Roger Rutz

roger.rutz@exfo.com

Fiber Characterization, Measurements and Testing

Why?

Broadband Explosion
500 450 Subscribers (Millions) 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 FTTx Wireless HFC DSL

Broadband Worldwide

Network Architecture
Super Head-End
Long Haul Interconnection (OC-192/OC-768) or 10GigE over )

GigE

MSPP Edge Router 10GigE OC-192

ROADM Network

OC-192 MSPP

Metro Network
Access Routers

GigE

Access Network
ENIU
10/100M Eth. CMTS

10GigE

GigE

Video Service Office

Local Content
ONT GigE

CATV Access

Fibre Access (xPON)

FTTTower (IEEE802.16 WiMAX) Enterprise Customer Copper Access

Residential access network

IP DSLAM

Traffic rebalancing

ROADM Network

Congested area

Disaster Recovery

ROADM Network

The entire network must be tested for longest path and highest rate
10Gbps 40Gbps 100Gbps

100Gbps

10Gbps

40Gbps

Fiber Characterization
What tests make up Fiber Characterization?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Connector Inspection Optical Loss Insertion Loss Optical Return Loss including Reflectance Chromatic Dispersion Polarization Mode Dispersion

Fiber Connector Performance

Insertion Loss (IL) Return Loss

FIBER TO AIR NON-CONTACT

RL = 14dB NC PC IL<1dB IL<.7dB IL<0.5dB IL<0.5dB RL = 12dB RL > 30dB RL > 40dB RL > 50dB RL > 60dB
PI ULTRA PC SUPER PC

PI

PR

PT

PI

PR1 PR2

PT

PI

PR1

PT

PHYSICAL CONTACT

SPC UPC

PR3

PI
PR3 8 PR3 PR3 8

PT

ANGLED PHYSICAL CONTACT

8 APC IL<0.5dB

PT

PI = Incident Power PT = Transmitted Power PR = Reflected Power

PR1 = Reflected Power (1st Face) PR2 = Reflected Power (2nd Face) PR3 = Slight Scattered Power Reflected From Imperfect Faces

Connectors: Handling & Care

!!! Warning !!!
Angle Polished Connectors cannot be connected with flat polished connectors!

Connector Cleaning and Inspection

Inspection techniques:
A microscope or fiber probe can be used to inspect connectors A microscope will act as a magnifying glass, if you inspect a connector on a live fiber, permanent damage can be done to your eyes! Using a fiber probe is the safest way to inspect a connector

Physically Damaged End-Face

Physical damages to the end face of a connector will be permanent and it will in most cases require a connector replacement. Scratches can generate high loss, but more importantly, cause reflectance that can cause transmitter issues.

Connector Cleaning and Inspection

WHOA

Permanently Damaged

!!!CLEAN YOUR CONNECTORS!!!

Facts 90% of all transmission problems are because of dirty or damaged connectors Careful inspection, handling and most of all CLEANING can fix or eliminate most problems Use of a patch cord on the test equipment will increase the life of the front connector. Clean the ferrule! Remove the adapter if possible. Dont just push dirt into the interface.

Optical Loss and Insertion Loss

Fiber loss is of great importance for installed fiber links since fiber attenuation (loss of power) directly determines the total loss and thus the quality of a transmission system. Insertion Loss the loss of optical energy resulting from the insertion of a
component or device in an optical path Optical Loss - Difference in power level between the transmitting source and the receiving power meter. Should comply with the link loss budget. The total optical system/link loss is the sum of the insertion loss (IL) of the OLT connector, WDM coupler, splices, fiber attenuation, splitter, ONT connector and any bad connector matings Should be tested at all operating wavelengths

Link Loss, dBm vs. dB

LASER output = 0 dBm (1 milliwatt). Power meter measures -3 dBm at far end. 0 dBm minus -3 dBm = 3 db Link loss is 3 db (Not 3 dBm).

OTDR-Optical Time Domain Reflectometer

It is optical radar and can measure:
a break point splice and connector losses point-to-point distances total cable length connector quality (Return Loss) attenuation of the fiber

An OTDR is used for fiber:

Installation and Commissioning Maintenance. Emergency Restoration Fiber identification. Characterization

How does an OTDR work?

Optical Time Domain Reflectometer
Laser Coupler

Fiber Network
Fusion Bend Splice Connector Pair Crack Fiber End

Mechanical Splice

Pulse Generator

Detector

Analyzing Circuitry + Display "Intelligence"

Relative Power (dB)

OTDR Measurement Display

Fiber events and their trace representation

Backscatter

Fusion Splice

Bend
Loss

Mechanical Splice or Connector

Air gap

Crack

Reflection Loss

Cleaved end or open connector (Reflective)

Broken fiber-end (Non-Reflective)

Reflection

non reflective

Macrobend
If the bend radius of the fiber is exceeded, a loss of light will occur The Longer wavelengths will tend to travel in the core-cladding interface; therefore higher loss will be observed at these wavelengths if the fiber is bent. A macrobend can be identified by measuring the loss at multiple wavelengths (e.g., 1310 and 1550 nm). If the loss is higher at longer wavelengths, chances are that there is a macrobend along the fiber.

