Optical Fiber Communication (EEE 4175)

Course Overview
Dr. A K M Baki
Ahsanullah University of Science & Technology (AUST)
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Objective of the Course

The course will provide an understanding of
the operating principles, of the structure and
underlying physical concepts involved in
optical
fiber
communication
systems.
Emphasis will be given on fundamental
aspects and optical fiber communication
issues.
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Optical Fibers Around the World

Optical Fibers Around the World

SEA-ME-WE 4

South East AsiaMiddle EastWestern Europe 4 (SEA-ME-WE 4) is an optical

fiber submarine communications cable system that carries telecommunications
between Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, United
Arab
Emirates, Saudi
Arabia, Sudan, Egypt, Italy, Tunisia,
Algeria and France
(source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEA-ME-WE_4).
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Optical Fibers Around the World

SEA-ME-WE 5

Supposed to go live in 2016

Optical Fibers Around the World

Propagation of Light
Basic Concept

Input
Signal

0 1

Light
Emitter

Total Internal Reflection

Core
Cladding
Coating

0 1

Receiver Output
Signal

Optical Fiber

Photonic Components For

Communications
LED/Laser Diodes
Modulators
Optical Fibers
Optical Amplifiers
Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM)
components (e.g. circulators, couplers, fiber
brag grating, isolators)
Photo Detectors

Generic Fiber Optic Communication System

Input

Optical
Transmitter

Bandwidth
Modulation
format
Protocol

Modulation
characteristics
Power
Wavelength

Transmitter:
Electrical interface encodes
users information through AM,
FM or Digital Modulation.
Encoded
information
transformed into light by means
of a light-emitting diode (LED) or
laser diode.

Optical
Receiver

Communication
Channel

Crosstalk
Dispersion
Distortion
Four-wave mixing
Loss
Noise
Amplification

Output

Bandwidth
Responsivity
Sensitivity
Noise
Wavelength

Receiver:
Decodes the light signal back into an electrical signal
Typically used light detectors:
PIN photodiode
Avalanche photodiode
Made from silicon (Si), indium gallium arsenide
(InGaAs) or germanium (Ge).
The data decoder/demodulator converts the signals into the
correct format.

Generic Fiber Optic Communication

System:
Elements
Electrical

Optical
Electrical

Figure : Basic elements of a fiber-optic communication system.

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History of The Technology

1960: Demonstration of The Laser
1970: Semiconductor Laser and Low-loss Fiber
1983: Commercial Fiber System Deployed
1996: Commercial WDM Deployed (82.5 Gbps)
1996: Commercial 10 Gbps

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Fiber Optic Communication:

Fundamentals

Light
Light, radio waves, and microwaves are all forms

of electromagnetic radiation.
Light frequencies fall between microwaves and xrays.
The optical spectrum is made up of infrared,
visible, and ultraviolet light.

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Fiber Optic Communication:

Fundamentals
Fiber optic communications system is similar in basic
concept to any type of communications system.
The basic function is to carry the signal from the
transmitting source over the transmission medium to the
destination.
The communication system consists of a transmitter or
modulator linked to the information source, the
transmission medium, and a receiver or demodulator at
the destination point.

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Fiber Optic Communication:

Fundamentals
Optical communication systems use light to transmit

information from one place to another.

Light is a type of electromagnetic radiation like radio
waves.
Today, infrared light is being used increasingly as the
carrier for information in communication systems.
The transmission medium is either free space or a
light-carrying cable called a fiber-optic cable.
Because the frequency of light is extremely high, it
can accommodate very high rates of data
transmission with excellent reliability.
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Electromagnetic Spectrum

In optics and photonics, due to conventions, wavelength unit (nm or m)

is often adopted.
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Visible Spectrum
Ultraviolet

Infrared
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Optics & Photonics

Optics: The science of light (e.g. physical

optics, quantum optics).

Photonics: The technology using light
(photons) and electrons (e.g. optical fiber
communications, LED, LASER diodes,
photo detectors, optical switches, optical
isolators, displays etc.). Photonics is
analogous to electronics.
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RELATIONSHIP OF FREQUENCY AND

WAVELENGTH
OF ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES

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RELATIONSHIP OF FREQUENCY AND

WAVELENGTH
OF ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES

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OPTICAL CARRIER FREQUENCY

Optical carrier frequency~100 THz,

which is five orders of magnitude
larger than microwave carrier
frequency of GHz.

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FIBER OPTIC COMMUNICATION:

LIGHT WAVE AT THE NEAR INFRARED.

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FIBER OPTIC COMMUNICATION:

OPTICAL SPECTRUM BAND.

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Assessment Policy
Class performance and
attendance

10 % (Class performance mainly means attention

in the class and answering the questions.)

Class tests

10 % (Best 2 class tests will be considered for

assessment.)
No class test will be repeated if you fail to
attend.
Some class tests will be taken without any prior
notice. These kinds of tests will be based on the
lectures on the same days. So attention in the
class is important.

(Total 3 tests will be

taken):

Assignments with
simulation

10%

Final Examination

(Evaluation on copied assignment will be 0)

70%

Total Marks

100%
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Policy On Attendance & Class

Performance
Marking on class attendance will based on number of count of your
absence and not on number of count of your presence.
Marking on class performance will be based on negative marking.
Some examples of negative marking are:
1.Creation of any situation that causes distraction.
2.Not being attentive in the class room.
3.Creation of any disturbing situation in the class room.
4. Coming late in the class.

