Access and Analog Systems

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 Introduction

Competing Broadband Access Technologies

Hybrid Fiber Coax

Cable Access Digital Subscriber Line
RF subcarriers (ADSL)
Analog Video copper twisted pair
Digital QAM Broadband Access
Networks

Passive Optical Network (PON)

Digital Baseband

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 Traditional Coaxial CATV Broadcast
Systems
Reliability and distortion problems with many cascaded RF amplifiers

Local distribution

Trunk Cable and Cascaded Amplifiers

Head
end

Fiber Feed

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 HFC Broadcast System
Reliability and performance improved with fiber feeds to ~ 500 homes

Local distribution

Fiber backbone
distribution network

Head
end
Fiber feed Coaxial RF Optical Termination
amplifiers Units (OTUs)

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 Bidirectional Interactive HFC
Cable TV System

A system using one optical downstream channel

Router
Head Internet Demodulator
Ethernet switch
End Video server (QSPK)

Digital Modulator (M-QAM)

PSTN gateway
SDH
ring
PSTN
Upconverter
... Upconverter
splitter

Broadcast RF Combiner Optical

video RF Analog demodulator
Modulator Optical Modulator

Fiber Distribution Network

Analog Optical Termination Unit

Video Coaxial Cable Distribution Network
Drop point

Bi-directional amplifier
Network
Cable modem
interface Set top box
unit
TV PC

telephones

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 DWDM cable access system
(Return-RF stacking)

Generic DWDM
Primary Hub Secondary Hub Fiber Node
Analog Cable Access
Network
Video
Broadcast

Broadcast Tx 2x2


splitter
Broadcast ITU Tx 2x2
Signals
Downstream

D  D
W W
D D
M M 20 km Coaxial
fiber network
40 km
Digital Interactive
fiber

QAM Services Return Rx ITU Tx Return Rx

 RF Stacker
Upstream

D D
W W
D D
M M

5-42 MHz

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 Optical fiber backbone network
in an HFC system

basic downstream blocks for simulation

Broadband Broadband
RF RF
Laser Optical
Detector
Coaxial
Head End ONU CATV
network

Fiber
Network

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 The NTSC CATV frequency plan

RF Power
upstream

6 MHz
downstream downstream
analog digital

54 550 998
Frequency (MHz)

• Carrier frequencies from 55 MHz to 998 MHz

• Channel spacing of 6 MHz

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 Analog Video Transmission Requirements

• Vestigial sideband amplitude modulation on each

carrier (6 MHz apart in an NTSC system).
• Video picture impairment is acceptable if Carrier to
Noise Ratio (CNR) > 45 dB.
• Highly susceptible to interference tones arising from
nonlinearities in the optical transmission channel.
• Optical transmission/distribution systems - “extremely
linear”
• Distortion tone levels > 53 dB below each carrier.
• Performance testing: a “test signal” comprising many
un-modulated carriers.

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 Electrical domain signals interface with
the optical domain in Cable Access

Electrical Transmitters Electrical Receivers

Digital M-QAM Digital M-QAM

Subcarriers 550-860 MHz

Cable Access Signals M-QAM receiver and
measurement
6-8 MHz Channel instrumentation
Bandwidth waveforms and
spectrum, SNR, eye-patterns,
Bit Rate up to 40 Mbit/s
output bit stream

Analog Signal Analog Signal

Analog CATV receiver
Analog CATV AM-VSB
instrumentation
Subcarriers 50-550 MHz
Signal waveforms and
6-8 MHz Channel Optical Domain spectrum, CNR,
Bandwidth Single Wavelength and DWDM CSO,CTB

SFB and MFB

Baseband Digital Baseband Digital

Bit Rate limited by any Waveforms and spectrum,

subcarrier signals present eye-patterns, BER

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 Typical CNR of NTSC CATV System

65,00

60,00 C/RIN
C/All Noise
55,00
C/Intermod
50,00
C/N (dB)

C/Shot

45,00 C/RecNoise

40,00

35,00

30,00
0,01 0,1
modulation index/carrier

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 Intermodulation Distortion

• A dominant cause of CNR degradation

• Caused by transmission nonlinearities
– In the laser and external modulator

• Second order harmonic and intermodulation distortions

• Third order harmonic and intermodulation distortions

• Laser clipping distortion

• Inversion clipping distortion
• Optical fiber impairment
– Chirp and dispersion
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 Directly Modulated CATV Transmission

• A simplified system is shown below

f1 f1

I(t) = Ib + Imcos(1t+1)

Ib Im
Ith
I
Im Ith
A m= =
Ib- Ith Ib
-1
Ith

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 Externally Modulated CATV Transmission

Modulator

f1

f1 Mach-Zehnder modulator
Pout

Vin

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 Linear Transmission System

Pout Iin = a0 + a1sin(f1t)

Pout = A + BIin
= (A + Ba0) + Ba1sin(f1t)

Iin

Input Output
RF RF
Spectrum Spectrum

f1 Frequency f1 Frequency
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 Second Order Harmonic Distortion

Pout

Iin = a0 + a1sin(f1t)
Pout = CIin2
= C[a0 + a1sin(f1t)]2
Iin = C[a02 + 2a0a1sin(f1t) + a12sin 2(f1t)]

