CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION TO OPTICAL
COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

DEFINITION OF FIBER OPTICS

Fiber optics uses light to send information (data). Fiber optics
is the branch of optical technology concerned with the
transmission of radiant power (light energy) through fibers.

Figure 1.1: Fiber optic cable

1.2 FIBER OPTIC DATA LINKS

A fiber optic data link sends input data through fiber optic
components and provides this data as output information. It has
the following three basic functions:
To convert an electrical input signal to an optical signal
To send the optical signal over an optical fiber
To convert the optical signal back to an electrical signal
A fiber optic data link consists of three parts - transmitter,
optical fiber, and receiver.

1.2 FIBER OPTIC DATA LINKS

Figure 1.2: Parts of a fiber optic data link

1.2 FIBER OPTIC DATA LINKS

The transmitter converts the input signal to an optical signal
suitable for transmission. The transmitter consists of two parts,
an interface circuit and a source drive circuit. The transmitter's
drive circuit converts the electrical signals to an optical signal. It
does this by varying the current flow through the light source.
The two types of optical sources are light-emitting diodes
(LEDs) and laser diodes.
The optical source launches the optical signal into the fiber. The
optical signal will become progressively weakened and distorted
because of scattering, absorption, and dispersion mechanisms
in the fiber waveguides.

1.2 FIBER OPTIC DATA LINKS

The receiver converts the optical signal exiting the fiber back
into an electrical signal. The receiver consists of two parts, the
optical detector and the signal-conditioning circuits. An optical
detector detects the optical signal. The signal-conditioning
circuit conditions the detector output so that the receiver
output matches the original input to the transmitter.
The receiver should amplify and process the optical signal
without introducing noise or signal distortion. Noise is any
disturbance that obscures or reduces the quality of the signal.
Noise effects and limitations of the signal-conditioning circuits
cause the distortion of the receiver's electrical output signal.

1.2 FIBER OPTIC DATA LINKS

An optical detector can be either a semiconductor positiveintrinsic-negative (PIN) diode or an avalanche photodiode (APD).
A PIN diode changes its electrical conductivity according to the
intensity and wavelength of light. The PIN diode consists of an
intrinsic region between p-type and n-type semiconductor
material.
A fiber optic data link also includes passive components other
than an optical fiber. Passive components used to make fiber
connections affect the performance of the data link. These
components can also prevent the link from operating.
Fiber optic components used to make the optical connections
include optical splices, connectors, and couplers.

1.2 FIBER OPTIC DATA LINKS

Figure 1.3:

1.3 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF FIBER

Year
1880
1960
1966

1973
1976
1977

1988

Development
Graham Bell's photophone - modulation of sunlight with a
diaphragm giving speech transmission over a distance of 200m
Invention of laser, for unguided transmission
Kao demonstrated transmission of light through optical fiber, but
the attenuation was then 1000 dB/Km compared to coaxial cable
with attenuation of 5 dB/km.
Laser lifetime improved to 1000 hours.
Attenuation of fiber reduced to 5 dB/km.
Laser lifetime extended to 7000 hours using AIGaAs operating at
0.8 urn and 0.9 um. Other materials emitting light at 1.1um to
1.6um was found.
Laser lifetime extended between 25 to 100 years (in the lab).

1.3 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF FIBER

At present the minimum attenuation for glass fibers is
reported to be 0.2 dB/km. There are 1550 nm systems
operating with repeater spacing of 150 km.
Alcatel has unrepeatered systems of 2.5 Gb/s and 622
Mb/s spanning distance of 511 km and 531 km
respectively.
WDM systems operating at 1.28 Tbit/s (128 wavelengths
at 10.7 Gbit/s (Lucent Technology) is possible today

1.4 FIBER OPTIC SYSTEMS

System design has centered on long-haul communications and
the subscriber-loop plant. The subscriber-loop plant is the part
of a system that connects a subscriber to the nearest switching
center. Cable television is an example.
Long-haul systems require single mode optical fibers with very
high performance. Single mode fibers tend to have lower loss
and produce less signal distortion.
In contrast, short-distance and military systems tend to use only
multimode technology. Example of short-distance systems
includes local area networks (LANs). Short-distance and military
systems have many connections. The larger fiber core and
higher fiber numerical aperture (NA) of multimode fibers reduce
losses at these connections.

1.4 FIBER OPTIC SYSTEMS

In military and subscriber-loop applications, system design
and parts selection are related. Designers consider tradeoffs in the following areas:
Fiber properties
Types of connections
Optical sources
Detector types

1.5 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF

FIBER OPTICS

Fiber optic systems have many attractive features that are

superior to electrical systems. These include improved system
performance, immunity to electrical noise, signal security, and
improved safety and electrical isolation.
Other advantages include reduced size and weight,
environmental protection, and overall system economy. Table
1 details the main advantages of fiber optic systems.

