BLOCK DIAGRAM OF FIBER OPTIC COMMUNICTION SYSTEM:

Information to be conveyed is converted into electrical input signal and enter into the optical
transmitter. This optical transmitter converts electrical signal into optical form and the resulting
light signal is transmitted over optical fiber.
At the receiver end, an optical detector converts the light back into an electrical signal. The
information signal is extracted from the electrical signal by means of electronic transmitter.
TRANSMITTER:
The heart of the transmitter is the light source. The major function of the light source
is to convert an information signal from its electrical form into light.
Fiber optic communication system use light source as, either light emitting diodes
(LEDs) (or) laser diodes (LDs). Both are semiconductor device that effectively
converts electrical signal into light.

Fig: block diagram of optical communication systems

OPTIC FIBER:
The transmission medium is fiber optic communication systems is an optic fiber.
Optical fiber is the transparent flexible filament that guides light from the transmitter
to a receiver.
Optical fiber is generally made from a type of glass called silica (or) less commonly
from plastic. It is about human hair in thickness.
REGENERATOR:
Regenerator is used to boost an optical signal to transmit information over a long
distance.
A regenerator accept an optical signal, converts into electrical signal, makes a
decision whether it is bit 0(or)bit 1,generates a new electrical pulse, converts back
into an optical signal, and transmits reshaped signal farther along the fiber.
OPTICAL RECEIVER:
The key component of an optic receiver is its photo detector. The major function of
photo detector is to convert an optical information signal into an electrical signal.
Photo detector in todays fiber optic communication system is a semiconductor
photodiode (PD)(P-n, PIN or avalanche) and in some instances, phototransistors
and photoconductors .
ACCEPTANCE ANGLE:
Acceptance angle is the maximum angle to the fiber axis at which
light may enter the fiber axis in order to propagate.
Acceptance cone
Conical half angle
Air = n0
Conicocc

cladding n2

eventually lost by radiation

A ray

fiber axis

(or)cone

(or) cone axis

90

c c

x
B ray
Acceptance cone

Cladding n2

core

 Consider two rays A and B launched in to the fiber. The ray A makes an angle
core cladding interface.
This ray (ray A) making an angle

within the

a to the fiber axis and it gets refracted at the air core

interface and this refracted ray is getting propagated in to the fiber.

The ray B is launched to fiber at an angle greater than

say

x . This ray gets refracted

in to the cladding and get lost by radiation.

a must be less than the critical angle at the fiber core .

According to snells law of refraction at air core interface

n 0 sina=n1 sin ( 90 )
n0 =air refractive index=1

a =acceptance angle (or) incident angle at air-core interface

n1 =refractive index of core
90

=refracted angles at air-core interface

n 0 sin a=n 1 cos

sin a=n 1 cos

(n0 = 1)

At core-cladding interface , total internal reflection takes place. The angle of incidence at core-cladding
interface should be greater than critical angle
Let

=c ,
sin a=n cos c
Sin

a=n (1sin c)

W.K.T critical angle,

c ( ) c=sin

n2
n1

c=

n2
n1

Sin

sina=n (1

n2
)
n1

n 1n 2
n1
a=n () = NA
sin

n
(n
) (or) sin 1 NA

a=sin1
NUMERICAL APERTURE:
Numerical aperture gives the measure of light gathering ability of an optical figure. It is referred
as figure of merit of the fiber. It is given by,

n n =n0 sina

NA =

, where n0 = 1

Most probably light is launched to the fiber from the air medium . Air refractive index n0=1.
Fiber optic communication technology operates not with refractive indexes of the core and cladding
themselves but with their difference n.
n = n1-n2 (1) This value is always positive.

n1>n 2

The relative difference of refractive indexes often called relative index defined as follows
=

n1n 2
n

...(2)

Where n = average refractive index =

n=

n1+ n2
2

n1+ n2
2

2n = n1+n2 (3)

n
( n )
NA=
=

(n +n )(n n )

using (1) & (3)

= (2 n)( n)
NA = n

consider n

NA n 2
Acceptance angle in terms of

a=sin (n n )
=

sin NA

a=sin1 [n (2 )]

n1