Visual Fault LocatorVFL

Macrobendings: A Visual Fault Locator (VFL) can be used to find macrobendings:

Bad splices will also shine using a VFL:

Macrobend Trace

Loss through splice: 1310 - .100 dB 1550 - .699 dB 1625 1.299 dB

OPTICAL RETURN LOSS (ORL) (dB)

A measure of the total energy reflected back to the source by all the interfaces due to a variation of the index of refraction (IOR), breaks, voids, backscatter, etc, created inside a component or along a link. Comes from the amount of energy lost within components and fiber due to back reflections We use the term ORL when speaking of the amount of energy returned by a section or an entire link Expressed as a positive value ORL [dB] = Pincident [dBm] Preflected [dBm]

(Fresnel) Back Reflections (-dB)

Will come from abrupt changes in the IOR: Fiber break, mechanical splice, bulkheads, connectors, etc We use the term reflectance when speaking of the amount of energy returned by specific points within the network Expressed as a negative value Reflectance [dB] = Preflected [dBm] - Pincident [dBm]
Connector Fiber section Fiber section Mec. Splice Fiber section

Patch Panel

Connector reflectance: -55dB

Patch Panel Connector reflectance: -45dB Mechanical splice reflectance: -45dB

Testing System ORL

Reflectance = Link ORL C.O.
Fiber section
Splitter

Fiber section

Drop
Mechanical splice

Patch Panel

ITU Recommendations for ORL OC-3: 20 dB OC-12: 20 / 24 dB OC-48: 24 dB OC-192: 27 dB FTTx: 32 dB with Analog Video

Key Performance Parameters

Dynamic Range Pulse Width Dead Zone Launch Cables

Dynamic Range - What Distance Can I Measure?

Small Dynamic Range

0 km 200 km

Large Dynamic Range

0 km 200 km

The maximum distance you can measure depends on the attenuation of the fiber and the dynamic range of your OTDR. To measure long fibers, or fast measurements on short fibers, you want a high dynamic range.

Pulse Width- Affecting Dynamic Range & Deadzone

Short Pulse Long Pulse

Short Pulse Width provides: Short distance down the fiber Lowe SNR Better resolution Shorter dead zones

Long Pulses Width provides: Travel further down the fiber Improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) Result in less resolution Result in longer dead zones

Event and Attenuation Dead Zones

1.5dB

0.5 dB

Attenuation Deadzone Event Deadzone

Event dead zone The event or reflective dead zone represents the minimum distance between the beginning of a reflective event and the point where a consecutive reflective event should clearly be recognized.

Attenuation dead zone The attenuation or non-reflective dead zone is the minimum distance after which a consecutive reflective event and attenuation measurement can be made.

Launch Cable Yes or No for OTDR measurement

Launch cables:
A Launch cable is used if user wants to measure the first or last connector of an optical link. It allows the OTDR to have a power reference before and after the connector in order to measure it. Standard available lengths are will vary from 200 meters to 1500 meters

Launch cable

Launch Cable Yes or No for OTDR measurement

Without a Launch Cable (Pulse Suppressor Box):

The loss of the first connector of the link is NOT measured

Launch Cable Yes or No for OTDR measurement

With a Launch Cable (Pulse Suppressor Box):

Fiber section corresponding to PSB box The loss of the first connector of the link is measured

Physical LayerDominant Sources of Signal Degradation

100 Gig

Non-Linear Effects 40 Gig CD, PMD, 2nd order PMD

10 Gig 1 Gig Attenuation problems: Output power, 1 megabit sensitivity, link loss, ORL receiver

Dispersion danger
Dispersion is a complex physical phenomenon which results in light pulses being spread out in the time domain as they pass down an optical fiber. It is an intrinsic property of the fiber physical layer. At low transmission speeds the inter bit gap means the systems are intolerant of this pulse spreading. At higher speeds (10G and above), it can have a catastrophic effect.

Dispersion in a transmission
10% 10%

Effects of Dispersion

Dispersion and BER

So what ?
In the physical layer
Dispersion CD/PMD Pulse broadening

At the transport layer

BIT Errors and BERT issues Significant delays and expense in installation & commissioning

Business issues
SLA penalties
Inability to operate at high speed (extreme)

Chromatic Dispersion
Source wavelengths do not propagate at the same speed through glass, thus they arrive at different times A pulse transmitted in such way suffers a spread, called Dispersion, limiting the transmission bandwidth.

