Material Dispersion”

67
 MFD

MFD

68
 Waveguide Dispersion

When velocity variation is caused by structure of the wave

guide itself - Effect is called “Wave guide Dispersion”
The power distribution of a mode between the core &
cladding is a function of wavelength
Hence if wavelength changes,power distribution changes,
causing the effective index of the mode change.
This causes light energy of a mode propagates partly in core
and partly in cladding, this is called wave guide dispersion
Waveguide dispersion is usually smaller than material dispersion
and depends on the index profile of the fiber.

69
70
Dispersion [ ps/ (nm km) ]

20 Material

10 Total

-10 Waveguide

-20

1200 1300 1400 1500 1600

Wavelength (nm) 71
Positive and Negative Dispersion

72
TYPES OF FIBER

73
EVALUATIONFirst
Window
100
Attenuation (dB/km)

50 Early 1970s
20
10 Second
5.0 Window Third
2.0 1980s Window
1.0
0.5
0.2
0.1
600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 74

Wavelength (nm)
Optical
Fiber

 Mostly SM fiber is used long distance

communication typically 5 Km to 170 Km
with out any problem
 MM fiber is only used for the low data
rates and short distance communication
typically 100 meter to 1 Km
 Distance of reach depends on so many
75
parameters
 Typical SM Fibers

 Normal Single Mode Fiber

 DSF (Dispersion shifted fiber)
 NZ-DSF (Non-Zero dispersion
shifted fiber )
 DCF (Dispersion compensating
fiber)
 LEAF (Larger effective area fiber)
76


Typical SM
Fibers

 Dispersion is zero at 1310 nm wavelength

 At 1310 nm the losses in the fiber is high
 While Losses minimum at 1550 nm while the
dispersion parameter is +17 ps/nm/Km

77
Typical SM Fiber
Parameters

 Zero dispersion wavelength (nm)

 Cutoff wavelength (nm)
 Attenuation (dB/Km)
 Dispersion (ps/nm Km)
 PMD coefficient (ps/Km1/2)
 Mode field diameter (micro meter)
 Effective area (micro meter2)

78
Typical SM Fiber
Parameters

Parameter at different wavelengths are

Attenuation slope (dB/Km/nm)

Dispersion slope (ps/nm2 Km)
Mode field diameter

79
Typical Value for
SM Fiber

1 Attenuation only in fiber (dB/km) 1550 nm ≤0.25

2 Attenuation vs. wavelength (dB/km) 0.05
Max Delta from 1550nm value between (1525-1625 nm)
3 Dispersion slope (ps/nm 2 -km) mean At 1550 (nm) ≤ 0.092
4 Zero dispersion wavelength (nm) 1310 or 1550
5 Dispersion (ps/nm.km) mean @1550nm (P or N)
1530 to 1565 nm 2.6 to 6.0 P
1565 to 1625 nm 4.5 to 11.2 P
6 Mode field diameter (µm) At 1550 nm 9.2 to 10
7 Max Effective area (µm2) Norminal 72
8 Cutoff Wavelength (nm) 1247
9 PMD Coefficient (ps/km1/2), max mean, @1550 nm ≤0.08
10 Effective Group Index of Refraction @ 1550 nm 1.469
80
 ITU Standards
(Optical Fiber)

 G.650 – Definition and test methods for the

relevant parameters of single
mode fibers
 G.651 – Characteristics of a 50/125 μm
multimode graded index optical fiber
cable
 G.652 – Characteristics of a single-mode optical
fiber cable
 G.653 – Characteristics of a dispersion-shifted81
single-mode optical fiber cable.
 ITU Standards
(Optical Fiber)

 G.654 – Characteristics of a 1550 nm

wavelength loss- minimized
single-mode optical fiber cable
 G.655 – Characteristics of a non-zero
dispersion single- mode optical fiber
cable.

82
83
G652
fiber

 ITU-recommendation G.652
 SMF has
 Zero chromatic dispersion at 1310
 High chromatic dispersion
 (approx. 17ps/nm-km) at
1550nm
 Advantage
 Support WDM
 Low in cost
 Disadvantage
 Suitable only for short and
medium distances 84
 G652
fiber

1530 1610
20
Dispersion (ps/ nm.Km)

10

0
1310 1550 λ nm

-10

-20 EDFA Gain Spectrum

85
Dispersion Shifted
Fiber

 ITU-recommendation G.653
 Wave guide dispersion and material dispersion
cancel out each other at 1310nm
 Same cancellation is used at 1550nm band
 The reasons are principally:
 Fiber attenuation is a lot lower in the 1550 nm
band
 Erbium doped fiber amplifiers operate in this
band
 Done by increasing the waveguide dispersion
86
 20
Dispersion [ ps/ (nm km) ]

Material

10 Total

-10 Waveguide

-20

1200 1300 1400 1500 1600

Wavelength (nm) 87
Dispersion Shifted Fiber
(DSF)

1530 1610
20

10
Dispersion (ps/ nm.Km)

1310
0
1550 λ nm

NDSF

-10

EDFA Gain Spectrum

DSF
-20

88
 Dispersion
Shifted Fiber

 Advantage
Suitable for DWDM applications, with
broad channel spacing
Dispersion compensation is required after
long distances
 Disadvantage
Not suitable for higher channel count
Suffers from strong nonlinear effects
Unsuitable for narrow channel spacing,
due to four wave mixing

89
90
Non Zero Dispersion
shifted Fiber

 ITU-recommendation G.655
 Low positive value of dispersion
 (4 ps/nm/km in the 1530-1610 nm band)
 Advantages
 Minimizes unwanted effects Four-Wave-
Mixing(FWM)
 More distance than SMF
 Disadvantage
 Not able to carry large optical power
91
 Non-Zero Dispersion
Shifted Fiber

10

5
Dispersion (ps/

1610
nm.Km)

0
1530 λ nm
1550

NZ-DSF
-5

DSF
-10

EDFA Gain
Spectrum
NZ-DSF 92
93
94
Dispersion Flattened
Fiber

 Here dispersion over range from 1300

to 1700 is reduced i.e 3ps/nm/km
 Advantages
 Very less dispersion change within EDFA
spectrum
 Efficient for DWDM systems with less
number of channels
 Disadvantages
 Extremely high attenuation (2dB/Km)
 Severe Four Wave Mixing problems
95
Dispersion Flattened
Fiber

20

10
Dispersion (ps/
nm.Km)

0
1530 1610 λ nm
1550
Dispersion
-10 Flattened

DSF
-20

EDFA Gain
Spectrum
96
Large Effective Area Fiber
(LEAF) :

97
Large Effective Area Fiber (LEAF) :

Advantages:

⇒Fiber effective is increased to 72 to 80 micro meter2

from 50 micro meter2
⇒This type of fiber can carry large amount of the
optical power
⇒Nonlinear interactions will be reduced
⇒Generally used in Undersea applications

Disadvantages

⇒Difficult fiber design 98

⇒Cost is very high
Large Effective Area Fiber (LEAF)
:

99
 Dispersion
Compensated Fiber
(DCF)

100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120