Optical Networks Basic Concepts

Proposed by Dr Eric DEUSSOM

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 Introduction

 What is an optical network?

 Optical devices and components
 Basic concepts in optical networking

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 Optical Networks
• Definition: An Optical Network is a telecommunication network
• with transmission links that are optical fibers and
• with an architecture that use designed to exploit the unique features if
fibers.

• High performance lightwave network –involve complex combination both optical

and electronic devices.
• Low-cost broadband services – Internet based applications continues to increase.
• The “glue” that holds the purely optical network together consists of :
• optical network nodes (ONN) connecting the fibers within the network
• network access stations (NAS) interfacing user terminals and other non-
optical end systems to the network

• Critical role :
• Reducing communications costs
• Promoting competition among carriers & service providers
• Increasing the demand for new services
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 Generations of Optical Networks

• First Generation:
• Optics used for transmission & provide capacity
• Switching & other intelligent network functions were handled by electronics
• ex. SONET (synchronous optical network)
• SDH ( synchronous digital hierarchy)
• Second Generation:
• have routing ,switching and intelligence in the optical layer
• use multiplexing techniques – provide the capacity needed

 An optica1 network connects computers (or any other device which can generate
or store data in electronic form) using optical fibers.

 Optica1 fibers are essentially very thin glass cylinders or filaments which carry signals in
the form of light (optical signals).

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 A transmitter connected to a receiver in an optical
network

Electrical Optical to
to Optical Electrical
Signal Fiber (s) signal
Transmitter Receiver

A lit-up bundle of fibers

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The optical fiber for communications is a medium mainly made of silicondioxide to
transmit signal. It consist of the core (with high refraction index) , cladding (with lo
refractive index) and coating.

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 Optical signal are transmitted inside the optical fiber by total
reflection

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 The optical fiber transmit signal using total reflexion technology. It is available in
multimode and single mode fiber, different in the number of signal modes that the
optical fiber supports at the same time.
In the multi mode fiber, optical signals of different modes are transmitted and they
easily interfere with each other. As result, there is great loss and the transmission
distance is short.

In single mode optical fiber, however, only optical signal of the same mode are
transmitted at a time. Therefore, there is small loss and the transmission distance is
long.

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 Global O ptical Fiber N etwork

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 Why do we need optical networks?

 Demand for bandwidth

 The tremendous growth of connected users online
 More and more bandwidth-intensive network applications:
• data browsing on the WWW
• Applications requiring large bandwidth
• video conferencing
• download movie

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 Advantages of optical networks
 High speed capability (theoretically possible to send 50
Terabits per second using a single fiber)
 Low signal attenuation
 Low signal distortion
 Low power requirement
 Low material usage
 Small space requirements
 Low cost
 Immunity to electrical interference

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 Optical Devices/components

 Optical Fiber
 consists of a cylindrical coreof silica, with a refractive index
µ1, surrounded by cylindrical cladding, also of silica, with a
lower refractive index µ2.

Figure 1: A fiber

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 An Optical Fiber

Figure 2: Structure of an Optical Fiber

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 Propagation of a signal through a fiber

 How does an optical signal move through a fiber network

 send the optical signal at an angle greater than the critical angle
sin-1 µ2/ µ1.
 Optical signals propagate through the core using a series of total internal
reflections.

Figure 3: Propagation using total internal reflectiobn

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 Optical fibers (Cont’d)
 data communication in an optical network
 use an optical carrier signal at some wavelength in the band of
1450 to 1650 nm,
 at the source of the data, modulate the carrier with the data to be
communicated,
 send the modulated carrier towards the destination using a path
involving one or more fibers,
 when the signal reaches the destination, extract the data from the
incoming signal using demodulation.

