Career Episode Narrative 1

(An investigative project: Photonic Crystal Fiber -A new solution of fiber Optics) a) Introduction:
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During the final year of my Bachelor of Science degree course in Electrical & Electronic Engineering at Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, (CUET) Bangladesh, I did a major project titled Photonic Crystal Fiber, A new solution in fiber optics. Prof. Dr. M. Rafiqul Alam, the head of the Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering of CUET, was my supervisor. The time duration of this project was from January to July 2006.

b) Background:
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The main focus of my project was to prepare a comprehensive report on Photonic Crystal Fiber which is seemed a new solution in optical communication. Here, first I studied the basic theory and parameters of the optical fiber communication. I also studied the present scenario of optical fiber communication in Bangladesh and its prospects and challenges. Then I considered the basic problems arising in the optical fiber and tried to find ways to improve it by modifying its dielectric structure. I focused on a new solution in optical fiber which is called Photonic Crystal Fiber. I studied the dielectric structure and propagation process of the photonic crystal fiber. I also studied the variety of losses which may occur during the photonic crystal fiber operations and compared the conventional single-mode fiber (SMF) with Photonic Crystal Fiber (PCF). To prepare the report, I read a lot of journals and publications to learn about the latest improvements, inventions and future trends in this field. I also took help from the internet to collect information. I acquired comprehensive knowledge on the technologies used in the existing networks. I researched on the characteristics and quality of the existing networks. I visited the practical end-users of the networks to observe how they were working, the common problems they were facing and their thoughts about what should be done in this sector. A point to be noted, at the time of this project work, Bangladesh was just connected to the worldwide fiber optic cable backbone named SEAMEWE4. I visited the landing station of this backbone located at Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh. I did an investigative research on this subject and prepared a report. The methodology of the work is shown below-

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Literature Review

Study of current Optical fiber

Present Application of the Optical fiber communication In Bangladesh (SEAMEWE4): Prospects &

Photonic Crystal Fiber

Understanding Photonic Crystal fiber over optical fiber operation

Previous Paper

Books

Journals

Tours

Internet

Simulation on MATLAB

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The basic principle of a communication system is superimposing or modulating the information signal on to an electromagnetic wave, which is then transmitted to the destination, where it is received and the original information signal is obtained by demodulation. Different techniques have been developed for this process. This may also be achieved using an electromagnetic carrier, which is selected from the optical range of frequencies. The optical fiber based communication system is similar in basic concept to any other type of communication system, the function of which is to convey the signal from the information source over the transmission medium to the destination. A block diagram of a general communication system is shown below

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Information Source

Transmitter Modulator

Transmission Medium

Receiver
Demodulator

Destination

In the optical fiber communication system various analog signals from different sources are accumulated, known as multiplexing and converted into digital form by the Analog to Digital Converter (ADC). The signal is then modulated using a pulse modulation technique and passed through to the electrical to optical converter. This device produces modulated optical signals. These signals are then transmitted through an optical fibre to the desired destination.
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A block diagram of Optical fibre communication is shown below

Analog or digital interface

Voltage-tocurrent converter

Light source

Signal regenerator
Optical fiber cable Optical fiber cable

Fiber -to light detector interface

Light detector

Destination At the receiver end, just reverse process is applied to regain the original information. The term "photonic-crystal fiber" was coined by Phillip Russell in 1995-1997 although other terms such as micro structured fiber and photonic-band gap fiber are also used and the nomenclature in the field is not entirely consistent. However, the optical characteristics of conventional single- mode fiber (SMF), where dopants are doped into silica glass to form a waveguide structure, limit the optical communication capacity at currently used wavelengths.

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Analog or digital interface

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Current to voltage convert er

Source tofiber Interfac e

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There has been a strong need for a new type of fiber with which to construct more economical networks based on an ultrahigh-capacity backbone. Recently, optical fibers called holey fibers have received increasing attention because they provide transmission characteristics that are superior to those of conventional single-mode fiber. One such holey fiber is index guiding photonic crystal fiber (PCF).

Figure: Cross sectional photograph of photonic crystal fiber. Generally, such fibers are constructed by the same general principles as other optical fibers. One can create a "photonic band gap" fiber, in which the light is confined by a photonic band gap created by the micro structured cladding - such a band gap, properly designed, can confine light in a lower-index core and even a hollow (air) core. Band gap fibers with hollow cores can potentially circumvent limits imposed by available materials, for example to create fibers that guide light in wavelengths for which transparent materials are not available (because the light is primarily in the air, not in the solid materials). Another potential advantage of a hollow core is that one can dynamically introduce materials into the core, such as a gas that is to be analyzed for the presence of some substance.