Table 1: Advantages of Fiber Optics

System Performance
Greatly increased bandwidth
and capacity
Lower signal attenuation (loss)
Immunity to Electrical Noise
Immune to noise
(electromagnetic interference
(EMI) and radio-frequency
interference (RFI)
No crosstalk
Lower bit error rates
Signal Security
Difficult to tap
Nonconductive (does not
radiate signals)Electrical
Isolation
No common ground required

Freedom from short circuit

and sparks
Size and Weight
Reduced size and weight
cables
Environmental Protection
Resistant to radiation and
corrosion
Resistant to temperature
variations
Improved ruggedness and
flexibility
Less restrictive in harsh
environments
Overall System Economy
Low per-channel cost
Lower installation cost

1.5

ADVANTAGES OF OPTICAL
COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

Enormous potential bandwidth

The optical carrier frequency in the range 1013 to
1016 Hz yields a far greater potential transmission
bandwidth than metallic cable systems (i.e. coaxial
cable bandwidth up to around 500 MHz) or even
millimeter wave radio systems (i.e. systems
currently operating with modulation bandwidths of
700 MHz).
Potential BW - 50 Tbit/s

Immunity to interference and crosstalk

Optical fibers are free from electromagnetic interference

(EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI). Hence the
operation of an optical fiber communication system is
unaffected by transmission through an electrically noisy
environment and the fiber cable requires no shielding from
EMI. The fiber cable is also not susceptible to lightning
strikes if used overhead rather than underground.
Moreover, it is fairly easy to ensure that there is no optical
interference
between
fibers
and
hence,
unlike
communication using electrical conductors, crosstalk is
negligible, even when many fibers are cabled together.

Small size and weight

Optical fibers have very small diameters which are often

no greater than the diameter of a human hair. Hence, even
when such fibers are covered with protective coatings
they are far smaller and much lighter than corresponding
copper cables. This is a tremendous boom towards the
alleviation of duct congestion in cities, as well as allowing
for an expansion of signal transmission within mobiles
such as aircraft, satellites and even ships.

RG-19/U : 22.6 dB/km at 100 MHz - 1110 kg/km

Silica Fiber : 5 dB/km - 6 kg/km

Electrical Isolation

Optical fibers which are fabricated from glass or

sometimes a plastic polymer are electrical insulators and
therefore, unlike their metallic counterparts, they do not
exhibit earth loop and interface problems. Furthermore,
this property makes optical fiber transmission ideally
suited for communication in electrically hazardous
environments as the fibers create no arcing or spark
hazard at abrasions or short circuits.

Signal security

The light from optical fibers does not radiate significantly

and therefore they provide a high degree of signal
security. Unlike copper cables, a transmitted optical signal
cannot be obtained from a fiber in a non-invasive manner
(i.e. without drawing optical power from the fiber).
Therefore, in theory, any attempt to acquire a message
signal transmitted optically may be detected. This feature
is obviously attractive for military, banking and general
data transmission (i.e. computer network) applications.

Low transmission loss

The development of optical fibers has resulted in the

production of optical fiber cables which exhibit very low
attenuation or transmission loss in comparison with the
best copper conductors. Fibers have been fabricated with
losses as low as 0.2 dB km-1 . It facilitates the
implementation of communication links with extremely
wide repeater spacing (long transmission distances
without intermediate electronics), thus reducing both
system cost and complexity.
Silica Fiber

100 MHz

4 dB/km

RG-19/U

500 MHz

14 dB/km

Ruggedness and flexibility

Although protective coatings are essential, optical fibers

may be manufactured with very high tensile strengths.
Perhaps surprisingly for a glassy substance, the fibers
may also be bent to quite small radii or twisted without
damage. Furthermore, cable structures have been
developed which have proved flexible, compact and
extremely rugged. These optical fiber cables are generally
superior in terms of storage, transportation, handling and
installation than corresponding copper cables whilst
exhibiting at least comparable strength and durability.

System reliability and ease of maintenance

These features primarily stem from the low loss property
of optical fiber cables which reduces the requirement for
intermediate repeaters or line amplifiers to boost the
transmitted signal strength. Hence with fewer repeaters,
system reliability is generally enhanced in comparison
with conventional electrical conductor systems.
Furthermore, the reliability of the optical components is
no longer a problem with predicted lifetimes of 20-30
years now quite common. Both these factors also tend
to reduce maintenance time and costs.

 Potential low cost

The glass which generally provides the optical fiber
transmission medium is made from sand - not a scarce
resource. So, in comparison with copper conductors,
optical fibers offer the potential for low cost line
communication. Overall system cost when utilizing optical
system are substantially less than those for equivalent
electrical line systems because of the low loss and
wideband properties of optical transmission.
The main advantages:
Large BW and Low loss

1.6 FIBER OPTIC SYSTEMS

APPLICATIONS
1.6.1 Voice
1. Telephone trunk for high data
Inter-office
Inter-city
Transoceanic
2. Subscriber service
Fiber-to-the home (FTTH)
Broadband services
(multimedia, video, etc.)

1.6.2 Video
1. Broadcast Television
Live events
TV mini cameras
2. CATV
Source-to-head end trunk
lines
Distributions
Subscriber taps
3. Surveillance
4. Remote monitoring
5. Fiber-guided missile
6. FTTH

1.6.3 Data
1. Computers
CPU to peripherals
CPU to CPU
2. Interoffice data links
3. Local Area Network (LAN)
4. Fiber-to-the home
5. Aircraft and ship wiring
reduced weight
6. Satellite ground stations

1.6.4 Sensors
1. Gyroscope
2. Hydrophone - acoustic
measurements in water
3. Position
4. Temperature
5. Electric and Magnetic
Fields
6. Medical