Optical communications

Chapter 5.3
Pham Quang Thai
Pqthai.hcmut@gmail.com

Optical modulator
Analog link noise factor
Digital link dispersion limit
Digital link attenuation limit
Multiple wavelengths link

Digital link: digital signal is

modulated with optical signal
Application: data transmission in optical
networks

Issues in digital link

Attenuation: cause?
Dispersion: cause?

Power budget
Attenuation -> power loss -> received
power?

Total link loss should be less than

allowed loss

Allowed lossPAllowed [dB ] Ps [dBm] PR [dBm]

Link loss PLoss [dB ] lconnector lsplice l fiber lothers System Margin

l fiber [dB ] f [dB / km] L[km]

6

Power budget

PS: source power

PR: receiver sensitivity
lconnector: total loss of all connectors
lsplice: total loss of all splices along the fiber
lfiber: fiber loss over distance L with attenuation
coefficient
lother: other loss (jitter, extinction ratio, intensity
noise etc.)
Margin: safety margin for device aging,
temperature fluctuations, future expansion etc.
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Example for chapter 5.3

Source: GaAlAs LED: -13 dBm at 850
m
Receiver: Si PIN
Connector loss: 1 dB/connector
Fiber attenuation and splice loss: 3.5
dB/km
Required BER=10-9 at 20Mb/s
System margin 6dB
Find the maximum fiber length?

Receiver Sensitivities vs. Bit

Rate
-42dBm

The Si PIN & APD and InGaAsP PIN plots for BER= 10 . The InGaAs APD plot is for
BER=10 11
.
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Example for chapter 5.3

PAllowed [dB] Ps [dBm] PR [dBm]
13 (42)
29[dB ]
PLoss [dB] lconnector lsplice l fiber lothers System Margin
2 1 3.5 L 6
8 3.5L
PAllowed PLoss

29 8
L[km]
6
3.5

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Example for chapter 5.3

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Attenuation compensation
Optical amplifier
3 energy level -> pump -> popular
inversion -> stimulated emission -> light
amplification

12

Pumping method defines amplifier

type
Raman amplifier
Semiconductor Optical Amplifier
(SOA)
Erbium Doped Fiber amplifier (EDFA)

13

Multi-wavelength link
Several wavelengths are combined
into one fiber

14

Issues of multi-wavelength link

All single wavelength link issues (rise
time, attenuation etc.)
Channel crosstalk
Gain/power equalization
Frequency chirping
Nonlinear effects

15

Additional issues of multiwavelength link

Channel crosstalk: noise from other
channels residual signal. Cause by
imperfect filter.

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Additional issues of multiwavelength link

Gain/power equalization: different
gain/loss for different wavelength across
large bandwidth

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Additional issues of multiwavelength link

Frequency chirping: source wavelength
changes with modulated signal power
->received power change with signal
frequency. Usually happens with direct
modulation

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Additional issues of multiwavelength link

Nonlinear effects:

Self phase modulation

Cross phase modulation
Four wave mixing
Stimulated Raman scattering
Stimulated Brilluoin scattering

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