MODULE – 03

BASIC OPTICAL FIBER COMMUNICATION

SYSTEM

BASIC BLOCK DIAGRAM OF OPTICAL FIBER COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

The optical fiber consists of three main elements:

1. Transmitter: An electric signal is applied to the optical transmitter. The

optical transmitter consists of driver circuit, light source and fiber flylead.
o Driver circuit drives the light source.
o Light source converts electrical signal to optical signal.
o Fiber flylead is used to connect optical signal to optical fiber.

2. Transmission channel: It consists of a cable that provides mechanical

and environmental protection to the optical fibers contained inside. Each
optical fiber acts as an individual channel.
o Optical splice is used to permanently join two individuals optical
fibers.
o Optical connector is for temporary non-fixed joints between two
individuals optical fibers.
o Optical coupler or splitter provides signal to other devices.
o Repeater converts the optical signal into electrical signal using
optical receiver and passes it to electronic circuit where it is
reshaped and amplified as it gets attenuated and distorted with
increasing distance because of scattering, absorption and

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 dispersion in waveguides, and this signal is then again converted
into optical signal by the optical transmitter.
3. Receiver: Optical signal is applied to the optical receiver. It consists of
photo detector, amplifier and signal restorer.
o Photo detector converts the optical signal to electrical signal.
o Signal restorers and amplifiers are used to improve signal to noise
ratio of the signal as there are chances of noise to be introduced in
the signal due to the use of photo detectors.

 For short distance communication only, main elements are required.

1. Source- LED
2. Fiber- Multimode step index fiber
3. Detector- PIN detector

 For long distance communication along with the main elements there is
need for couplers, beam splitters, repeaters, optical amplifiers.
1. Source- LASER diode
2. Fiber- single mode fiber
3. Detector- Avalanche photo diode (APD)

OPTICAL AMPLIFIER
DEFINITION: Optical amplifier is a device used in an optical
communication system to directly amplify (boost) optical data signal without
changing it into its electrical form.
By making use of Optical amplifiers in optical fiber communication, the optical
integrity of the whole system is retained.

WORKING OF A BASIC OPTICAL AMPLIFIER

An optical communication system basically contains a transmitter, a

receiver and a fiber cable that carries the information from an end to the other.
However, an additional unit, optical amplifier in between the transmitter and
receiver section is placed in order to boost the signal level.
As it is true that a signal when transmitted through a fiber cable
experiences least attenuation as compared to any other medium like a coaxial
cable. However, signal amplification is also required during transmission
through fiber cable in order to have long distance transmission.
The figure here, shows the amplification operation of an optical amplifier:

The electrons present in the active medium gets energy from the pump
source and gets excited to higher energy level. These electrons then triggered by
the optical signal that causes them to return to a lower energy level.
Thus, stimulated emission occurs and several photons having same energy is
emitted by the excited electrons while returning to ground state.
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APPLICATION OF OPTICAL AMPLIFIER
Optical amplifiers can be employed in 3 ways between transmitter and
receiver in order to achieve desired signal amplification.

1. A booster or power amplifier is placed immediately after the

transmission unit. It enhances the level of the signal before the signal is
provided to the optical link for transmission. This is done in order to
accomplish long-distance transmission.

2. When we talk about inline amplifier unit then it is placed at some

distances in the fiber link itself in order to restore the original message
signal from the distorted one. As it offers medium gain then it becomes
necessary to place multiple in-line amplifiers in case of long-distance
transmission.

3. A pre-amplifier is usually placed at the receiving end of the system. The

transmitted signal must be of such level that it can be easily detected by
the receiver. A signal that has transmitted a very long distance gets
highly attenuated despite several amplifications during its journey. This
causes difficulty for the receiver to detect the respective signal.
Thus, a preamplifier, having high gain is amplified by a preamplifier just
before entering the receiver unit.

It is to be noted here that the gain of an amplifier depends on the intensity and
wavelength of the transmitted light signal.

CLASSIFICATION OF OPTICAL AMPLIFIER

Optical amplifiers are basically classified into 3 categories namely:
1. Semiconductor optical amplifier
2. Doped fiber amplifier
3. Raman amplifier

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SEMICONDUCTOR OPTICAL AMPLIFIERS (SOA)
A semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA), also known as a laser
amplifier, is an active medium of a semiconductor laser. In other words, an
SOA is a laser diode without or with very low optical feedback. An electric
current is externally applied to the laser device that excites electrons in the
active region. When photons travel through the active region it can cause these
electrons to lose some of their extra energy in the form of more photons that
match the wavelength of the initial ones. Therefore, an optical signal passing
through the active region is amplified and is said to have experienced optical
gain.
So, we can say that semiconductor laser can act as a semiconductor optical
amplifier when operating quite close to its threshold value.

OPERATION OF SEMICONDUCTOR OPTICAL AMPLIFIERS (SOA)

The principle of stimulated emission is primarily used by a
semiconductor optical amplifier for amplification of an optical information
signal, as the case with laser operation. The figure below depicts the principle of
operation of SOA.

