SINGLE MODE FIBER STANDARDS: A REVIEW

*Ms Rekha, ** Mandeep Singh*** Balwant Raj

*ME (ECE), University Institute of Engg. & Tech Deptt, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India.
**Design Engineer Centre for Development of Advanced Computing,(C-DAC)Mohali, India
*** Lecturer

ABSTRACT
This paper is primarily an overview of optical fiber, types of fibers and the parameters used for the
measurements. As we know standards are now available for the important physical and transmission
properties of optical fiber, however, the development of more complexes, higher capacity systems is creating
new measurement challenge. Optical fiber standards reflect the evolution of transmission system technology
from the earliest installation of single mode optical fiber through to the Present day. In the last section we
have discussed about the different single mode standards.

Keywords: Optical fiber, ITU standards, single mode fiber

1. INTRODUCTION
As we know the optical fibre is a glass or plastic that has the ability to guide the light along its axis. The
optical fibre transmission basically consist of the phenomenon of total internal reflection, responsible for the
guiding of light in optical fibre, An optical fiber (Figure1) consists of a cylindrical core of silica (Figure2),
with a refractive index1 μ1, surrounded by cylindrical cladding of silica with a lower refractive index μ2, The
buffer surrounding the cladding encapsulates the fiber for mechanical, isolation, protection from physical
damage, etc.

Figure :1 Fiber cable Figure: 2 Total Internal Reflection

The idea of optical communication using a fiber is to send the optical signal at an angle of incidence greater
than the critical angle sin−1 μ2/μ1. If light passing through one optical medium with refractive index μ1
meets another optical medium with a lower refractive index μ2, at an angle of incidence greater than the
critical angle, total internal reflection takes place, where all the light is reflected back into the medium with
refractive index μ1. Optical signals propagate through the core using a series of total internal reflections.

Fiber Types

Multi-Mode: supports hundreds paths for light. this type of mode is applicable only for the small distance and
bandwidth is low and it can be access for the typical applications.

Single-Mode: supports a single path for light, it it can be used for long distances having high bandwidth.
Figure:3 Multi-Mode fiber Figure:4 Single-Mode fiber

2. FIBER PARAMETERS
Attenuation The attenuation of optical fiber is the loss of power as it is guided through the fiber. Accurate
measurement of this parameter is essential to maximize the distance between repeater stations.

Dispersion The time taken for radiation to propagate down a single mode fiber depends on its Wavelength.
This arises from the wavelength dependent properties of the fiber material and guiding structure The variation
of propagation time with wavelength is known as the dispersion coefficient.

Mode Field Diameter The mode field diameter (MFD) is a measure of the radial intensity distribution of
light propagating within a fiber. It is a key parameter that can be used to predict splice loss, micro bending
loss, cut-off wavelength, and waveguide dispersion.

Fiber Geometry As an intrinsic property, the geometry of an optical fiber is of little importance. Geometry is
important, however, when two fibers are joined or when a fiber is pigtailed to a source or detector.

3. SINGLE-MODE FIBER TYPES

There are three basic classes of single-mode fiber that are used in modern telecommunication systems. The
oldest type, and still the most widely deployed, is NDSF or Non-DSF (Non-Dispersion-Shifted Fiber.) NDSF
was the first successful single-mode fiber. Most of the existing fiber base in the U.S. in the late 1990's was
NDSF fiber. NDSF was used in early systems because the fiber was optimized for operation at 1310 nm, the
wavelength of choice at that time. Later, 1550 nm systems were introduced. NDSF was thought to be ill-
suited for use at 1550 nm because it had high dispersion at that wavelength, limiting the maximum data
transmission rate and distance. To address this shortcoming, DSF (Dispersion-Shifted Fiber) was introduced.
DSF was optimized for operation at 1550 nm. Years later would it would be discovered that while DSF
worked very well with a single wavelength at 1550 nm, it exhibited serious nonlinearities when multiple,
closely-spaced wavelengths in the 1550 nm band were transmitted, as in DWDM systems. Recently, to
address the problem of nonlinearities, a new class of DSF fibers has been introduced. These are called NZ-
DSF (non-zero dispersion-shifted fiber). They are available in both positive and negative dispersion varieties.
These NZ-DSF fibers are now the fibers of choice where new fiber must be deployed. Figure 5 shows the
dispersion of the common types of single-mode fibers used in modern telecommunication systems.
 Figure: 5 Dispersion of Common Types of Single-Mode Fiber

4. OPTICAL FIBER STANDARDS

Standards bodies at both the national and international level are active in setting specification standards for
optical communications. Prominent amongst these are the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Telecommunication Standardization Sector (formerly the Consultative Committee for International Telephony
and Telegraphy) and the International Electro technical Commission (IEC). Between them, these bodies cover
most aspects of optical communication. Standardization from hardware to network operation and services.
Those standards contain recommended values for each important parameter and descriptions of recommended
test procedures for these parameters. Measurement standards are essential so that measurements can be made
with confidence and the accuracy of results verified. Measurement standards for optical fibers generally take
the form of a fiber transfer standard for which a specific parameter has been measured at a national facility
with traceability to national standards. Fiber-optic test equipment is also calibrated against national scales for
the relevant quantities. The following describes the status of standards developed at the National Physical
Laboratory for single mode fiber and test equipment.