Input Output
RF RF
Spectrum Spectrum

f1 Frequency f1 2f1 Frequency

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 Second Order Intermodulation Distortion

Input: Iin = a0 + a1sin(f1t) + a2sin(f2t)

Output: Pout = CIin2
= C[a0 + a1sin(f1t) + a2sin(f2t)]2

= C[a02 + 2a0a1sin(f1t) + 2a0a2sin(f2t) + 2a1 a2sin(f1t)sin(f2t) +

a12sin 2(f1t) + a22sin 2(f2t)]

Input Output
RF RF
Spectrum Spectrum

f1+ f2

f1 f2 Frequency f2 - f1 f1 f2 2f1 2f2 Frequency

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 Third Order Harmonic Distortion

Pin = a0 + a1sin(f1t)
Pout = DPin3
= D[a0 + a1sin(f1t)] 3
= D[a03 + 3a02a1sin(f1t) + 3a0a12sin 2(f1t) + a13sin 3(f1t)]

Input Output
RF
RF
Spectrum
Spectrum

f1 Frequency f1 2f1 3f1 Frequency

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 Third Order Intermodulation Distortion

Input: Iin = a0 + a1sin(f1t) + a2sin(f2t)

Output: Pout = DIin3 = D[a0+ a1sin(f1t) + a2sin(f2t)] 3

= D[a03 + 3a02a1sin(f1t) + 3a02a2sin(f2t) + 3a12 a2sin2(f1t)sin(f2t) +

3a0a12sin2(f1t)+3a0a22sin2(f2t)+ 3a1 a22sin(f1t)sin2(f2t) +
6a0a1 a2sin(f1t)sin(f2t) + a13sin 3(f1t) + a23sin 3(f2t)]
RF
Input RF
Output
Spectrum Spectrum

A B C D EFG HIJK

f1 f2 Frequency f1f2 Frequency

A:f1-f2; B:f2-f1; C:2f1-f2; D:2f2-f1; E:2f1; F:f2+f1; G:2f2; H:3f1; I:2f1+f2; J:2f2+f1; K:3f2
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 Intermodulation Distortion: Industry
Jargon

• 2nd order harmonic and intermodulation distortions

are termed “Composite Second Order” or CSO.

• 3rd order harmonic and intermodulation distortions

are termed “Composite Triple Beat” or CTB.

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 Directly Modulated CATV Transmission

Caused by laser
relaxation
oscillation

f1 f1 2f1 3f1

P clipping

Ith Ib

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 Direct Modulation - Two Tone Setup

Experiment to investigate CSO, CTB, Laser Clipping

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 Direct Modulation - 2nd & 3rd Order
Distortion

f1 = 500 MHz
f2 = 525 MHz

2nd
3rd
no clipping 3rd

m = 0.30
L = 0 km 3rd

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 Direct Modulation – Laser Clipping

f1 = 500 MHz
f2 = 525 MHz

with clipping
m = 0.50
L = 0 km

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 Externally Modulated CATV Transmission

Modulator

f1 3f1 6f1

f1
Mach-Zehnder modulator
Pout

Vin

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 External Modulation - Two Tone Setup

Experiment to investigate CSO, CTB, Inversion Clipping

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 External Modulation – Inversion Clipping

f1 = 500 MHz
f2 = 525 MHz

3rd order distortion

with inversion clipping

m = 0.7
k = -1.0
Symmetrical MZ,
L = 0 km no optical chirp

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 External Modulation – 2nd & 3rd Order
Distortion

f1 = 500 MHz
f2 = 525 MHz

2nd order - 3rd order -

asymmetrical MZ + raised cosine MZ
fiber dispersion characteristic

No inversion clipping
m = 0.1
k = 0.8
Asymmetrical MZ
L = 10 km produces optical
chirp

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 Optical Fiber Impairment

Optical spectrum Optical spectrum

Optical
Carrier
fc

Anti-phase
Modulator (cancels)
Output
RF Power

RF Power
Input
Frequency (MHz) Frequency (MHz)
RF spectrum RF spectrum 29
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 Optical Fiber Impairment
cos(mt+)

Modulator R(t) = 1/2cos (m(t+ p + m ) +  )

+ 1/2cos (m(t+ p - m ) +  )

Group delay relative

to optical carrier |r(t)|  |cos(m m + )|
m p p: common delay that is introduced
-m to all frequencies by propagation

Optical spectrum
m: differential group delay that is
introduced to both subcarrier
frequencies by chromatic dispersion

1/2cos[( -m)t + ] cos(t) 1/2cos[( +m)t + ]

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 Optical Fiber Impairment

The interaction between optical chirp and fiber dispersion

produces second order intermodulation distortion and low
values of inband CTB products

f1 f1 2f1 3f1

f1f2 f1 f2 2f12f2 3f1 3f2

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 Summary

Analog CATV - Technical Challenges

• RF Subcarrier Generation
– impact of carrier phases
• Direct Modulation
– slightly nonlinear L-I curve: harmonic distortion & intermodulation
products
– laser chirp, laser clipping
• External Modulation
– raised-cosine modulation curve: harmonic distortion &
intermodulation products
– chirp (due to asymmetric modulator), inversion clipping
• Fiber propagation
– effect of dispersion, interaction of chirp and dispersion

Proceed with the Interactive Learning Module

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