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 Wavelength Division Multiplexing
 The technology of using multiple optical signals on the same
fiber is called wave1eugth divisiou nu1tip1exiug (WDM).
 WDM Optical Network
 Divide the vast transmission bandwidth available on a fiber into several
different smaller capacity “channels” – non-overlapping bandwidths,
 Each of these channels can be operated at a moderate bit rate (2.5-40
Gb/s) that electronic circuits can handle,
 Each of these channels corresponds to a different carrier wavelength.

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 Transmission spectrum of fibers

Usable Bandwidths

Figure 4: Transmission spectrum of optical fibers.

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 Channel spacing or guard band in WDM
– In WDM networks, each
signal on a fiber is given a
fixed bandwidth.
– In order to avoid interference
between signals, a fixed
spacing is maintained
between signals using
adjacent bandwidths, called Figure 5: channels on a fiber
as “guard band”.
– Signal Bandwidth = 10 GHz
– Channel Spacing = 100 GHz

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 Data Transmission in WDM networks

• Carrier Frequency:

• Digital Data

• Modulated signal
Figure 6: Modulated optical signal
15 http://epq.com.co/softw_internet/nag1/c4049.htm

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 What do we need to achieve WDM
Communication
Transmitter – convert data to a modulated optical signal
Receiver – Convert a modulated optical signal to data
Multiplexer – to combine multiple optical signals
Demultiplexer – to separate signals having different carrier wavelengths
Routers – to direct the signals from the source to the destination
Add- drop multiplexers – to add new signals to a fiber and extract some signals

De-
Multiplexer Multiplexer
Optical fiber

Combine Separate
Optical Optical
signals signals

Figure 7: Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM)

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 Optical Devices/components

 Multiplexer (MUX)
 has a number of inputs, each carrying signals using a distinct channel.
 generates an output that combines all the signals.

Figure 8: A 4-input Multiplexer

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 Optical Devices/components

 Demultiplexer (DEMUX)
 serves the opposite purpose -- its input is a fiber carrying n optical
signals, with the i th signal using channel ci.
 has at least m outputs, with the ith output carrying the optical signal using
channel ci, for all i; 1 ≤i ≤ n.

Figure 9: A 4-output Demultiplexer

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 Optical Devices/components
 Optical add-drop multiplexer
(OADM)
 ADM: A pair consisting of a MUX
and a DEMUX, where some of the
outputs from the DEMUX are not
connected to any of the inputs of the
MUX.
 Each output of the DEMUX, not
connected to an input of the
MUX, is connected to a receiver.
 Each input to the MUX which is
not connected to an output of
the DEMUX is connected to the
output of a
transmitter/modulator. Figure 10: An optical add-drop
 Add-drop multiplexers using optical multiplexer (OADM)
devices are called Optical Add/drop
Multiplexers (OADM).

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 Optical Devices/components
 End nodes: sources or destinations of data (typically
computers).
 Optical routers: direct each incoming optical signal to an
appropriate outgoing fiber.

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 Optical Devices/components
 End node E x (Ey) has transmitters
(receivers) ti,…tj (ri,…rj) tuned to
wavelengths λi, …, λj.
 The data in electronic form is the input
to transmitter ti , and is converted to
optical signals using wavelength i.
 The optical signal using i is routed
through a number of intermediate end-
nodes Ep,Eq,…,Er to the destinationEy.
Figure 12: Use of add drop multiplexers
and demultiplexers

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 Optical Devices/components
 Tasks of End-Node
 receive optical signals from the
preceding node,
 separate the different optical signals on
the input fiber,
 Convert incoming signals, intended for
itself to electronic form,
 forward, without electronic processing,
other incoming signals intended for
other end-nodes,
 convert, to optical signal(s), electronic
data that have to be communicated to
other end-node(s), Figure 12: Use of add drop multiplexers
 combine the optical signals send these and demultiplexers
optical signals using the outgoing fiber
from itself.

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 Point to point communication in an Optical
Network

Figure 11: Point to point communication in an optical network

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 Common connectors types used in optical
network
The optical connector is a passive component used to easily connect/disconnect a
fiber to/from another fiber , an active component, another passive component, an
instrument or a meter.
Optical connectors can be categorized into the following types by structure: SC
connector, FC connector, LC connector and ST connector.