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Grading System
Letter
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
D
F
E
W

% of Marks
80% or above
75% to less than 80%
70% to less than 75%
65% to less than 70%
60% to less than 65%
55% to less than 60%
50% to less than 55%
45% to less than 50%
40% to less than 45%
Less than 40%
Exempted
Withheld

Credit points
4.00
3.75
3.50
3.25
3.00
2.75
2.50
2.25
2.00
0 (FAIL)
-

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IMPORTANT NOTES
The lecture will be composed of the following components:

Power point lecture slides

Writing on board

Oral explanations

Reference text books and course materials

Dont depend only on power point slides.

The occasional presence of blank slides in the power point
lecture notes indicates that the instructor filled in those
slides during lecture.
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Major Topics of the Course

Light Propagation through Optical Fiber:
Ray optics theory and mode theory:
k-vector triangle in core and cladding
Types of polarization modes
Transcendental equations
Normalized frequency (V)
Normalized guided index (b)
Discrete values of propagation angle

Optical fiber:
Types and characteristics, transmission characteristics, fiber joints and fiber couplers,
fiber manufacturing.

Light Sources:
Light emitting diodes and laser diodes, laser characteristics, control of longitudinal
modes, Amplifiers.

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Major Topics of the Course

Detectors and Receiver Analysis:
PIN photo detector and avalanche photo detectors, quantum efficiency & responsivity,
selection criterion.
Direct detection and coherent detection; homodyne and heterodyne detection; noise and
limitations.

Multiplexer and Components:

WDM, Couplers, Switches, Isolators, Faraday Rotators, FBG Applications.

Signal Attenuation and Losses:

Attenuation and bending loss, chromatic dispersion, scattering, nonlinear effect, and laser
phase noises, coupling losses, dispersion management.

Optical Network:
Components,
Layers,
Framing format.

Optical System Simulation:

Introduction to optical communication system

Link Budget Analysis

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Data Communication,
Telecommunication, and Network
Data
Refers to information presented in whatever form is agreed upon by the parties
creating and using the data.
Data communications:
Exchange of data between two devices via some form of transmission medium
such as a wire cable or wireless system.
Telecommunication
Means of communication at a distance.
Network
Is a set of devices (often referred to as nodes) connected by communication links.
A node can be a computer, printer, or any other device capable of sending and/or
receiving data generated by other nodes on the network.
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Communication Model
Source
Generates data to be transmitted
Transmitter
Converts data into transmittable signals
Transmission System
Carries data
Receiver
Converts received signal into data
Destination
Takes incoming data
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Communication Model

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Network Applications:
Resource Sharing
Computing
Printers, peripherals
Information
Data Base (DB) access and updates
E.g., Financial, Airline reservations, Online Registration
etc.
Services
Email, FTP, Telnet, Web access
Video conferencing
Data Base access ( e.g. digital library)
E-governance
On line business/purchase/inventory

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Bandwidth Capabilities For A Range

Of Optical And RF Technologies

Reference: Chapter 1, Optical Wireless Communication Systems: Channel Modelling with MATLAB, Z.Ghassemlooy.

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BW Demands in Communication
Systems
Type &
applications

Uncompressed

Compressed

Voice, digital
telegraphy

64 kbps

16-32 kbps

Audio

512-748 kbps

32-384 kbps
(MPEG, MP3)

Video
conferencing

2-35.6 Mbps

64 kbps-1.544
Mbps (H.261
coding)

Data transfer, Ecommerce,Video

entertainment

Bandwidth
Demand

1990

2000

2010

1-10 Mbps

Full-motion
broadcast video

249 Mbps

2-6Mbps
(MPEG-2)

HDTV

1.6 Gbps

19-38 Mbps
(MPEG-2)

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Classes of Transmission Media

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Fiber Optics: Advantages

Long Distance Transmission: The lower transmission losses in fibers compared to
copper wires allow data to be sent over longer distances.
Large Information Capacity: Fibers have wider bandwidths than copper wires, so that
more information can be sent over a single physical line.
Small Size and Low Weight: The low weight and the small dimensions of fibers offer a
distinct advantage over heavy, bulky wire cables in crowded underground city ducts or in
ceiling-mounted cable trays.
Immunity to Electrical Interference: The dielectric nature of optical fibers makes them
immune to the electromagnetic interference effects.
Enhanced Safety: Optical fibers do not have the problems of ground loops, sparks, and
potentially high voltages inherent in copper lines.
Increased Signal Security: As signal is well-confined within the fiber and an opaque
coating around the fiber absorbs any signal emissions.

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OSI Reference Model

37

Network Configuration
Example

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Overlay Network- The Global Goal

39

Fiber Optic Network:

Ethernet over SONET/SDH
NMS: Network Management System

Terminal Multiplexer

Point to Multipoint Communication

Add Drop Multiplexer

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Fiber Optic Communications:

Applications

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Fiber Optic Communications:

Applications

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Suggested Books and References

1. John M. Senior, Optical Fiber Communications - Principles and
Practice, Prentice Hall, Latest Edition.
2. Gerd Keiser, Optical Fiber Communications, McGraw-Hill, Latest
Edition.
3. Govind P. Agrawal, Fiber-Optic Communication Systems, John Wiley
& Sons, Inc., Latest Edition.
4. Harry J. R. Dutton, Understanding Optical Communications IBM
5. Djordjevic, I. ; Ryan, W.; Vasic, B.Coding for Optical Channel (Ch 2:
Fundamental of Optical Communication, Springer
6. Richard S. Quimby,Photonics and Lasers An Introduction', Wiley &
Sons, Inc., Latest Edition.
7. Lecture notes (doc files/pdf files/PP slides)

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Facebook Address For The Lectures

Send request to the following link with your Name/ID/email address/Cell Number in order to down load the
lectures:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/EEE4175.SPR15/

Joining the group is optional,

not mandatory.

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