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c) Personal workplace activity:

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In order to analyze the Photonic Crystal Fiber, my first task was to identify the factors that determine the performance characteristics of optical fiber. The factors I identified for this analysis were various losses in optical fiber. I checked practical connections and outlets to find out how the process works to minimize the losses. I worked in the laboratory to calculate the losses and to test the techniques to reduce the losses.
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The standard formula for expressing the total power loss in an optical fiber cable is A(dB)=10log(Pout/Pin) Where A(dB)= total reduction in power level, attenuation Pout= cable output power (Watts) Pin= cable input power (Watts)

% Output Power versus Loss in dB

90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 0 10 20 30 Loss (dB) 40 50 60

I checked various losses such as, material absorption losses, scattering losses, fiber bending losses and dispersion. I also checked the information capacity determination of the network. I thoroughly studied the main disadvantages of optical fiber and the way how to minimize the disadvantages with the help of Photonic Crystal Fiber.
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The second important task I took was to report on the present scenario, prospect and challenges of optical fiber communication in Bangladesh. For this I visited submarine cable landing station at Coxs Bazar. The system name of Bangladesh zone is SEAMEWE4. Where SEA means South East Asia, ME means Middle East and WE means West Europe. Total length of the system was 22000 km and it was the 2 pair cables, one pair for trunk line, other pair for Omni bus, System Capacity: 64 wave length, each wave length: 10 G bps and the total capacity was 2x10x64=1.2Tbps. Total project cost was 41.42m USD (Bangladesh part for brunching unit = 26.42m USD, Consortium part = 15m USD).

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Output Power(%)

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Prospects & Challenges of connecting with worldwide fiber optic Backbone: Dramatically improved overseas voice & Data communication. Improved the quality of speech. Reduced the international call charge. The delay factor involved in Satellite communication is eliminated. Established international telecom infrastructure to cater for the high speed data network facility required for data entry / processing. Enhance the software development industries in Bangladesh. Facilitates FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) in software & ICT. Foster radical advancement in economy, medical service, education, business & Human Resource Department. Finally, minimize digital divide. Use of high capacity bandwidth is the big challenge.

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The most important and final work that I did was the comparison between conventional Optical fiber and PCF. For this I studied the basic theory of PCF and analyzed propagation model with the fundamental laws of Maxwells electromagnetic waves. I studied the dielectric structure of PCF, mechanical reliability of PCF and general properties. I found that PCF with an optimized structure is actually stronger than conventional fiber. I also found after detailed analysis of its general properties that PCF have some unique properties that make it more effective than conventional fiber.

Figure: Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a small core PCF

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PCF has several unique features that make it suitable for ultrawide-band and ultralongdistance transmission. One of its most interesting properties is its endlessly single-mode characteristics, which could open a new optical transmission window ranging continuously from the visible to near-infrared wavelength regions. This particularly wide wavelength window cannot be obtained with conventional single mode fiber. Therefore, it should be possible to greatly increase the transmission capacity of PCF. In addition, the intrinsic loss of PCF is less than that of conventional single-mode fiber. This is because PCF is composed solely of pure silica glass without any dopants. This is an advantage because the use of dopants often increases the scattering loss. This feature makes PCF a promising candidate for use as a long-distance transmission medium. However, if we are to use it as a transmission medium, we must fabricate long lengths of low-loss PCF. I also analyzed the principle of total internal reflection, propagation of the different modes, numerical aperture, and effective area and varieties losses of PCF. I simulated the mathematical equation with the help of MATLAB tools. I compared the structural difference between conventional fiber and PCF. I also compared the bend sensitivity, attenuation, dispersion and most importantly bandwidth comparisons by simulating the equation on MATLAB. The results of the bandwidth comparison I found from the MATLAB simulation are as follow: A good way to illustrate the differences in the spectral properties of the SMF and the PCF is through the V-parameter. The V-parameter for the SMF, VSMF, has traditionally been applied to derive the higher-order mode cutoff as well as the mode field diameter (MFD). The expressions for VSMF, and VPCF, are given by
VSMF = 2
VPCM = 2

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2 2 nco ncl

2 2 nFM ( ) nFSM ( )

In first equation, a is the core radius and nco and ncl are the refractive indices of the core and the cladding, respectively. In second equation, nFM( ) and nFSM( ) are the wavelength dependent effective indices of the fundamental mode (FM) and the fundamental space filling mode (FSM), respectively.

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I obtained the following plot from MATLAB simulation which proves that photonic crystal fiber has higher bandwidth than conventional optical fiber, because V-parameter for the photonic crystal fiber is lower than optical fiber.

Figure: The response of V-parameter comparison between Photonic crystal fiber and Optical fiber. Where, a=6m, . =5m, nco = nFM =1.5, and ncl =1.47 nFSM=1.17 The following plot from MATLAB shows the dispersion profiles of SMF and PCF.

Figure: Dispersion profile of SMF and PCF.

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Optical fiber is used extensively all over the world. In future the limitations of single mode optical fiber may be overcome by replacing them with Photonic Crystal Fiber. The field of photonic crystal fibers has by now existed for almost a decade and the result of the research efforts will probably soon move inside the classroom. Recent progress on PCF has shown its potential as a high-bit-rate, large-capacity, and long-distance transmission medium. From the practical point of view, several feasibility studies can be undertaken on PCF as a future communications medium. d) Summary:

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During project I had to prioritize the tasks to achieve best results. My project supervisor guided me to remain focused and keep on track. I prepared the project report through effective discussions and submitted it to the faculty of Electrical & Electronic Engineering at Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology, Bangladesh. I also made a presentation in front of a panel of faculty members and a group of students and explained my findings on PCF. There was a FAQ session after the presentation.

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While doing this project, I have learnt a lot about Photonic Crystal Fiber and achieved the capability of making recommendations for further research. I am now able to predict the future developments in this sector, which has contributed to my professional career. My research on this new technology as well as other broadband wireless technologies opened a new door for me to the communication-engineering world. I also acquired a better understanding of the R&D (Research and Development) processes of a new technology.

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