Fiber Optics Technology

An Overview

Dr. BC Choudhary, Professor

National Institute of Technical Teachers Training &
Research (NITTTR), Sector-26, Chandigarh
 CONTENT OUTLINES

What is Fiber Optic Technology?

Why Optical Transmission?

Why Optical Fibers?

OFC Systems & Potential

Fiber Optics Sensing & Medical Applns

***
 What is Fiber Optic Technology?
Also called Lightwave Technology

Fiber Optic Technology uses light

as the primary medium to carry
information.

The light often is guided through

optical fibers.

Most applications use invisible

(infrared) light; LEDs or LDs
 Why Fiber Optic Technology?
During past three decades, remarkable and dramatic changes
took place in the electronic communication industry.

A phenomenal increase in voice, data

and video communication - demands for
larger capacity and more economical
communication systems.
Lightwave Technology : Technological
route for achieving this goal

Most cost-effective way to move huge amounts of

information (voice, video, data) quickly and reliably.
Why Optical Transmission ?
Capacity ! Capacity ! and More Capacity !
A technical
revolution in Communication Industry to explore for
large capacity, high quality and economical systems for
communication at Global level.
Radio-waves and Trrestrial Microwave systems have long
since reached their capacity
Satellite Communication Systems can provide, at best, only a
temporary relief to the ever-increasing global demand.
extremely high initial cost of launching
geometry of suitable orbits,
available microwave frequency allocations and
if needed repair is nearly impossible

Next option: Optical Communication Systems !

Optical Frequencies
Optical Region

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

 Potential of Optical Transmission ?
The information carrying capacity of a communications system is
directly proportional to its bandwidth; C = BWlog2(1+SNR)
Wider the bandwidth, greater the information carrying capacity.

Theoretically; BW is 10% of the carrier frequency

Signal Carrier Bandwidth

VHF Radio system; 100 MHz. 10 MHz

Microwave system; 6 GHz 0.6 GHz.
Lightwave system; 106 GHz 105 GHz.

A system with light as carriers has an Excessive bandwidth (more than

100,000 times than achieved with microwave frequencies)
meet the todays communication needs or that of the foreseeable future

Communication System with light as the carrier of information

A great deal of attention.
 Major Difficulties
Transmission of light wave for any useful distance through earths
atmosphere Impractical : Attenuation and Absorption of ultra high light
frequencies by water vapors, oxygen and air particulate.
The only practical type of optical communication system that uses a
fiber guide.

Optical Fiber ?
A strand of glass or plastic material
with special optical properties, which
enable light to travel a large distance
down its length.

Powerful & Intense Optical Sources

Invention of LASER (1960) and low loss Optical Fiber Wave
guides (1970) An edge toward making the dream of carrying
huge amount of information, a reality.
Dr. N. S. Kapany
 Fiber Optics Timeline
1951: Light transmission through bundles of fibers- flexible fibrescope used in
medical field.
1957 : First fiber-optic endoscope tested on a patient.
1960 : Invention of Laser (development, T Maiman)
1966: Charles Kao et al; proposed cladded fiber cables with lower losses as a
communication medium.
1970: (Corning Glass, NY) developed fibers with losses below 20 dB/km.
1972: First Semiconductor diode laser was developed
1977: GT&E in Los Angeles and AT&T in Chicago send live telephone
signals through fiber optics (850nm, MMF, 6 Mbps, 9km ) -Worlds
first FO link
1980s: 2nd generation systems; 1300nm, SM, 0.5 dB/km, O-E-O
3rd generation systems; 1550nm, SM, 0.2 dB/km, EDFA, 5Gb/s
1990s : Bell Labs sends 10 Billion bits through 20,000 km of fibers using a
Soliton system & WDM Techniques.
2000s : NTT, Bell Labs and Fujitsu are able to send Trillion bits per second
through single optical fiber All optical networks.
 The Nobel Prize in Physics 2009

"For ground breaking achievements "For the invention of an imaging

concerning the transmission of light in semiconductor circuit the CCD
fibers for optical communication" sensor"

Charles K. Kao
(b. 1933 Shanghai, China)

1/2 of the prize

Willard S. Boyle George E. Smith
Standard Telecommunication Laboratories,
Harlow, UK; b. 1924 b. 1930
Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1/4 of the prize 1/4 of the prize
Hong Kong, China Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ, USA
 Basic Fiber Optic Link
RECIEVER
TRANSMITTER

LIGHT
DRIVER OPTICAL FIBER DETECTOR
SOURCE

MEDIUM FOR CARRYING LIGHT

Converts Electrical signal to light Detector accepts light, converts

Driver modifies the information it back to electrical signal.
into a suitable form for conversion
Detector is PIN diode or APD
into light
Elect. Signal is demodulated to
Source is LED or Laser diode
separate out the information
whose output is modulated.
 Fiber-Optic System Devices
Transmitter (Laser diode or LED).
Fiber-Optic Cable.
Receiver (PIN or APD).

