Module 05 (Part B)

Optical Fibers Communication

Dr. Byomakesh Mahapatra

Assistant Professor
MIT Manipal, MAHE

Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra

General and Optical Communication systems

Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra

Need for Fiber Optical Communication

⚫Increase of the
bandwidth and
decreases the cost per
transmitted bit for
optical communication
systems during the
1990‘s.

Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra

The Electromagnetic Spectrum
Shortest wavelengths
(Most energetic photons)

EE == hν
hν == hc/λ
hc/λ
h = 6.6x10-34 [J*sec]
(Planck’s constant)

Longest wavelengths
(Least energetic photons)
Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra
Properties of light:-
There are three theories are used to explain light:

❖Ray theory
❖
❖Wave theory
❖
❖ Quantum theory

Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra

Properties of light/ important terms:-
✔Refraction
✔Reflection
Ray theory
✔Refractive index
✔Total internal reflection
✔ Geometrical optics Related to optical fiber
propagation loss
✔Absorption
✔Dispersion
✔scattering
✔Optical wave guide Wave
propagation
✔Wave front
✔Isotropic medium
✔Plane wave
✔polarization
✔ Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra
Ray theory:-
⮚It state that light is a stream minute particles and travel in a straight line .
⮚
⮚A beam of light is a group of rays called as ray congruence.
⮚
⮚A ray is the thinnest pencil of light with a well defined boundaries with
out diffraction.

aperture

Light patch

Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra

 Wave theory of light :-
❖ Light is considered as an electromagnetic radiation. It consists of two
components i.e., the electric component and the magnetic component which
oscillate perpendicular to each other as well as to the direction of path of
radiation.
❖

❖It propagates in a particular direction according to this E&H component

known as polarization.
Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra
 Quantum theory:-
Max Planck proposed Quantum theory by considering light to possess a particle
nature.
1) Energy is emitted due to vibrations of charged particles in the black body.

2) The radiation of energy is emitted or absorbed discontinuously in the form of small discrete energy
packets called quanta.

3) Each quantum is associated with definite amount of energy which is given by the equation E=hν.
Where

h = planck's constant = 6.625 x

10-34 J. sec = 6.625 x10-27 erg.
sec

ν= frequency of radiation

Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra

 Quantum theory:-
4) The total energy of radiation is quantized i.e., the total energy is an integral multiple of hν. It

can only have the values of 1 hν or 2 hν or 3 hν. It cannot be the fractional multiple of hν.

5) Energy is emitted and absorbed in the form of quanta but propagated in the form of waves.

Photo electric effect

Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra

 There was a problem with wave theory
In the early 20th century, several effects were observed which could not be understood using the wave theory
of light.

Two of the more influential observations were:

1) The Photo-Electric Effect

2) The Compton Effect

Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra

 Photoelectric Effect (I)
No electrons were emitted until Vary wavelength,
the frequency of the light fixed amplitude
exceeded a critical frequency, at electrons
which point electrons were emitted emitted ?
from the surface! No

Yes, with
low KE

Yes, with
high KE

Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra

Reflection:-

Normal

Incident ray Reflected rays

Angle of Angle of
incidence reflection

Mirror
Mirror
Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra
The Law of Reflection:-

Angle of incidence = Angle of reflection

In other words, light gets reflected from a surface at

____ _____ angle it hits it.

The
same !!!
same

Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra

Bending of light ray
 Refraction:-
 Refraction is when waves bend or slow down due to
traveling in a different medium. A medium is something
that waves will travel through. When a pen is placed in
water it looks bent from the normal position.

 In this case, the light rays are slowed down by differences

in the water and air refractive index.

Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra

Refraction
:
-

Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra

Ex:-

Light banding due to refraction

Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra
 Snell’s Laws
❖ Snell’slaw is defined as “The ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence to
the sine of the angle of refraction is a constant, for the light of a given
colour and for the given pair of media”. Snell’s law formula is expressed as:

Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra

 Refractive index :-
❖The ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to that in matter is the index of
refraction (n)

where
n = c/v c = speed of light in vacuum and

v = speed of light in the medium

Refractive index of air: 1.0003

water: 1.33
glass: 1.4 – 1.7
silicon : 3.96
GaP : 3.5
Gas :3.9
diamond :2.41
LiNbO3 :2.21

Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra

Total Internal Reflection:-
When there is a change the incident angle of the light on the block, the reflected light varies. At a
certain angle, called the critical angle all the light rays try to be reflected back to the same
medium. When this happens we call it as total internal reflection.

TIR in optical fiber

Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra

 Wave polarization:-
Polarization is a property of waves that can oscillate with more than one
orientation
❖The polarization of light is described by specifying the orientation of the wave's electric field at a point
in space over one period of the oscillation. When light travels in free space, in most cases it propagates
as a transverse wave—the polarization is perpendicular to the wave's direction of travel. In this case,
the electric field may be oriented in a single direction (linear polarization), or it may rotate as the wave
travels (circular or elliptical polarization). In the latter case, the field may rotate in either direction

Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra

Dispersion:-
⮚When the light ray passes through a prism it is separate in to a ray of constituent
color this phenomenon is known as dispersion.

⮚It can also be define as the broadening of the light plus in an optical wave
propagation
⮚ in an optical fiber there are different kind of dispersion is phenomenon is found

⮚Intermodal or chromatic dispersion Material dispersion

⮚Polarization mode dispersion Wave guide dispersion

Material dispersion:-
It occurs due to the varying material properties
which provide different velocities to the light in
an optical fiber.

Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra

❖ Waveguide dispersion
- Waveguide dispersion occurs because the mode propagation
constant is a function of the size of the fiber's core relative to the
wavelength of operation.
– Waveguide dispersion also occurs because light propagates
❖ differently in the core than in the cladding.
❖ Polarization Mode Dispersion
Polarization mode dispersion (PMD) occurs when different planes of
light inside a fiber travel at slightly different speeds, making it impossible
to transmit data reliably at high speeds(multimode fiber)

❖Total Dispersion
– Total dispersion is due to all types of dispersion

Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra

Scattering:-
•Scattering can be broadly defined as the redirection of radiation out of the
original direction of propagation, usually due to interactions with molecules
and particles
• Reflection, refraction, diffraction etc. are actually all just forms of scattering
• Matter is composed of discrete electrical charges (atoms and molecules –
dipoles)
• Light is an oscillating EM field – excites charges, which radiate EM waves
• These radiated EM waves are scattered waves, excited by a source
external to the scattered
• The superposition of incident and scattered EM waves is what is observed

rainbow

Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra

Propagation modes in OFC
Modes In optical Fiber (Type of Fiber)

Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra

FIBER OPTICS
CABLE
 Fiber optics cable

Strength material
Outer cover Optical fiber

Buffer tube
According to buffer type optical fiber cables
are

❖Loose buffer cable: The inner diameter is much larger than

the outer diameter.

❖Tight buffer cable:- The inner diameter is equal to the fiber

coating diameter
According to the use of optical fiber cable can be

❖Indoor cable
❖Out door cable
Fiber types
Type Core Cladding Mode

50/125 50 125 Multimode, graded-index

62.5/125 62.5 125 Multimode, graded-index

100/125 100 125 Multimode, graded-index

7/125 7 125 Single-mode

 Optical Sources

Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra

 LED
A light emitting diode (LED) is
essentially a PN junction opto-semiconductor
that emits a monochromatic (single color) light
when operated in a forward biased direction.
LEDs convert electrical energy into light
energy. They are frequently used as "pilot"
lights in electronic appliances to indicate
whether the circuit is closed or not.

34
 About LEDs
The most important part of a light emitting diode (LED) is the
semi-conductor chip located in the center of the bulb as shown at the
right. The chip has two regions separated by a junction. The p region is
dominated by positive electric charges, and the n region is dominated
by negative electric charges. The junction acts as a barrier to the flow of
electrons between the p and the n regions. Only when sufficient voltage
is applied to the semi-conductor chip, can the current flow, and the
electrons cross the junction into the p region.

35
How Does A LED Work?

P-n Electric
junction al
Contact
A typical LED needs a p-n
junction
s
There are a lot of electrons
and holes at the junction due
to excitations
Electrons from n need to be
injected to p to promote
recombination
Junction is biased to produce even more
Recombinatio
e-h and to inject electrons n produces
from n to p for recombination
light!!
 Direct band gap
 UV-LED  ~0.5-400nm
materials
Eg > 3.25eV

e.g. GaAs not Si  LED -  ~450-650nm

Eg = 3.1eV to 1.6eV
 IR-LED-  ~750nm- 1.5nm
Eg = 1.65eV

Candidate Materials

Materials with refractive

index that could allow Readily doped n or p-
light to ‘get out’ types
Relative response of the human eye to various
colors Relative eye response

100

GaAs.14p86

GaAs.35p65

GaAs.6p4
GaP:N
10-1

GaN

ZnSe
10-2
violet blue green yellow orange red

10-3 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700 750

Wavelength in nanometers
10-4
Some Types of LEDs

Bargraph 7-segment Starburst Dot matrix

LASER
 What is LASER ?
 A laser is a device that generates light by a process called
STIMULATED EMISSION.

 The acronym LASER stands for Light Amplification by

Stimulated Emission of Radiation

 Semiconductor lasers are multilayer semiconductor devices

that generate a coherent beam of monochromatic light by
laser action. A coherent beam results when all of the photons
are in phase.
Stimulated Emission
 The operation of the Laser

In a laser beam, the light waves are “coherent,” meaning the beam
of photons is moving in the same direction at the same wavelength.
This is accomplished by sending the energized electrons through an
optical “gain medium” such as a solid material like glass, or a gas.
 Types of Laser
⚫According to the active material:
solid-state, liquid, gas, excimer or
semiconductor lasers.

⚫According to the wavelength:

infra-red, visible, ultra-violet (UV) or x-ray
lasers.
Photodetector
 Type of Photodetector
Different types of photodetectors are in existence:
- photomultipliers
- pyroelectric detectors
- Semiconductor-based photodiodes
-Semiconductor photodiodes are used exclusively because of their small size,
high sensitivity, and fast response time.
-Two types of semiconductor photodiodes are most widely used for optical fiber
communication :

-Pin photodiode
-Avalanche photodiode(APD)
-Silicon Reaches through Avalanche photodiode
(RAPD)
 FC/PC: polished
Fiber Connector Type curved
FC/UPC: ultra-PC
FC/APC: angle PC
 Modulation in Optical Fiber
Communication

Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra

 Wavelength Division
Multiplexing
Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) is a technique
of multiplexing multiple optical carrier signals through
a single optical fiber channel by varying the
wavelengths of laser light. WDM allows communication
in both directions in the fiber cable.
 Wavelength Division
❑ WDM Multiplexing
is fundamentally identical to frequency division
multiplexing as used on electrical or radio transmission
systems. In fact, using the following relationship allows
wavelengths to be related to frequency

❑ Example: Determine the difference in wavelegth of two

optical signals separated by 2 GHz and centered at 1500
nm.
f=c/=200,000 Hz
Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra
Wavelength Division
Multiplexing

Prof. Byomakesh Mahapatra