EE 230: Optical Fiber Communication Lecture 2

From the movie

Warriors of the Net
Fibers from the view of Geometrical
Optics
Total Internal Reflection
u u
u u
u u
u u
u
u u
=
=
>
= =
>
1 1 2 2
1 3
1 2 1 2
2
1 2
1
1
:
sin sin
Re

90 deg
sin sin


c c
c
c
Snells Law
n n
flection Condition
When n n and as increases eventually
goes to rees and
n
n n or
n
is called the Critical angle
For there is no pro pagating refracted ray
Reflection as a function of angle
Fiber Optics Communication Technology-Mynbaev & Scheiner
This additional Phase
Shift is not accounted for
in geometrical wave
approach
The reflectivities of waves polarized
parallel and perpendicular to the plane of
incidence as given by the Fresnel equations
Principal Types of Optical Fiber
Understanding Fiber Optics-Hecht
Types of Fibers
Single mode/Multi-mode
Step Index/Graded Index
Dispersion Shifted/Non-dispersion shifted
Silica/fluoride/Other materials

Major Performance Concerns for Fibers
Wavelength range
Maximum Propagation Distance
Maximum bitrate
Crosstalk


Fabrication of Optical Fiber
Fabrication of fiber preform:
macroscopic version with correct index
profile
Drawing of preform down into thin fiber
Jacketing and cabling
Step-Index Fiber
Cladding typically pure silica
Core doped with germanium to increase
index
Index difference referred to as delta in
units of percent (typically 0.3-1.0%)
Tradeoff between coupling and bending
losses
Index discontinuity at core-clad
boundary

Basic Step index Fiber Structure
Fiber Optics Communication Technology-Mynbaev & Scheiner
Ray Trajectories in Step Index
fiber
Meridional Rays
Skew Rays
Coupling Light into an Optical
Fiber
Fiber Optics Communication Technology-Mynbaev & Scheiner
Acceptance Angle
Optics-Hecht & Zajac
The acceptance angle (u
i
) is the largest incident
angle ray that can be coupled into a guided ray
within the fiber

The Numerical Aperature (NA) is the sin(u
i
) this
is defined analagously to that for a lens
#
tan
1

2
f f
f
D FullAccep ceAngle
NA
=
=

1 1 1
2 2 2
2 2 2
1 2
1 2 1 2
( ) (2 ) (2 )
and
2
NA n n n n
n n n n
Where n
n
= - = D = D
- +
D

2

n
CO

n
CL

For Corning SMF-28 optical fiber
n
co
=1.4504, n
CL
=1.4447 at 1550 nm

NA = 0.13

Acceptance angle = 7.35 degrees
Geometrical View of Modes
Fiber Optics Communication Technology-Mynbaev & Scheiner
Ray approximation valid in the
limit that goes to zero

Geometrical Optics does not
predict the existance of discrete
modes

Maxwells Equations and
dielectric boundary conditions
give rise to the requirement that
the fields and phase reproduce
themselves each cycle

Rays and Their E-field Distribution
Origin of Modal Dispersion
Straight path along fiber axis has distance L and velocity c/n
CO
for
transit time of Ln
CO
/c
Path at maximum acceptance angle
c
has distance L/cos
2
where

2
=90-
c
and thus a longer transit time.




Transit time difference equal to

Dispersion limits rate of signals that fiber can handle
If spread can be up to 70% of bit period, then maximum bit rate is
1.4cn
CO
/(NA)
2

2
2
2
2
1 sin 1 cos
|
|
.
|

\
|
= =
CO
n
NA

|
|
.
|

\
|
= 1
1 2
CL
CO CO
n
n
c
Ln
t t
Intermodal Dispersion
Fiber Optics Communication Technology-Mynbaev & Scheiner
1
SI
2
1 2 SI
2
SI
L
t
c
L
t for
c
( ) L
t
c
2
n
n
n
n n n
NA
n
D = D
D @ D @
D @
Bandwidth for Various Fiber Types
Fiber Optics Communication Technology-Mynbaev & Scheiner
2
1
2
1
8
4
1
Bit Rate BR<
4
1
4 4
2
2
SI
SI
SI
GI
GI
c
BR
Ln
t
c
BR
t Ln
c
BR
n L
c
BR n L
= =
D
D
D
= =
D D
=
D
D
No intermodal time shift for single
Mode Fiber
Graded Index Fiber
Fiber Optic Communication Systems-Agarwal
| |
( )
1
1 2
2
1
2
1
2
1
( ) 1 for <a
( ) 1 =n for >a
for 2 a "parabolic profile"
NA=n 2 1 which varies with
8
GI
n n
a
n n
a
Ln
t
c
o

(
| |
= A
(
|
\ .
(

= A
=
| |
A
|
\ .
A
A =
Fiber Optic Communications-Palais
Ray Propagation in Graded-Index
Fiber
Graded Index Slab Uniform in X and Z


Fundamentals of Photonics - Saleh and Teich
Ray spreading comparison






( )
3
4
8
CO
GI
cn
NA L
t = A
( )
CO
SI
cn
NA L
t
2
2
= A
Comparison, continued
If NA=0.13 and n
CO
=1.45,
t
SI
/L=19 ps/m
t
GI
/L=0.039 ps/m

Graded-index fiber has substantially less
modal dispersion