Backbone of an OFC System : OPTICAL FIBER

acts as transmission channel for carrying light beam
loaded with information
 Optical Fiber as Transmission Medium

Transmit data as light pulses

(first converting electronic signals
to light pulses then finally
converting back to electronic
signals)

Light propagate by means of Total Internal Reflection (TIR)

 Structure of Optical Fiber
A dielectric core (Doped Silica) of high refractive index
surrounded by a lower refractive index cladding.

Basic Structure of a Step-Index Optical Fiber

Single mode: 5-10 m
Multimode: 50/62.5 m

NECESSARY CONDITION FOR TIR: n1 > n2

 Transmission Loss in Optical Glass

1970, First Optical

Fiber: Losses 20 dB/km
at 633nm

1977, losses reduced to

5dB/km at 850nm

1980s, Losses reduced to

0.2 dB/km at 1550 nm

Dramatic reduction in transmission loss in

optical glass
 Communication Channel Capacity
Communication Carrier Bandwidth 2 way voice
Medium Frequency Channels

Copper Cable 1 MHz 100 kHz < 2000

Coaxial Cable 100 MHz 10 MHz 13,000

Optical Fiber 100 1000 THz 40 THz >3,00,000 or

Cables 90,000 Video
signals
 TWO MAJOR COMMUNICATION ISSUES

ATTENUATION
Attenuation is signal loss over distance Light pulses loose their energy
and amplitude falls as they travel down the cable.

Attenuation puts distance limitations on long- haul networks.

DISPERSION
Dispersion is the broadening of a light pulse as it travels down the cable.
Intermodal (Modal) dispersion
Intramodal (Chromatic) dispersion : (Material & Waveguide )

Puts data rate limitation on networks

 Fiber Attenuation

4dB/km at 850 nm

0.5 dB/km at 1310 nm

0.2 dB/km at 1550 nm

Attenuation in Silica Optical Fibers

Fiber Dispersion

Dispersion is
minimum in SMFs
Step Index / Graded Index
 Wavelengths of Operation

Attenuation in Silica Fibers

Attenuation (dB/ km )

2.5
2 3 Optical
2.0 Windows
1
1.5

1.0

0.5

900 1100 1300 1500 1700

Wavelength (nm )
850 nm 1310 nm 1550 nm
 OPTICAL SOURCES
LEDS (GaAlAs)
850 nm, 1310 nm
Low cost easy to use
Used for multimode fibers
Special edge-emitting LEDs for SMFs

Laser Diodes (InGaAsP, InGaAsSb)

850nm, 1310nm, 1550nm
Very high power output
Very high speed operation
Very expensive
Need specialized power supply and circuitry
 OPTICAL DETECTORS
PIN Diodes (Si, Ge, InGaAs)
850nm, 1310nm, 1550 nm
Low cost

APDs (Avalanche Photodiodes, GaAlAs)

850nm, 1310nm, 1550 nm
High sensitivity- can operate at very low power levels
Expensive
 Advantages of Optical Fiber
Wide Bandwidth: Extremely high information carrying
capacity (~GHz)
3,00,000 voice channels on a pair of fiber
Voice/Data/Video Integrated Service
2.5 Gb/s systems from NTT ,Japan; 5 Gb/s System Siemens

Low loss : Information can be sent over a large distance.

Losses ~ 0.2 dB/km
Repeater spacing >100 km with bit rates in Gb/s

Interference Free
Immune to Electromagnetic interference: No cross talk between fibers
Can be used in harsh or noisy environments

Higher security : No radiations, Difficult to tap

Attractive for Defense, Intelligence and Banks Netwroks
Compact & light weight
Smaller size : Fiber thinner than human hair
Can easily replace 1000 pair copper cable of 10 cm dia.
Fiber weighs 28gm/km; considerably lighter than copper
Light weight cable

Environmental Immunity/Greater safety

Dielectric- No current, No short circuits Extremely safe for hazardous
environments; attractive for oil & petrochemicals
Not prone to lightning
Wide temperature range
Long life > 30 years

Abundant Raw Material : Optical fibers made from Silica (Sand)