SC adopts push pull coupling (requiring no

rotation) and rectangular housing. It features ease
of use and high resistance to pressure

Lucent connector (LC) uses a modular jack latch-up

design

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 Ferrure connector (FC) uses a metal jacket to
strengthen the exterior and a bottle screw to
fasten the connector. It features a simple
structure and easy operations.

It adopts bayonet coupling. The ned face of

the connector ferrule is prone to external
damage, because the ferrule protrudes from
the connector

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 Difference between pigtail and patch cord

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 One end with connector, the other end is spliced to another fiber

The two end has connector

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 Optical splicing machine

In fusion splicing a machine is used to precisely align the two fiber ends then the
glass ends are "fused" or "welded" together using some type of heat or electric
arc. This produces a continuous connection between the fibers enabling very low
loss light transmission.
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 Fusion splicing is the act of joining two optical fibers end-to-end. The goal is to fuse
the two fibers together in such a way that light passing through the fibers is not
scattered or reflected back by the splice, and so that the splice and the region
surrounding it are almost as strong as the intact fiber.

Fusion splices use an electric arc to weld two fiber-optic cables together. The
process of fusion splicing involves using localized heat to melt or fuse the ends of
two optical fibers together. The splicing process begins by preparing each fiber end
for fusion.

A mechanical splice is a junction of two or more optical fibers that are aligned and
held in place by a self-contained assembly (usually the size of a large carpenter's
nail). The fibers are not permanently joined, just precisely held together so that
light can pass from one to another.

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 Optical power meter (OPM)

An optical power meter (OPM) is a

device used to measure the power in
an optical signal. The term usually
refers to a device for testing
average power in fiber optic systems.

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OTDR optical time-domain reflectometer

An optical time-domain reflectometer

(OTDR) is an optoelectronic
instrument used to characterize
an optical fiber. An OTDR is
the optical equivalent of an electronic
time domain reflectometer.

The operating principle of an OTDR is similar to that of radar. OTDR performs timed
measurements of reflected light. OTDR basically determines the characteristics of an
optical fiber cable through which optical signal propagates.

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Topologies

BUS

RING

STAR

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Star, Tree & Bus Networks

Tree networks are widely deployed in the access front

Tree couplers are similar to star couplers (expansion in only one direction; no
splitting in the uplink)

Bus networks are widely used in LANs

Ring networks (folded buses with protection) are widely used in MAN

Designing ring & bus networks is similar

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Optical Add/Drop Multiplexing

An optical add/drop multiplexer (OADM) allows the insertion or extraction of

one or more wavelengths from a fiber at a network node.
Most OADMs are constructed using WDM elements such as a series of
dielectric thin-film filters, an AWG, a set of liquid crystal devices, or a series of
fiber Bragg gratings used in conjunction with optical circulators.
The OADM architecture depends on factors such as the number of wavelengths
to be dropped/added, the OADM modularity for upgrading flexibility, and what
groupings of wavelengths should be processed.

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Reconfigurable OADM (ROADM)

ROADMs can be reconfigured by a network operator within minutes from a remote

network-management console.
ROADM architectures include wavelength blockers, arrays of small switches, and
wavelength-selective switches.
ROADM features:
Wavelength dependence. When a ROADM is independent of wavelength, it is
colorless or has colorless ports.
ROADM degree is the number of bidirectional multiwavelength interfaces the
device supports. Example: A degree-2 ROADM has 2 bidirectional WDM interfaces
and a degree-4 ROADM supports 4 bidirectional WDM interfaces.
Express channels allow a selected set of wavelengths to pass through the node
without the need for OEO conversion.

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Wavelength Blocker Configuration

The simplest ROADM configuration uses a broadcast-and-select approach:

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 THANK YOU

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