Optical Communications

Chapter 1: Introduction

Pham Quang Thai pqthai.hcmut@gmail.com

Textbooks
[1] G. Keiser, Optical Fiber Communications, 3rd Edition,
McGraw-Hill, 2000
[2] G. P. Agrawal, Fiber-Optic Communication Systems, John
Wiley & Sons, 1992
[3] R. Ramaswami and K. N. Sivarajan, Optical Networks A
practical Perspective, 3rd Edition, Morgan Kaufmann
Publishers, 2010
[4] J. Powers, Introduction to Fiber Optic Systems, 2nd Edition,
McGraw-Hill, 1999

Content
Why optical communications?
Evolution of Optical Communication Systems
Applications of optical communications

Increasing Need for High-Capacity & Broadband

Services

Cisco Forecasts of IP Traffic in 2017 (1 exabyte = 1018 byte)

Transport of video on
demand, Internet video
streams and downloads,
and the exchange of
video and other files
through P2P.

Metro traffic will

surpass long haul
traffic

Optical Fibers can provide needed solutions

Optical transmission system capacity

Optical fiber

Coaxial cable

~ 1012 Hz bandwidth

~ 108 Hz bandwidth

~ 10-6 m in diameter

~ 10-2 m in diameter

~ 10 kg/km

~ 1000 kg/km

~ 10-1 dB attenuation

~ 10 dB attenuation

No EMI and crosstalk

Yes

Electrical Isolation

No

Security

No

Evolution of Optical Communication Systems

First laser
First optical
waveguide

1960s

1970s
Early optical
network
systems

First
generation
SONET/SDH

1980s

1990s
Second
generation
WDM

Source: multi-mode
laser, single mode laser
Wavelength: 1310 nm
(MML), 1550 nm (SML)

1990s

Wavelength: 830 nm

1980s

1970s

Source: LED, Multimode laser

Source: single mode

laser
Wavelength: 8-32
wavelengths

Fiber: multi-mode fiber

Fiber: single-mode fiber

Fiber: single-mode fiber

Fiber length: ~ 10 km

Fiber length: ~ 40 km

Fiber length: ~ 80 km

Use repeater

Use repeater

Use amplifier

Bit rate: ~ 50 Mbps

Bit rate: ~ 100 Mbps 1

Gbps

Bit rate: ~ 2,5 Gbps 2

Tbps

1966: Kao and Hockham use optical glass

fibers for laser light transmission.

1960: T. Maiman demonstrated first laser

at Hughes Research Laboratories.

Source: multi-mode
laser, single mode laser
Wavelength: 1310 nm
(MML), 1550 nm (SML)

1990s

Wavelength: 830 nm

1980s

1970s

Source: LED, Multimode laser

Source: single mode

laser
Wavelength: 8-32
wavelengths

Fiber: multi-mode fiber

Fiber: single-mode fiber

Fiber: single-mode fiber

Fiber length: ~ 10 km

Fiber length: ~ 40 km

Fiber length: ~ 80 km

Use repeater

Use repeater

Use amplifier

Bit rate: ~ 50 Mbps

Bit rate: ~ 100 Mbps 1

Gbps

Bit rate: ~ 2,5 Gbps 2

Tbps

1970: Corning Incorporated scientists Drs. Robert

Maurer, Donald Keck, and Peter Schultz invented the
first low-loss optical fiber,

10

Source: multi-mode
laser, single mode laser
Wavelength: 1310 nm
(MML), 1550 nm (SML)

1990s

Wavelength: 830 nm

1980s

1970s

Source: LED, Multimode laser

Source: single mode

laser
Wavelength: 8-32
wavelengths

Fiber: multi-mode fiber

Fiber: single-mode fiber

Fiber: single-mode fiber

Fiber length: ~ 10 km

Fiber length: ~ 40 km

Fiber length: ~ 80 km

Use repeater

Use repeater

Use amplifier

Bit rate: ~ 50 Mbps

Bit rate: ~ 100 Mbps 1

Gbps

Bit rate: ~ 2,5 Gbps 2

Tbps

1976: Bell Labs developed first

room temperature semiconductor
lasers.

11

Source: multi-mode
laser, single mode laser
Wavelength: 1310 nm
(MML), 1550 nm (SML)

1990s

Wavelength: 830 nm

1980s

1970s

Source: LED, Multimode laser

Source: single mode

laser
Wavelength: 8-32
wavelengths

Fiber: multi-mode fiber

Fiber: single-mode fiber

Fiber: single-mode fiber

Fiber length: ~ 10 km

Fiber length: ~ 40 km

Fiber length: ~ 80 km

Use repeater

Use repeater

Use amplifier

Bit rate: ~ 50 Mbps

Bit rate: ~ 100 Mbps 1

Gbps

Bit rate: ~ 2,5 Gbps 2

Tbps

1987: University of Southampton

developed Erbium doped fiber amplifier
operating at 1550nm.

12

Applications: entertainment,
commercial, military, medical

13

Space division multiplexing and beyond 1Tbps networking in 2014

14

Course content

Optical fiber chapter 2

Source chapter 3
Receiver chapter 4
Point-to-Point link chapter 5
SONET/SDH (1st generation) chapter 6
WDM (2nd generation) chapter 7

Block-diagram of an Optical System

15

Assessment
Percent

Note

Quizzes

10%

Online

Simulations

10%

Presentations

10%

Randomly grade in
class
Group project

Final project

10%

Group project

Mid-term

30%

Final

30%

Multiple choice
(30~45 m)
Multiple choice
(70~90 m)

16

Syllabi
Week

Content

C1-Intro & C2-Fiber

C2-Fiber

Quiz 1

C2-Fiber

Sim 1

C3-Sources

Quiz 2

C3-Sources

C4-Receivers

Test

Deadline

Quiz 1
Quiz 2

Sim 2
Present 1

C5-Point to point

C5-Point to point

Quiz 3

10

C6-SONET/SDH

Sim 3 Final project

11

C7-WDM

12

C7-WDM

Quiz 4

13

C7-WDM

Sim 4

Quiz 4

Present 2

Final project

14

Quiz 3

17