Not a scarce resource in comparison to copper.
 Some Practical Disadvantages
Optical fibers are relatively expensive.
Connectors very expensive: Due to high degree
of precision involved
Connector installation is time consuming and
highly skilled operation
Jointing (Splicing) of fibers requires expensive
equipment and skilled operators
Connector and joints are relatively lossy.
Difficult to tap in and out (for bus architectures)
- need expensive couplers
Relatively careful handling required
 OFC- Systems
Firstly installed Systems: operating at 1310 nm
Low loss; minimum pulse broadening
Transmission rate 2-10 Gb/s
Regeneration of Signal after every 30-60 km
Conversion of O-E-O signal
Future OFC Systems: 1550 nm Wavelength band
Silica has lowest loss, increased dispersion
Design of Dispersion Shifted Fibers
Lowest loss and Negligible dispersion
Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier (EDFA)
Direct amplification of optical signal
Flat gain around 1550nm low loss window
BW 12,500 GHz ; Enormous potential
 EDFA

Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier

Direct amplification of optical signal
Flat gain around 1550nm low loss window
BW 12,500 GHz ; Enormous potential
Increasing Network Capacity Options
Same bit rate, more fibers
More Fibers
Slow Time to Market
(SDM)
Expensive Engineering
Limited Rights of Way
Duct Exhaust

Same fiber & bit rate, more ls

W Fiber Compatibility
D Fiber Capacity Release
M Fast Time to Market
Lower Cost of Ownership
Utilizes existing TDM Equipment

Faster Electronics Higher bit rate, same fiber

(TDM) Electronics more expensive
 Future OFC- Systems
Coincidence of low-loss window & wide-BW EDFA
Possibilities of WDM Communication Systems
Capable of carrying enormous rates of information

Typical WDM network containing various types of optical amplifiers.

Examples: 1.1 Tb/s over 150 km ; 55 wavelengths WDM

2.6 Tb/s over 120 km ; 132 wavelengths WDM
 Bandwidth Evolutionary Landmarks
Optical Fiber

All-Optical Network
(Terabits Petabits)
TDM (Gb/s)
Fiber is deployed at a rate of 2000 miles every hour 80l @ 40Gb/s
40
176l @OC-192 40 Gb/s
35
Enablers EDFA + 32l @OC-192
30 EDFA + Raman Amplifier Raman Amplifier
Dense WDM/Filter
Bandwidth

25 16l @OC-192
High Speed Opto-electronics
20
Advanced Fiber 8l @OC-48
4l @OC-192
15 EDFA

10 10 Gb/s
2l @1.2Gb/s 4l @OC-48
(1310 nm, 1550 nm)
5 2l @OC-48
565 Mb/s 1.2 Gb/s 2.4 Gb/s
0
405 Mb/s 810 Mb/s 1.8 Gb/s

2006
2004
1982

1986
1984

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002
TDM DWDM
 Bands in Light Spectrum
Approximate Attenuation
of Single Mode fiber cable

Visible Infrared

700 900 1100 1300 1500 1700 nm

O Band ~ 1270-1350 nm
E Band ~ 1370 - 1440 nm
S Band ~ 1470 - 1500 nm
C Band ~ 1530 - 1565 nm
L Band ~ 1570 - 1610 nm
 Fiber Optics Communication
Expressway

CISCO raising the speed limit

LUCENT adding more lanes
NORTEL providing faster transport
equipments

Lightwave Communication Systems Employing DWDM,

EDFA and Soliton pulses
ZERO LOSS & NEAR INFINITE BANDWIDTH

Provide with a network capable of handling almost

all information needs of the society.
 Next Step is FTTx?
FTTH: fiber to the home
FTTP: fiber to the premises
FTTC: fiber to the curb
FTTN: Fiber to the node
FTTx: for those who cant decide what to call it
or are referring to all varieties!
 Fiber-To-The-Premises (FTTP)

ONT

OLT DWDM
Tx Coupler
1490nm Cable
1310nm Optical Fiber
Rx Splitter

Video Tx
1550nm
Optical
Amplifier 1550nm Rx
1490nm Rx
1310nm Tx
Optical Fiber Platform
 Lightwave Technology: Application Areas

Majority Applications:
Telephone networks
Data communication systems
Cable TV distribution

Niche Applications:
Optical sensors
Medical equipment
 Fiber Optic Sensors
An offshoot of fiber optic communication research
Realization of high sensitivity of optical fibers to external
perturbations (phase modulation, micro bending loss in
cabling, modal noise etc) and its exploitation for
development of sensors. (An Alternate School of Thought,
1975)
High sensitivity of fibers due to long interaction length of
light with the physical variable

FO Sensors: A Boon in Disguise

 FIBER OPTIC SENSORS?
Dictionary: any device in which variations in the transmitted
power or the rate of transmission of light in optical fiber are
the means of measurement or control

To measure physical parameters such as strain, temperature,

pressure, velocity, and acceleration etc.

