S.R.M.

Institute of Science & Technology

Deemed University

School of Electronics & Communication Engineering

Question Bank
Subject Code : EC403
Subject Name : Microwave and Optical Communications
Year & Sem : IV Year B.Tech (ECE) ,7th Sem.

Unit-I – Microwave Components and Devices

Part-A
1. What are microwaves?
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of microwaves?
3. Give the applications of microwaves.
4. What is meant by scattering matrix?
5. What is the use of Directional Coupler?
6. Define coupling factor and directivity of a Directional Coupler?
7. What is a Circulator?
8. What is an Isolator?
9. Write the scattering matrix for an Isolator.
10. What are Avalanche transit time devices and why are they called so?
11. Define Transferred Electron Mechanism.
12. What is the difference between low frequency and microwave transistors?
13. What is a TRAPATT and draw the characteristic curve.
14. What are the different modes of operation of a Gunn Diode?
15. Compare TRAPATT and IMPATT Devices.
16. What is the Scattering Matrix for N port devices?
17. What are the properties of S-Matrix?
18. Give the Scattering Matrix of E-Plane Tee and H-Plane Tee.
19. Give the S-Matrix of Magic Tee. What is the output at E arm when a1=0, a2=0,
a3=a?
20. What are Reciprocal Devices? Give two examples.
21. What is the principle of microwave phase shifter?
22. What are non reciprocal devices? Give two examples.
23. Define Gunn Effect. What are the applications of Gunn Diode?

Part - B
1. Explain the operation of Directional Coupler with a neat diagram and derive its
Scattering Matrix.
2. Explain the operation of E Plane Tee and derive its Scattering Matrix and what are
its applications.
3. Describe the operation of Magic tee with inputs at all the arms and derive its
scattering matrix. Analyse the operation under various input conditions.
4. Explain the operation of H Plane Tee and derive its Scattering Matrix. List the
applications of it.
5. Explain the operation of Magic Tee. Describe how it can be used in constructing a
Circulator and a Duplexer.
6. Explain the following with scattering matrix.
1) Isolators 2) Phase Shifters.
7. Explain the construction, characteristics, configurations and parameters of
microwave transistors.
8. What is a Gunn Diode? How it works as a Oscillator and explain its characteristic
curve.
9. Explain in detail, the different modes of operation of Gunn Diode.
10. Explain the operation of IMPATT Diode with its characteristics and write its
applications.
11. Explain the operation of TRAPATT Diode and explain its characteristics curve.

Unit –II – Microwave Amplifiers and Oscillators

Part - A
1. What are the limitations of conventional vacuum tubes?
2. Define velocity modulation.
3. What is the function of a cavity Resonator?
4. How the two cavity Klystron acts as an oscillator?
5. What are the modes of Reflex Klystron?
6. Draw the applegate diagram of Reflex Klystron.
7. What is meant by Hull Cutoff Voltage?
8. What is a Magnetron?
9. What are the advantages of Travelling Wave Tube?
10. What is the use of attenuator in TWT?
11. How a Gunn Diode act as an oscillator?
12. Draw the basic set up of microwave bench.
13. What are the sensors used for power measurements?
14. What is the use of slotted line section in microwave Bench?
15. What are the modes of Gunn Oscillator?
16. What are the differences between klystron amplifier and TWT amplifier?
17. Draw the microwave bench set up for the measurement of coupling factor and
directivity.
18. Draw a multicavity Klystron Amplifier and explain its advantages.
19. What is the use of helix in TWT?
20. What are slow wave structures?
21. What is the need for termination?
22. What is Faraday Rotation? Give some examples of ferrite devices.
23. Distinguish between Thermistor and Baretter?
24. What is Transit Time?
25. Define Phase focusing effect.
Part-B
1. Explain the operation of Klystron amplifier and derive its efficiency.
2. Explain in detail the operation of Reflex Klystron and derive its efficiency.
3. Explain the operation of magnetron and derive its Hull Cuttoff voltage equation.
4. Explain the operation of TWT and derive its gain. Give its characteristics and
applications.
5. Explain the modes of operation of Gunn Oscillator.
6. Explain in detail the measurement of S-Parameters.
7. What are the different methods of power measurements and explain.
8. How will you measure frequency and wavelength of microwaves ?
9. Explain in detail the measurement of impedance using microwave bench.
10. Explain the measurement of coupling factor and directivity of directional
coupler.

Unit-III – Introduction to Optical Fiber

Part-A
1. What is the basic principle behind optical transmission?
2. Draw the structure of an optical fiber.
3. What is the need for Cladding?
4. What is an external and internal reflection?
5. What is a step-index fiber? Sketch its RI profile.
6. What is a graded index fiber? Sketch its RI profile
7. Define fiber attenuation.
8. What are the causes for absorption?
9. What are the types of bends?
10. What is meant by group velocity dispersion?
11. What are the causes for intramodal dispersion?
12. What is meant by modes of a waveguide?
13. Sketch the structure, index profile and path taken by light ray in SI and GI fibers.
14. Why are single mode Lasers used for high speed communication.
15. What is Total Internal Reflection ? Define Critical Angle.
16. What is meant by leaky modes?
17. What are hybrid modes?
18. Compare MM and SM fibers
19. Define Normalized frequency.
20. How do scattering losses arise?
21. What is the reason for material dispersion?
22. What are Microbends?
23. What is waveguide dispersion?
24. Define Numerial aperture and give the expression for the same in both SI and GI
fibres
25. What are the attenuation mechanisms in a fibre?
26. Differentiate Attenuation and Dispersion.
27. Differentiate step index and Graded index fibre.
28. A Continuous 12km long optical fibre link has a loss of 1.5db/km. What is the
minimum optical power level that must be launched into the fibre to maintain an
optical power level of 0.3?W at the receiving end?
29. The refractive index of a core is n1=1.48 nclad=1.46. Under what conditions will
light be trapped inside the core?
30. For the plastic fibre, n1=1.495, n2=1.402. Calculate the acceptance angle and
Numerical Aperture.
31. Distinguish Linear and Non-Linear scattering.
32. Distinguish intermodal and intramodal dispersion.
33. Explain how intermodal dispersion is reduced in GI fibre as compared to SI fibre.
34. What is MFD?
35. What is PMD?