4.1 ITU-T G.652 – standard Single Mode Fiber (SMF) or Non Dispersion Shifted Fiber (NDSF).
The ITU-T G.652 fiber is also known as standard SMF and is the most commonly deployed fiber. This fiber
has a simple step-index structure and is optimized for operation in the 1310-nm band. It has a zero-dispersion
wavelength at 1310 nm and can also operate in the 1550-nm band, but it is not optimized for this region. The
typical chromatic dispersion at 1550 nm is high at 17 ps/nm-km. Dispersion compensation must be employed
for high-bit-rate applications. The attenuation parameter for G.652 fiber is typically 0.2 dB/km at 1550 nm,
and the PMD parameter is less than 0.1 ps/ km. An example of this type of fiber is Corning SMF-28.
4.2

Figure:6 Non Dispersion Shifted Fiber (NDSF)

Figure: 7 Water Peak Region

4.2 ITU-T G.652c - Low Water Peak Non Dispersion Shifted Fiber

The legacy ITU-T G.652 standard SMFs are not optimized for WDM applications due to the high attenuation
around the water peak region. ITU G.652.C-compliant fibers offer extremely low attenuation around the OH
peaks. The G.652.C fiber is optimized for networks where transmission occurs across a broad range of
wavelengths from 1285 nm to 1625 nm. Although G.652.C-compliant fibers offer excellent capabilities for
shorter, unamplified metro and access networks, they do not fully address the needs for 1550-nm
transmission. The attenuation parameter for G.652 fiber is typically 0.2 dB/km at 1550 nm, and the PMD
parameter is less than 0.1 ps/ km. An example of this type of fiber is Corning SMF-28e.

Figure:8 Low Water Peak Non Dispersion Shifted Fiber

4.3 ITU-T G.653 – Dispersion Shifted Fiber (DSF) Conventional SMF has a zero-dispersion
wavelength that falls near the 1310-nm window band. SMF shows high dispersion values over the
range between 1500 nm and 1600 nm (third window band). The trend of shifting the operating
transmission wavelength from 1310 nm to 1550 nm initiated the development of a fiber type called
dispersion-shifted fiber (DSF). DSF exhibits a zero-dispersion value around the 1550-nm wavelength
where the attenuation is minimum. The DSFs are optimized for operating in the region between 1500
to 1600 nm. With the introduction of WDM systems, however, channels allocated near 1550 nm in
DSF are seriously affected by noise induced as a result of nonlinear effects caused by FWM. This
initiated the development of NZDSF. Figure 9 illustrates the dispersion slope of DSF with respect to
SMF and NZDSF. G.53 fiber is rarely deployed any more and has been superseded by G.655.
 4.4

Figure 9: the dispersion slope of DSF

4.4 ITU-T G.655 – Non Zero Dispersion Shifted Fiber (NZDSF) Using nonzero dispersion-shifted
fiber (NZDSF) can mitigate nonlinear characteristics. NZDSF fiber overcomes these effects by moving the
zero-dispersion wavelength outside the 1550-nm operating window. The practical effect of this is to have a
small but finite amount of chromatic dispersion at 1550 nm, which minimizes nonlinear effects, such as
FWM, SPM, and XPM, which are seen in the dense wavelength-division multiplexed (DWDM) systems
without the need for costly dispersion compensation. There are two fiber families called nonzero dispersion
(NZD+ and NZD–), in which the zero-dispersion value falls before and after the 1550-nm wavelength,
respectively. The typical chromatic dispersion for G.655 fiber at 1550 nm is 4.5 ps/nm-km. The attenuation
parameter for G.655 fiber is typically 0.2 dB/km at 1550 nm, and the PMD parameter is less than 0.1 ps/ km.
The Corning LEAF fiber is an example of an enhanced G.655 fiber with a 32 percent larger effective area.
Figure 9 illustrates the dispersion slope of NZDSF with respect to SMF and DSF.

CONCLUSION:

Telecommunications continues to evolve, with the today’s networks providing faster, more reliable and
more ubiquitous connections at low cost even before. The ITU standards are discussed in for the single
mode.We can select to support the existing and emerging system technologies based on the single mode
as discussed in the table below.

ITU-T Name Typical Typical CD value Applicability

G.652 Standard Single Mode Fiber 0.25dB/km 17 ps/nm-km OK for xWDM

G.652c Low Water Peak SMF 0.25dB/km 17 ps/nm-km Good for CWDM

G.653 Dispersion-Shifted Fiber 0.25dB/km 0 ps/nm-km Bad for xWDM

G.655 Non-Zero Dispersion-Shifted 0.25dB/km 4.5ps/nm-km Good for DWDM

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