Introduction

You hear about fiber-optic cables whenever

people talk about the telephone system, the
cable TV system or the Internet.
Fiber-optic lines are strands of optically pure
glass as thin as a human hair that carry digital
information over long distances.
They are also used in medical imaging and
mechanical engineering inspection.
What are Fiber Optics?
Fiber optics (optical fibers) are long, thin
strands of very pure glass about the
diameter of a human hair.
They are arranged in bundles called
optical cables and used to transmit light
signals over long distances.
What are Fiber Optics?
If you look closely at a single optical fiber,
you will see that it has the following parts:
Core - Thin glass center of the fiber where
the light travels
Cladding - Outer optical material
surrounding the core that reflects the light
back into the core
Buffer coating - Plastic coating that protects
the fiber from damage and moisture

Fiber Optics
plastic jacket glass or plastic
cladding
fiber core
TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION
What are Fiber Optics?
Fiber Optic Cables
SOURCE: SURFNET.NL
What are Fiber Optics?
Single-mode fibers have small cores (about 3.5 x 10-4
inches or 9 microns in diameter) and transmit infrared
laser light (wavelength = 1,300 to 1,550 nanometers).
Multi-mode fibers have larger cores (about 2.5 x 10-3
inches or 62.5 microns in diameter) and transmit
infrared light (wavelength = 850 to 1,300 nm) from
light-emitting diodes (LEDs).
Some optical fibers can be made from plastic. These
fibers have a large core (0.04 inches or 1 mm diameter)
and transmit visible red light (wavelength = 650 nm)
from LEDs.
How Does an Optical Fiber
Transmit Light?
Suppose you want to shine a flashlight beam down a
long, straight hallway.
Just point the beam straight down the hallway -- light
travels in straight lines, so it is no problem. What if the
hallway has a bend in it?
You could place a mirror at the bend to reflect the light
beam around the corner.
What if the hallway is very winding with multiple bends?
You might line the walls with mirrors and angle the
beam so that it bounces from side-to-side all along the
hallway. This is exactly what happens in an optical fiber.
How Does an Optical Fiber
Transmit Light?
How Does an Optical Fiber
Transmit Light?
The light in a fiber-optic cable travels through the core
(hallway) by constantly bouncing from the cladding
(mirror-lined walls), a principle called total internal
reflection.
Because the cladding does not absorb any light from the
core, the light wave can travel great distances.
However, some of the light signal degrades within the
fiber, mostly due to impurities in the glass. The extent
that the signal degrades depends on the purity of the
glass and the wavelength of the transmitted light
Dense Wave-Division Multiplexing
(DWDM)
-
-
-
1
2
3
N
-
-
-
Multiple colors (frequencies) sent
through the fiber at the same time,
more than 100

Each color carries a separate signal

Allows huge bandwidth
Optical Fiber Capacity Growth 1983-
2002
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
OC-48
OC-192
OC-192, 2l
OC-48, 40l
OC-192, 16l
OC-48, 96l
OC-192, 32l
OC-192, 48l
OC-192, 80l
OC-192, 128l
1.7 Gb 565Mb
135Mb
Single
Fiber
Capacity
(Gigabits/sec)
1 Terabit =
World record ~ 16 terabits per second
Fiber Optic Lines in Central
Philadelphia
SOURCE: CYBERGEOGRAPHY.ORG
TELECOM HOTEL
SOURCE: ALCATEL
Submarine Cables in North East
Asia
Fiber optic cable functions as a "light guide," guiding the light
introduced at one end of the cable through to the other end. The
light source can either be a light-emitting diode (LED)) or a laser.


Thinner
Less Expensive
Higher Carrying Capacity
Less Signal Degradation& Digital Signals
Light Signals
Non-Flammable
Light Weight
High Bandwidth Over Long Distances

Interconnects
Networking (Local Area Networks (LANs) and Wide Area Networks
(WANs))
Gigabit Ethernet
Semiconductor Equipment
Data Transmission
Telecommunications

Fibre optics works by using light pulses to transfer data through thin
glass or plastic strands that are known as optical cables. Light
waves travel through the cables by bending, which is caused by
reflection on the glass mirrors. The cables have a transmitter at the
end that is used to send the data by converting it to electronic
signals.


Copper will transport electrical signals.
Fiber optic will transfer the signal as a ray of light.
fiber is glass so there is NO fire hazard
fiber is lighter,cheaper

what is the function of fiber optics?
what are the advantages of fiber optics?
mentioned example of the application of
optical fiber?
How does fiber optics work?
what is the difference between fiber optic
cable and copper cable?