CONTENTS

Unit-V

Part I

Part II

Optical Fiber Applications

Optical Fiber Systems

CONTENTS
Unit-V
Part I
Systems

Optical Fiber

Wavelength division multiplexing

DWDM
active and passive components
optical sensors
optical amplifiers.

Multiplexing
It is the set of technique that allow the simultaneous
transmission of multiple signals across a single data
link.

Types of multiplexing
Multiplexin
g

Digit
al

Analog

FDM

WDM

TDM

Wavelength division multiplexing

(WDM)
a multiplexing technique working in the
wavelength domain
An analog multiplexing technique to combine
optical signal.

History
The concept was first published in 1970, and by
1978 WDM systems were being realized in the
laboratory. The first WDM systems only combined
two signals. Modern systems can handle up to
160 signals and can thus expand a basic 10 Gbit/s
fiber system to a theoretical total capacity of over
1.6 Tbit/s over a single fiber pair.

WDM
In fiber-optic communications

Wavelength
multiplexing

division
(WDM)

is

technology which multiplexes

multiple optical carrier signals
on a single optical fiber by
using different (colours) of
laser light to carry different
signals.

 Most WDM systems operate on single mode fiber optical cables,

which have a core diameter of 9 m. Certain forms of WDM can
also be used in multi-mode fiber cables (also known as pre
mises cables) which have core diameters of 50 or 62.5 m.

Why Is WDM Used?

With the exponential growth in communications,
caused mainly by the wide acceptance of the
Internet, many carriers are finding that their
estimates of fiber needs have been highly
underestimated. Although most cables included
many spare fibers when installed, this growth
has used many of them and new capacity is
needed.

Three methods exist for expanding capacity

Installing more cables,

Increasing system bit rate to multiplex more

signals
wavelength division multiplexing.

Type of WDM
1) Coarse wavelength division
multiplexing(CWDM)
2) Dense Wavelength Division
Multiplexing(DWDM)

Dense Wavelength Division

Multiplexing
No official or standard definition
Implies more channels more closely spaced that WDM
DWDM-based networks create a lower cost way to quickly
respond to customers' bandwidth demands and protocol
changes.
A key advantage to DWDM is that it's protocol- and bit-rate
independent

Coarse wavelength division

multiplexing
CWDM, No official or standard definition
number of channels is fewer than in dense wavelength
division multiplexing (DWDM) but more than in
standard wavelength division multiplexing (WDM).
Laser emission

WDM, CWDM and DWDM

WDM technology uses multiple wavelengths to transmit
information over a single fiber
Coarse WDM (CWDM) has wider channel spacing (20 nm)
low cost
Dense WDM (DWDM) has dense channel spacing (0.8 nm)
which

allows

simultaneous

wavelengths high capacity

transmission

of

16+

Benefits of WDM
WDM technology allows multiple connections over one
fiber thus reducing fiber plant requirement.
This is mainly beneficial for long-haul applications.
Campus applications require a cost benefit analysis.
WDM technology can also provide fiber redundancy.
WDM provides a managed fiber service.

WDM and DWDM

First WDM networks used just two wavelengths, 1310 nm
and 1550 nm
Today's DWDM systems utilize 16, 32,64,128 or more
wavelengths in the 1550 nm window
Each of these wavelength provide an independent channel
(Ex: each may transmit 10 Gb/s digital or SCMA analog)
The range of standardized channel grids includes 50, 100,
200 and 1000 GHz spacing
Wavelength spacing practically depends on:
laser linewidth
optical filter bandwidth

Principles of DWDM
BW of a modulated laser: 10-50 MHz 0.001 nm
Typical Guard band: 0.4 1.6 nm
80 nm or 14 THz @1300 nm band
120 nm or 15 THz @ 1550 nm
Discrete wavelengths form individual channels that can
be modulated, routed and switched individually
These operations require variety of passive and active
devices

c
2

Ex. 10.1

DWDM Limitations
Theoretically large number of channels can be
packed in a fiber
For physical realization of DWDM networks we
need precise wavelength selective devices
Optical amplifiers are imperative to provide
long transmission distances without repeaters

WDM Component
Key Components For WDM
Passive Optical Components
Wavelength Selective Splitters
Wavelength Selective Couplers

Active Optical Components

Tunable Optical Filter
Tunable Source
Optical amplifier
Add-drop Multiplexer and De-multiplexer

Passive Optical Components

These operate completely in the optical domain (no O/E
conversion) and does not need electrical power
Split/combine light stream Ex: N X N couplers, power
splitters, power taps and star couplers
Technologies: - Fiber based or
Optical waveguides based
Micro (Nano) optics based
Fabricated using optical fiber or waveguide.

Wavelength Selective Devices

These perform their operation on the incoming
optical signal as a function of the wavelength
Examples:
Wavelength add/drop multiplexers
Wavelength selective optical combiners/splitters
Wavelength selective switches and routers

Fiber Bragg Grating

This is invented at Communication Research
Center, Ottawa, Canada
The FBG has changed the way optical filtering is
done
The FBG has so many applications
The FBG changes a single mode fiber (all pass
filter) into a wavelength selective filter

Fiber Brag Grating (FBG)

Basic FBG is an in-fiber passive optical band reject filter
FBG is created by imprinting a periodic perturbation in
the fiber core
The spacing between two adjacent slits is called the pitch
Grating play an important role in:
Wavelength filtering
Dispersion compensation
Optical sensing
EDFA Gain flattening
Single mode lasers and many more areas

Bragg Grating formation

2 sin( / 2) uv

Reflection at FBG

Simple De-multiplexing Function

Reflected Wavelength B 2neff

Peak Reflectivity Rmax = tanh2(kL)

Wavelength Selective DEMUX

Dispersion Compensation

Longer wavelengths
take more time

Reverse the operation of

dispersive fiber
Shorter wavelengths
take more time

ADD/DROP MUX

FBG Reflects in both directions; it is bidirectional

Extended Add/Drop Mux

Active Optical Components

Tunable(Discrete Single-Wavelength) Lasers
Number of lasers into simple power coupler; each emit one fixed
wavelength
Expensive (multiple lasers)
Sources must be carefully controlled to avoid wavelength drift

Frequency Tunable Laser

Only one (DFB or DBR) laser that has grating filter
in the lasing cavity
Wavelength is tuned by either changing the
temperature of the grating (0.1 nm/OC)
Or by altering the injection current into the
passive section (0.006 nm/mA)
The tuning range decreases with the optical
output power

Tunable Laser Characteristics

Typically, tuning range 10-15 nm,

Channel spacing = 10 X Channel width

Tunable Filters
Tunable filters are made by at least one branch of an
interferometric filter has its
Propagation length or
Refractive index altered by a control mechanism
When these parameters change, phase of the propagating
light wave changes (as a function of wavelength)
Hence, intensity of the added signal changes (as a function
of wavelength)
As a result, wavelength selectivity is achieved

Tunable Optical Filters

Tuneable Filter Considerations

Tuning Range (): 25 THz (or 200nm) for the
whole 1330 nm to 1500 nm. With EDFA normally
= 35 nm centered at 1550 nm
Channel Spacing (): the min. separation
between channels selected to minimize crosstalk
(30 dB or better)
Maximum Number of Channels (N = / ):
Tuning speed: Depends on how fast switching
needs to be done (usually milliseconds)