Principle of operation of SOA

As shown, the injection current (also termed as pump signal) in the active
region to achieve population inversion is actually responsible for the desired
optical gain. The coupling optics is used at the input and output of the active
region to couple it efficiently with transmission fiber on either end of the active
region. The optical gain depends on the following factors:
o the wavelength of the optical input signal
o the type and characteristics of the amplifier medium (active region)
o the local beam intensity at any point within the active region

SPECIFICATIONS
o Gain of about 30dB or greater
o Wavelength in the range from 1280 nm to 1650 nm
o Maximum saturation of about 18 dBm
o Noise figure in the order of 8 dB
o Pump power of about less than 400 mA
o Bandwidth (3dB) - 60
o Polarization sensitivity available with SOA.

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ADVANTAGES:
o The semiconductor optical amplifier is of small size and electrically
o pumped
o It can be potentially less expensive than the EDFA and can be integrated
o with semiconductor lasers, modulators, etc.
o All four types of nonlinear operations (cross gain modulation, cross
phase
o modulation, wavelength conversion and four waves mixing) can be
o conducted.
o SOA can be run with a low power laser. This originates from the short
o nanosecond or less upper state lifetime, so that the gain reacts rapidly to
o changes of pump or signal power and the changes of gain also cause
o phase changes which can distort the signals.

DISADVANTAGES:
o The performance of SOA is still not comparable with the EDFA.
o The SOA has higher noise, lower gain, moderate polarization dependence
and high nonlinearity with fast transient time.

ERBIUM DOPED FIBER AMPLIFIER (EDFA)

Erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) is the most widely used fiber-optic
amplifiers, mainly made of Erbium-doped fiber (EDF), pump light source,
optical couplers, optical isolators, optical filters and other components. Among
them, a trace impurity in the form of a trivalent erbium ion is inserted into the
optical fiber's silica core to alter its optical properties and permit signal
amplification.

WORKING PRINCIPLE
The working principle of the EDFA is to use the pump light sources,
which most often has a wavelength around 980 nm and sometimes around
1450 nm. excites the erbium ions (Er3+) into the 4113/2 state (in the case of
980-nm pumping via 4111/2), from where they can amplify light in the 1.5-um
wavelength region via stimulated emission back to the ground-state manifold
4115/2. Erbium Doped Fiber

SPECIFICATIONS
o Gain of about 40dB or greater.
o Wavelength in the range from 1530 nm to 1560 nm.
o Maximum saturation of about 22 d Bm.
o Noise figure in the order of 5dB.

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 o Pump power of about about 25 dBm.
o Bandwidth (3dB) - 30 to 60
o Polarization sensitivity not available with EDFA.

ADVANTAGES
o EDFA has high pump power utilization (>50)
o Directly and simultaneously amplify a wide wavelength band (> 80nm)
in the 1550nm. Region, with a relatively flat gain.
o Flatness can be improved by gain-flattening optical filters.
o Gain in excess of 50 dB.
o Low noise figure suitable for long haul applications.

DISADVANTAGES
o Size of EDFA is not small.
o It cannot be integrated with other semiconductor devices.

RAMAN OPTICAL AMPLIFIER

Raman Amplifier (RA) is also a relatively mature optical amplifier. In a RA
the optical signal is amplified due to stimulated Raman scattering (SRS). In
general, RA can is divided into lumped type called LRA and distributed type
called DRA. The fiber gain media of the former is generally within 10 km. In
addition, it requires on higher pump power, generally in a few to a dozen watts
that can produce 40 dB or even over gains. It is mainly used to amplify the
optical signal band of which EDFA cannot satisfy. The fiber gain media of DRA
is usually longer than LRA, generally for dozens of kilometres while pump
source power is down to hundreds of megawatts. It is mainly used in DWDM
communication system, auxiliarying EDFA of improve the performance of the
system, inhibiting nonlinear elect, reducing the incidence of signal power
improving the signal to noise ratio and amplifying online.

WORKING PRINCIPLE
The principle of RA is based on the Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS)
effect. The gain medium is undoped optical fiber. Power is transferred to the
optical signal by a nonlinear optical process known as the Raman Effect. An
incident photon excites an electron to the virtual state and the stimulated
emission occurs when the electron de-excites down to the vibration state of
glass molecule. The Stokes shift corresponding to the Eigen-energy of a phonon
is approximately 13.2 TH2 for all optical fibers.

SPECIFICATIONS

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 o Depends mainly on the optical frequencies; but also, on the pump
frequency and polarization.
o There is a maximum Raman gain for a frequency offset of 13.2 THz. For
o example, a pump wave at 1064 nm leads to the largest Raman gain at a
o signal wavelength of 1116 nm.
o The peaks in the Raman spectrum correspond to certain vibration modes
of the silica structure.
o The usable gain bandwidth is about 48 nm.
ADVANTAGES
o Variable wavelength amplification possible.
o Compatible with installed SM fibre.
o Can be used to extend EDFAs.
o Can result in a lower average power over a span, good for lower crosstalk
o Very broadband operation may be possible.
DISADVANTAGES
o High pump power requirements, high pump power lasers have only
recently arrived
o Sophisticated gain control needed.
o Noise is also an issue.