Optical Communication (BEC-057)
By Prof N S Beniwal
Lecture - 3
Contents :
• Basic Optical Laws
• Elements of Optical Fiber Communication
• Advantages and Disadvantages
• Generation of Optical Fiber Communication
• Recent Developments in Fiber Optics
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Basic Optical Laws
Electromagnetic energy, such as light waves, travels at a velocity of
c = 3 × 108 m/sec approximately in free space (a vacuum).
The ratio of the velocity of propagation of a light ray in free space to
that of in a specified material is the refractive index of the
material :
Typical values of are 1.00 for air, 1.33 for water, 1.50 for glass, and 2.42
for diamond.
When a light ray encounters a boundary separating two different
media, reflection and refraction will occur.
The refraction of the light ray at the interface is a result of the
difference in the speed of light in two materials that have different
refractive indices.
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Continued
The ray traveling in the denser
medium (n1) makes an angle of
incidence with the normal drawn
on the plane of incidence at the
point of incidence.
The refracted ray traveling in the
other dielectric would make an
angle of refractive with the
normal, where >.
• The angle of incidence and angle of refraction are
governed by Snell’s law, given by,
i.e
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Continued
As the angle of incidence is increased, the refracted ray
bends more and more away from the normal resulting in
an increase in the value of .
At a certain value of , the angle of refraction becomes 90°
and the refracted ray emerges parallel to the interface
between the dielectric .
If the angle of incidence is more the critical value , the
entire light energy is reflected back in the denser medium
This is known as total internal reflection.
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continued
The limiting value of the angle of incidence (= ) in the
denser medium at which the refracted ray is along the
interface between the two media is called the critical angle,
given by
i.e
Example :
Using n1 = 1.50 for glass and n2 = 1.00 for air, is about
42°.
Any light in the glass incident on the interface at an angle
> 42°
is totally reflected back into the glass.
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Continued
The angle of incidence and reflection can also be measured with
respect to the interface of the two media rather than the normal
drawn on the plane at the point of incidence.
These angles made by the incident and the refracted rays with
respect to the interface of the two media are represented by and
respectively.
If the angles are measured with respect to the interface plane, the
critical condition of refraction would be reached when is
decreased. The Snell’s law can be written in terms 𝑛
𝜃 𝑐 ¿ of
cosand as:
−1 2
i.e 𝑛1
Note :
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Indices of refraction for various
substances
Source : Gerd Keiser, Optical Fiber Communications, McGraw-Hill.
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Optical Fiber Communication
Optical Fiber
It is a glass filament or wire which carries light.
It is a cylindrical waveguide that operate at optical frequency.
It confines electromagnetic energy in the form of light.
Communication
It may be broadly defined as the transfer of information from one
point to another.
Transport of “information” from one place to
another through
Optical Fiber.
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Optical Fiber
It consists of a core and a cladding that surrounds the core.
Both are made of transparent material, either glass or
plastic.
The material used in cladding has lower refractive index
than that used in the fiber core.
The actual fiber used in optical fiber communications is a
very thin strand of material such as glass or plastic. This
fiber has very little mechanical strength. So it is enclosed in
a protective jacket that is usually made of plastic.
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Continued
There are three essential types of optical fibers which are
commonly used today.
Optical fibers with plastic core and cladding, known as plastic
fibers.
Optical fibers with glass core and plastic cladding, known as
plastic-clad silica (PCS) fibers.
Optical fibers with glass core and cladding, known as silica-clad
silica (SCS) fibers.
Photonic crystal fibers (PCFs), a new class of optical fibers,
combine properties of classical fibers and 2D photonic
crystals.
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Optical Fiber Communication Link
Transmitter includes a light source and signal-formatting
circuitry.
A cable offering mechanical and environmental protection to the
optical fibers contained inside it.
A receiver consisting of a photodetector plus amplification and
signal-restoring circuitry.
Other components: Optical amplifiers, connectors, splices,
couplers, regenerators, and passive and active devices.
Source : Gerd Keiser, Optical Fiber Communications, McGraw-Hill.
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Continued
Source : Gerd Keiser, Optical Fiber Communications, McGraw-Hill.
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Advantages of optical fibers
Long Distance Transmission: The lower transmission losses in
fibers compared to copper wires allow data to be sent over longer distances.
Large Information Capacity: Fibers have wider bandwidths than
copper wires, so that more information can be sent over a single physical line.
Small Size and Low Weight: The low weight and the small
dimensions of fibers offer a distinct advantage over heavy, bulky wire cables in
crowded underground city ducts or in ceiling-mounted cable trays.
Immunity to Electrical Interference: The dielectric nature of
optical fibers makes them immune to the electromagnetic interference effects.
Enhanced Safety: Optical fibers do not have the problems of ground
loops, sparks, and potentially high voltages inherent in copper lines.
Increased Signal Security: An optical signal is well-confined within
the fiber and an opaque coating around the fiber absorbs any signal emissions.
System Reliability & Ease of Maintenance : Due to low
transmission loss, intermediate repeaters & line amplifiers are reduced. Hence
with few repeaters system reliability is generally enhanced. The optical
component life time is 20 to 30 years.
Potential Low Cost : The glass which generally provides the optical fiber
transmission medium is made from sand which is available in abundance.
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Disadvantages of Optical
Fibers
Very small hole on the surface of fiber may weakens the tensile
strength.
A small bend on optical fiber causes radiation loss.
Alignment problem, connectors & core misalignment.
The cost of fusion splicing is high.
The fault localization is some what difficult.
Clean environment is required during splicing. A small dust
particle can create high attenuation.
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Generations of Optical Fiber Communication
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History of attenuation
Source : Gerd Keiser, Optical Fiber Communications, McGraw-Hill.
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Operating Range of Components
Source : Gerd Keiser, Optical Fiber Communications, McGraw-Hill.
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Recent Developments in Fiber–Optics
Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) links for enhanced
capacity utilization.
Erbium-doped Optical Fiber Amplifiers (EDFAs).
Dispersion compensating soliton-based optical fiber transmission techniques
Dispersion compensating fibers
Integrated optics which deals with the miniaturization and integration of
various optical components such as electro–optic modulators, directional
couplers, splitters, combiners, etc.
Use of photonic switching architectures which use integrated optical
switches.
Optical MEMs which provide data-rate transparent switching services
The 1625-nm based fibers, comparable with that of 1550-nm fibers
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