Fiber Optic Communication

Optical fiber
Lecture 9

Electrical Engineering Department San Jose State University

Khosrow Ghadiri

Fiber optics
Optic fiber waveguide Step-index fiber (SI) 1 All glass fiber 2 - Plastic-cladded silica (PCS) 3 - Polymer optical fiber (POF) Graded-index fiber Photonic Crystal Fiber 1 High Hi h i index d core * High NA * Highly Non-linear * Large Mode Area 2 Photonic bandgap fiber * Low Index Core * Bragg Fiber * Air-guiding fiber
Khosrow Ghadiri Fiber Optics Communications EE Dept. SJSU 2

Critical angle review

Critical angle review cos c = n2 n1
Incident light rays Normal of incidence 1. Totally reflected light ray 2 Refracted light ray with angle 2. of refraction 0 = 90 3. Refracted light ray

C 0
Medium 1 n1 Medium 2 n2 < n1
2

T l internal Total i l reflection fl i of f li light h

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NA Review
Numerical aperture

n0 sin 0 = n1 sin 1 = n1 sin ( 2 ) = n1 cos

n sin = 2 n1
1 = (90 )
2 n12 n2 cos = n1

2 NA = n0 sin 0 = n12 n2

n2

Air n0 = 1

n1 > n2

n2
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Acceptance angle and cone

Numerical aperture

n0 sin 0 = n1 sin 1 = n1 sin ( 2 ) = n1 cos

n2 sin = n1
2 n12 n2 cos = n1

2 NA = n0 sin 0 = n12 n2 = n1 2

1 = (90 )
n2
2 0

Air n0 = 1

n1 > n2

n2

Khosrow Ghadiri

Fiber Optics Communications EE Dept. SJSU

Step Index (SI) Fiber

Step Index Fiber (Step-index matched-clad fiber) For TIR (Total Internal Reflection)

C = sin 1

Fractional refractive index change (of the order of 0.01)

n2 90 n1

Typical dimensions (core/cladding) 50

n1 n2 = n1

125,100 140, 200 230( m m)

n2

n1
n2
Khosrow Ghadiri Fiber Optics Communications EE Dept. SJSU

n
n1
n2
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Step Index (SI) Fiber

For step index

n2 sin c = n1

c = Critical angle = reflection angle c total internal reflection

= Fractional refractive index change n1 n2 = > 0 (typically 0.01) 0 01) n1
2 n1 2 ( (for all g glasses fiber) ) NA = sin 0 = n12 n2
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1. All glass fiber

All glass fiber Core: Glass n1 = 1.48 Cladding: Glass n2 = 1.46 Typical dimensions (core/cladding)50 125,100 125 100 140, 140 200 230( m Attenuation losses: lowest few db km Intermodal pulse spreading: smallest Rate length product: 30 MHz km Rate-length NA = 0.24 Low (result large losses when coupling from a light source low coupling efficiency) 0 0135 Fractional refractive index change = 0.0135 Acceptance angle 0 = 13.9

m)

Khosrow Ghadiri

Fiber Optics Communications EE Dept. SJSU

2. Plastic cladding Silica (PCS)

Plastic Pl ti cladding l ddi silica ili Core :A silica glass n1 = 1.46 Cladding: plastic n2 = 1.4 C Core d diameter 200 m Attenuation losses: moderate 8db / km Intermodal pulse spreading: moderate < 2 0 0 m Rate- length product for product: Low for short path NA=High (efficient source coupling) NA=0.41(also because of large core) Fractional refractive index change = 0.41 Acceptance angle 0 = 24.2

Khosrow Ghadiri

Fiber Optics Communications EE Dept. SJSU

3. All Plastic Fiber

(polymer optical fiber (POF))

All Plastic Pl ti Fiber Fib (polymer ( l optical ti l fib fiber (POF)) Core plastic n1 = 1.49 Cladding plastic n2 = 1.41 Attenuation losses: l High h several lh hundred/km d d/k Intermodal pulse spreading: largest Rate- length product: Low for short distance NA =0.48 : Large (High coupling efficiency) Fractional refractive index change = 0.054 Acceptance angle 0 = 29

Khosrow Ghadiri

Fiber Optics Communications EE Dept. SJSU

10

Graded Index Fiber (GRIN)

The GRaded GRaded-INdex INdex (GRIN) fiber has a core material whose refractive index decreases continuously with distance from the fiber axis.

r n(r ) = n1 1 2( ) , r a a n(r ) = n1 1 2 = n2, r>a

n2

2a

n( r )
n1
n2 n

n1

n2

r
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Graded Index Fiber (GRIN)

Graded Index Fiber (GRIN)

r n(r ) = n1 1 2( ) , r a a n(r ) = n1 1 2 = n2, r>a g the fiber axis n1 = refractive index along n2 = refractive index outside the core(cladding index) a = core radius = parameter describing the refractive index profilevariation = parameter determining the scale of the profile change
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Graded Index Fiber (GRIN)

Core diameter 30 m to 100 m Cladding diameter 100 m to 150 m Buffer jacket diameter 250 m to 1mm
2 2 n n ( 1 2)

2n12

n1 n2 ) ( For the close refractive indices = n1

n2

2a

n( r )
n2

n1

r
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High-Index core fiber

High-Index High Index Core Fiber Fiber, Index Guiding fiber, fiber Holey Fiber

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Fiber Optics Communications EE Dept. SJSU