Part-B
1. Explain with block diagram, the principles of optical fibre communication.
2. Discuss in detail about the construction, advantages and disadvantages of the SI
and GI fibres.
3. Discuss in detail the attenuation mechanism in fibre.
4. Explain Mode Theory.
5. Discuss modal and material dispersions in SI and GI fibres.
6. Discuss in detail about the construction, advantages and disadvantages of the SM
and MM fibres.
7. Explain briefly about the following types of signal distortion by optical
waveguides
i) Waveguide dispersion ii) Material Dispersion
8. Discuss on “Signal Distortion” in fibres.
9. Enumerate the characteristics of SM fibre.

Unit-IV – Optical Transmitter and Receiver

Part-A
1. Define double heterostructure. Give its significance.
2. What are the basic LED configurations being used for fibre optics?
3. What is lambertran pattern? Sketch it.
4. Define Quantum efficiency?
5. What is modes of cavity?
6. List the types and advantages of photodiode.
7. What is LASER? Describe its properties.
8. What are the direct-band gap and indirect band gap materials?
9. What are light source materials?
10. Define responsivity?
11. What is meant by impact ionization in APD?
12. What do you mean by avalanche effect?
13. What are the conditions required to achieve high signal to Noise ratio in a
photodiode?
14. What are PIN Photodiodes?
15. What are the avalanche photodiode?
16. What do you mean by diffusion length?
17. What are RAPD?
18. Describe reach through structure.
19. State the threshold condition for LASER Oscillation.
20. An engineer has two Ga1-x Alx As LEDS one has a bandgap energy of 1.54ev
and other has x = 0.015 a) Find the aluminum mole fraction x and the emission
wavelength for the first LED b) Find the bandgap energy and the emission
wavelength of the other LED.
21. Give the principle of phtotodetection.
22. Compare PIN and APD device.
23. Explain the phenomenon of optical pumping?
24. GaAs has Bandgap energy of 1.43eV at 3000 K. Determine the wavelength
above which the photodetector fabricated from this material cease to operate.

Part-B
1. Draw the structure of Edge-Emitting LED and explain the operation.
2. Derive Einstein relationship and Threshold condition for Lasing action.
3. Sketch the structure of SLED and explain its working principle.
4. Sketch the structure of LASER and explain its working principle.
5. Explain in detail the Laser Diode structures and its Radiation Pattern.
6. With a neat sketch explain the principle and operation of PIN Photodiode.
7. With a neat sketch explain the principle and operation of Avalanche photodiode.
8. Discuss in detail the effect of the various noise mechanism in a photodetector
and its signal to noise ratio.

Unit V – Optical Link, Coupling and Splicing

Part-A
1. What is WDM and draw a typical WDM network?
2. List some of the principle requirements of a good connector design.
3. How do you analyse the performance of an optical link.
4. Define ‘Excess Loss’ and ‘Insertion Loss’.
5. Define Coupling Efficiency.
6. Distinguish between a splice and a connector.
7. Draw a sketch of simplex point to point link.
8. Name and sketch any two splicing techniques.
9. What for splicing is used?
10. How to connect optical fibres?
11. Is WDM efficient for multiwave length scheme?
12. A coupler has an excess loss of 1dB and 1:1 splitting ratio. How much of the
input power reaches the two output terminals.
13. Define Channel Width.
14. What is the Crosstalk of a WDM System.
15. List the steps involved in splicing procedure.
16. What is a connector?
Part-B
1. a) Explain in detail the rise time budget of a fibre optic point to point link
b) A fiber link includes 5 splices at 0.02dB/splice, four connectors at 0.2dB/
connector transmitter power at -10dBm, receiver sensitivity of -25dBM. What length
of this link will be allowed if a SM fiber with attenuation of 0.3dB/km is used and the
required power margin is 3dB?

2. Discuss the operational principles of WDM highlighting its key features.

3. Write notes on i) Mechanical Splicing ii) Fiber Connectors.
4. What are the parameters required for analyzing point to point link? Explain them
in detail.
5. Discuss on various splicing techniques.
6. a) For a point to point link discuss the link power budget.
b) A 90 Mb/s NRZ data transmission system uses a GaAlAs Laser diode having 1nm
spectral width. The risetime of the laser transmitter output is 2ns. The Transmission
distance is 7 Km over a graded index fiber having a 800 MHz Km bandwidth
distance product. If the receiver bandwidth is 90MHz and the mode mixing factor
q=0.7. Given D(?)=2ps / km-ns. What is the system rise time?

7. a) Explain in detail the rise time budget of a fiber optic point-to-point link.
b) An optical fiber link is designed to operate 8 Km length of the link without a
repeater. The rise time of different individual components are
The rise time of LED source = 5ns
The rise time of p-in photodector = 8ns
Rise time due to modal dispersion = 5ns /km
Rise time due to material dispersion= 1ns/km

Calculate the system rise time and maximum bit rate that can be achieved in the
link using (i) RZ format (ii) NRZ format.