Pulse

Pulse Spreading

1 2 3

1 1

3 3

Chromatic Dispersion
A pulse transmitted in such medium suffers a broadening, a dispersion, limiting the signal transmission bandwidth.
P
-80 -75 -70 -65 -60 -55 -50 -45 -40

n2
T
-20 -15 -1 0 -5 0 5 10 15 20

n1

where = source linewidth ex. 100 MHz (0.0008 nm)

T TB = DL

DFB LASER
DFB LASER direct modulation

mw

Ghz

Chromatic dispersion issues Different wavelengths different velocities

Pulse delay (ps)

zero dispersion wavelength

The slope of this Gives this

Chromatic Dispersion (ps/nm km)

(nm)

+
0

e lop s

S 0 is ro d e at z

n rsio pe

vg

vg

(nm) zero dispersion wavelength

Fiber Attenuation and Dispersion

+17

Dispersion of new Fiber Types

SMF-28e

Corning LEAF Chromatic Dispersion (ps/nm -km)

+4 +2

Reduced Slope

Lucent TrueWave Balanced + Lucent TrueWave G.653 Corning LS Lucent 1570TrueWave Balanced Corning MetroCor EDFA L-band

-2 -4 S-band

1530

1540

1550

1560

EDFA C-band

CD Limits in a transmission
OC-12 GigE OC-48 OC-192 =>633Mbps =>1.25Gbps =>2.488Gbps =>9,953Gbps => => => => => => T= 1608 ps => 10%=160ps T= 800ps => 10%=80ps T= 402 ps => 10%=40ps T= 100.5 ps=> 10%=10ps T= 100.5 ps=> 10%=10ps T= 97 ps => 10%=9.7ps T= 93.4 ps => 10%=9.3ps T= 25.1 ps => 10%=2.5ps

10GigE WAN =>9.953Gbps 10GigE LAN =>10.3Gbps OTN OC-768

=>10.709Gbps => =>39.808Gbps =>

Polarization Mode Dispersion:

The light is an electro-magnetic wave The light consists of electric field - E magnetic field - H travelling in time () and space (k) along the axis of propagation (Z).

Polarization Mode Dispersion

t
fast axis slow axis

z,t

What causes PMD?

Fiber defects

Manufacturing (Rare) Installation generated twists, strains, bends. Environmental Constraints

Geometric

Internal Stress

Heat

Lateral Pressure

Bend

Wind (aerial

fibers)

Polarization Mode Dispersion

Polarization Mode Dispersion

Asymmetries in fiber core geometry and/or stress distribution create fiber local birefringence. A "real" fiber is a randomly distributed addition of these local birefringent portions.

PMD and DGD

DGD MAX 2 * PMD

PMD vs. Wavelength: Long-term Variability

M. Karlsson, et al., IEEE. J. Lightwave Techn. 127 km buried DSF

On day twenty five 10 Gig services are OK.

! # $ % &!& ' % (# ) &+ *( , -

"#

On day five 10 gig services are impacted by PMD

PMD Limits in a transmission

Proposed PMD coefficient for a 99.994% probability that the power penalty will be less than 1 dB for 0.1 of the bit period Bit rate (Gb/s) 2.5 10 20 40 100 Average DGD (ps) 40 10 5 2.5 1 PMD coefficient 400 km fiber (ps/km) 2.0 0.5 0.25 0.125 0.06

FTB-5700: Single-ended dispersion analyzer

FTB-5700 Single-ended dispersion analyzer

CD feature explained - 1
S-C-L Band
Tunable Filter SOA

PBS

Grating

Scrambler

Motor In-Out

OSA-like

CD feature explained - 2
S-C-L Band
Tunable Filter SOA

Check delay at given Lambda

PBS

Prepares next lambda

Scrambler

FTB-5700: FOTP-168
Based on reflectometry 8 measurements, different lambdas. Different distance (IOR variation)

PMD feature explained - 1

S-C-L Band
Tunable Filter SOA

Pair of close lambdas, random SOP in FUT

PBS

Grating

Scrambler

Motor In-Out

OSA-like

PMD feature explained - 2

S-C-L Band
Tunable Filter SOA

PBS

Prepares next pair

Scrambler

Measure Local Delay

FTB 5700 method: TIA-FOTP-243: SSA (SOP Scrambling Analysis).

PMD

FTB 5700 single ended capability

Test 1 Connectors or splices Test 2 Test 3 PMD = 3.1ps PMD = 11.7ps PMD = 12ps
5km 7km 8km 3km

Disconnect or break the splice here

START

15km

5km

11.3ps!!

Connectors

FTB-5800/5500B: Dual-ended dispersion analyzer

FTB-5800 method: FOTP-169

Approved Phase shift method

Source

Optical filtering

Phasemeter

Oscillator

DUT or FUT

FTB 5500B: FOTP-124A

Generalized Interferometric method (GINTY) % ps
Interferometer

FUT

Analyzer

Broadband Source

Polarizer
Mirror

PBS

Detectors

Thank you! Questions?

Roger Rutz roger.rutz@exfo.com 805-217-0170