Optical fibers: strands of glass that transmit light over long

distances (wire in electrical systems)

Light: transmitted by continuous internal reflections in optical

fibers (electron in electrical systems)
 Light Wave Parameters

1. Amplitude / Intensity
2. Phase
3. Wavelength
4. Polarization
5. Time / Frequency
 Supporting Technology
Kapron (1970) demonstrated that the attenuation of light in
fused silica fiber was low enough that long transmission links
were possible
Procedure in Fiber optic sensor systems:
Transmit light from a light source along an optical fiber to a
sensor, which sense only the change of a desired environmental
parameter.
The sensor modulates the characteristics (intensity, wave length,
amplitude, phase) of the light.
The modulated light is transmitted from the sensor to the signal
processor and converted into a signal that is processed in the
control system.
The properties of light involved in fiber optic sensors: reflection,
refraction, interference and grating
 Type of Fiber Optic Sensors
Fiber optic sensors can be divided by:

Places where sensing happens

Extrinsic or Hybrid fiber optic sensors

Intrinsic or All-Fiber fiber optic sensors

Characteristics of light modulated by environmental effect

Intensity-based fiber optic sensors

Spectrally-based fiber optic sensors

Interferometeric fiber optic sensors

 Extrinsic or Hybrid Fiber Optic Sensors

Consist of optical fibers that lead up to and out of a black

box that modulates the light beam passing through it in
response to an environmental effect.

Sensing takes place in a region outside the fiber.

 Intrinsic or All-Fiber Optic Sensors

Sensing takes place within the fiber itself.

The sensors rely on the properties of the optical fiber itself

to convert an environmental action into a modulation of
the light beam passing through it.
Fiber Optic Sensor Capabilities

Rotation, acceleration
Electric and magnetic fields
Temperature and pressure
Acoustics and vibration
Strain, humidity, and viscosity
 ADVANTAGES
Immunity to electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio
frequency interference (RFI)

All-passive dielectric characteristic: elimination of conductive

paths in high-voltage environments

Inherent safety and suitability for extreme vibration and

explosive environments

Tolerant of high temperatures (>1450 oC) and corrosive

environments

Light weight, and small size

High sensitivity
 Fiber Optic Sensors Historical Trends

Few, high-priced Low-cost basic Low-cost complex

components, laser components, laser components, mass
diodes, microoptics diodes pigtailed, fiber produced integrated
beamsplitters optics

Niche markets - RF Mass markets emerge - Fiber optic systems -

temperature fiber gyros, medical, lab fiber optic smart
instruments, structures, industrial
manufacturing systems
 Fiber Optic Sensors Whats Next?

Fiber optic health and Hundreds of civil Fiber optic SHM

structural monitoring structure installations, systems are mandated
systems on about 100 aerospace fiber optic on new civil and
bridges, aerospace SHM moves to level 8 aerospace structures
SHM technology and 9 with initial
moves toward level 6 deployments

Hundreds of oil and gas Thousands of systems

Oil and gas
wells uses downhole fiber are deployed for many
deployments start to
optic sensor systems, high value oil and gas
appear
platforms begin to use wells, fiber optic SHM
fiber optic SHM systems mandated on some oil
platforms
Basic Elements of a Fiber Optic Sensor
Beam conditioning
optics Modulator

Optical Fiber
Transducer
Light source

Optical fiber
Light sources
Detector
Beam conditioning optics
Modulators
Detectors
What Does F.O.S. Look Like?

Various Fiber Optic Sensors

 GENERAL USES
Measurement of physical properties such as strain,
displacement, temperature, pressure, velocity, and acceleration
in structures of any shape or size
Monitoring the physical health of structures in real time
Damage detection
Used in multifunctional structures, in which a combination of
smart materials, actuators and sensors work together to
produce specific action
Any environmental effect that can be conceived of can be
converted to an optical signal to be interpreted,
Eric Udd, Fiber Optic Sensors,
 Monitoring in Structural Engineering
Buildings and Bridges: concrete monitoring during setting, crack
(length, propagation speed) monitoring, prestressing monitoring,
spatial displacement measurement, neutral axis evolution, long-
term deformation (creep and shrinkage) monitoring, concrete-steel
interaction, and post-seismic damage evaluation
Tunnels: multipoint optical extensometers, convergence monitoring,
shotcrete / prefabricated vaults evaluation, and joints monitoring
Damage detection
Dams: foundation monitoring, joint expansion monitoring, spatial
displacement measurement, leakage monitoring, and distributed
temperature monitoring
Heritage structures: displacement monitoring, crack opening
analysis, post-seismic damage evaluation, restoration monitoring,
and old-new interaction
General Purpose FOS
Fly by Light System
Fly by Light System-Airframe
Fly by Light System-Engine
MEDICAL APPLICATIONS

Small, Flexible
Non Toxic
Chemically Inert
Intrinsically Safe
Low Maintenance
Ease of Use
Fibers are Everywhere
THANK YOU