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High NA (HNA)
High NA

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Fiber Optics Communications EE Dept. SJSU

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Highly Non-Linear
Highly Non-Linear

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Fiber Optics Communications EE Dept. SJSU

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Large Mode Area (LMA)

Large Mode Area (LMA)

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Fiber Optics Communications EE Dept. SJSU

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Photonic band gap (PBG) fiber

Photonic band gap (PBG) fiber, fiber Bandgap guiding fiber

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Fiber Optics Communications EE Dept. SJSU

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Low Index Core (LIC)

Low Index core

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Fiber Optics Communications EE Dept. SJSU

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Air- Guiding (AG)

Air-guiding (AG) or Hollow-core (HC)

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Fiber Optics Communications EE Dept. SJSU

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Attenuation
Losses: Channel input coupler Splices Connectors
Within the fiber The fiber loss: Absorption Scattering S tt i Geometric effects

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Fiber Optics Communications EE Dept. SJSU

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Dispersion
Losses:
Loss dB
0.85

1.30

1.55

( m)
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Glass
The glass is fused molecules of silica SiO2 (silicon dioxide). dioxide) Glass is NOT a compound (periodic) but mixture (amorphous) of SiO2 molecules. To obtain different refractive indices, glass is doped with other material material. Doping elements are Titanium (Ti) Thallium (T) G Germanium i (Ge): (G ) Increases I the th refractive f ti i index d of f silica ili Boron (B) Etc. Core: Silica doped by Ge because Ge increases the refractive index

Khosrow Ghadiri

Fiber Optics Communications EE Dept. SJSU

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Losses in glass
The glass fibers losses classification: 1 Absorption: * Intrinsic absorption - Ultra violet absorption - Infrared absorption * Impurities absorption - Transition-metal Transition metal ions absorption - Hydroxyl ions absorption * Atomic defect 2 Scattering 3 Geometric effects

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Fiber Optics Communications EE Dept. SJSU

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Intrinsic absorption (ultraviolet)

Even the purest silica has heavily absorption within specific wavelength regions which is called intrinsic absorption absorption. Intrinsic absorption is very strong in the short-wavelength ultraviolet p portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. The cause of absorption is strong electron and molecular transition bands. bands The ultraviolet absorption is pronounced at 0.4 m 40dB / km and reduces substantially at 1.8 m 0.01dB / km The ultraviolet absorption is not significant in fiber system.

Khosrow Ghadiri

Fiber Optics Communications EE Dept. SJSU

25

Intrinsic absorption (infrared)

Intrinsic absorption also occurs in the infrared region. region The infrared peaks are between 7 12 m for typical glass compositions far from the fiber systems operation regions. The infrared loss is associated with vibration of chemical bonds such as the silicon-oxygen bond. Thermal energy causes the atoms to move constantly, so the SiO2 bond is continually stretching and contracting. This vibration has a resonant frequency in the infrared range.

Khosrow Ghadiri

Fiber Optics Communications EE Dept. SJSU

26

Transition-metal ions absorption

Metal impurities such as Fe, Fe Cu, Cu V, V Co, Co Ni, Ni Mn, Mn and Cr absorb strongly in the fiber communications region. Few parts per billion causes 20dB / km This loss in the metals involves incompletely filled inner electron shell. Absorption of light causes electrons to move from a lower level shell (low (low-energy energy state) to a higher higher-level level one (higher-energy state) The allowed transition energies correspond to photons whose frequencies p q are in the region g of interest for fiber communications.

Khosrow Ghadiri

Fiber Optics Communications EE Dept. SJSU

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The hydroxyl ions (OH)

The loss due to hydroxyl arises from excess water contents. The loss mechanism for the OH is the stretching vibration between oxygen and hydrogen atoms in thermal motion. motion The resonant frequency occurs at the wavelength of OH impurity should be kept below few parts per millions.

2.76 m

The most significant loss occurs at 1.37, 1.23, and 0.95.

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Khosrow Ghadiri

Atomic defects
Irradiation of glass by X-ray gamma-ray, neutrons and electrons create absorbing atomic effect. The losses are higher around 800 nm and decreases up to 1300nm, and then rise up a bit at 1550 nm. 4+ Titanium Ti used to dope glass dose not absorb. But g during faiberization reduces to Ti 3+ stat occurs. In this state titanium absorb. The platinum crucible also can contaminate if the glass reduces.

Khosrow Ghadiri

Fiber Optics Communications EE Dept. SJSU

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Rayleigh scattering
Rayleigh scattering is due to variation in density of glass. The molecules can be molded as small scattering objects embedded in other=wise homogeneous material material. Rayleigh scattering happens for scatterer much smaller than wavelength g of incoming light. The rayleigh scattering loss can be approximated by
Where is in

0 85 0.85 L = 1.7

and loss is in

dB km

Khosrow Ghadiri

Fiber Optics Communications EE Dept. SJSU

30

Geometric effect
Attenuation caused by bending a fiber is called geometric effect. Two type of geometric effect:
Macroscopic bend due to large-scale large scale bending. bending Microscopic bend due to the stresses set up by small axial distortion caused by cabling process

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Fiber Optics Communications EE Dept. SJSU

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Spectral attenuation
Spectral attenuation of silica glass fiber, fiber showing contribution from Rayleigh scattering and water-vapor absorption.

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Fiber Optics Communications EE Dept. SJSU

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