Free Space Optics (FSO)

Technology Overview
John Schuster
Chief Technology Officer
Terabeam Corporation

Copyright © 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved. 1

 Presentation Overview

• Why Free Space Optics?

• Challenges
• Transceiver Design
• Predicting Availability
• Eye Safety
• Applications & Network Integration
• The Future of FSO

Copyright © 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved. 2

 Why Free Space Optics (FSO)?
The “Last Mile” Bottleneck
Problem
Wide Area Networks between Local Area Networks in
major cities are extremely fast buildings are also fast
• Fiber based • >100Mbps
• >2.5 Gbps

The connections in
between are typically
a lot slower
• 0.3-1.5 Mbps

Only about 5% of commercial

buildings are lit with fiber

Copyright © 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved. 3

 Why Free Space Optics?
Why Not Just Bury More Fiber?

• Cost
• Rights of Way
• Permits
• Trenching
• Time

With FSO, especially through

the window, no permits, no
digging, no fees

Copyright © 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved. 4

 Why Free Space Optics?
How Fiber Optic Cable Works

Glass Fiber Strands

Light Source Detector

Detector Light Source

Network Network
Device Device

• Pulses of light communicate the data

• “ON” = 1
• “OFF = 0
• Capable of more than 40 Gbps
• >7 CDs a second

Copyright © 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved. 5

 Why Free Space Optics?
How FSO Works
3 A receiver at the other end of the
2 Transmitter projects the link collects the light using lenses
carefully aimed light pulses and/or mirrors
into the air

5 Reverse direction data

transported the same way.
• Full duplex

1 Network traffic 4 Received signal

converted into
converted back into
pulses of invisible
fiber or copper and
light representing
connected to the
1’s and 0’s
network

Anything that can be done in fiber

can be done with FSO
Copyright © 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved. 6
 Why Free Space Optics?
Very Narrow and Directional
Beams
• Beams only a few meters in diameter at a kilometer
• Allows VERY close spacing of links without interference
• No side lobes
• Highly secure
• Efficient use of energy
• Ranges of 20m to more than 8km possible

Copyright © 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved. 7

 Why Free Space Optics?
Deployment Behind Windows

• Rapid installations without trenching

and permitting

• Direct connection to the end user

• Bypasses the building owner

– No roof rights
– No riser rights

Copyright © 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved. 8

 Why Free Space Optics?
The FSO “Value Proposition”

• No interference
• Unlicensed
• Easy to install
• Through the window
(or from the rooftop)
• No trenching, no permits
• Fiber-like data rates
• Many deployment options
• Fungible equipment

Copyright © 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved. 9

 Fundamental Concepts
Small Angles - Divergence & Spot
Size
1° ≈ 17 mrad → 1 mrad ≈ 0.0573°
Small angle approximation:
Angle (in milliradians) * Range (km)= Spot Size (m)

1 mrad 1m

1 km

Divergence Range Spot Diameter

0.5 mrad 1.0 km ~0.5 m (~20 in)
2.0 mrad 1.0 km ~2.0 m (~6.5 ft)
4.0 mrad (~ ¼ deg) 1.0 km ~4.0 m (~13.0 ft)
Copyright © 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved. 10
 Fundamental Concepts
The Decibel - dB
• A logarithmic ratio between two values
• In the optical world of Power in mW, Gain/Loss Multiplier
+30 db 1000
dB=10*Log(power2/power1) +20 db 100
+10 db 10
• 3 dB = ratio of 2/1
0 db 1
• 6 dB = ratio of 4/1
-10 db .1
• 10 dB = ratio of 10/1 -20 db .01

• 20 dB = ratio of 100/1 -30 db .001

• 50 dB= ratio of 100,000/1

Copyright © 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved. 11

 Challenges Sunlight
Environmental factors
Window
Attenuation
Fog

Building
Motion

Scintillation Alignment

Range
Obstructions

Low Clouds

Each of these factors can “attenuate” (reduce) the signal.

However, there are ways to mitigate each environmental factor.
Copyright © 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved. 12
 Challenges
Atmospheric Attenuation - FOG
• Absorption or scattering of optical
signals due to airborne particles
• Primarily FOG but can be rain, snow,
smoke, dust, etc.
• Can result in a complete outage
• FSO wavelengths and fog droplets
are close to equal in size
– (Mie Scattering)

• Typical FSO systems work 2-3X

further than the human eye can see
• High availability deployments
require short links that can operate
in the fog

Copyright © 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved. 13

 Challenges
Low Clouds, Rain, Snow and
Dust • Low Clouds
– Very similar to fog
– May accompany rain and snow
• Rain
– Drop sizes larger than fog and wavelength of
light
– Extremely heavy rain (can’t see through it) can
take a link down
– Water sheeting on windows
• Heavy Snow
– May cause ice build-up on windows
– Whiteout conditions
• Sand Storms
– Likely only in desert areas; rare in the urban
core

Copyright © 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved. 14

 Challenges
Scintillation
• Beam spreading and wandering due to propagation through
air pockets of varying temperature, density, and index of
refraction.
• Almost mutually exclusive with fog attenuation.
• Results in increased error rate but not complete outage.

Copyright © 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved. 15

 Challenges
Window Attenuation
• Uncoated glass attenuates 4% per surface due to reflection
• Tinted or insulated windows can have much greater attenuation
• Possible to trade high altitude rooftop weather losses vs. window
attenuation

WAM

Copyright © 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved. 16

 Challenges
Building Motion

Type Cause(s) Magnitude Frequency

Tip/tilt Thermal High Once per day
expansion
Sway Wind Medium Once every
several
seconds
Vibration Equipment (e.g., Low Many times
HVAC), door per second
slamming, etc.

Copyright © 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved. 17

 Challenges
Compensating for Building Motion – Two
Methods
1. Automatic Pointing and Tracking
– Allows narrow divergence beams for greater link margin
– System is always optimally aligned for maximum link margin
– Additional cost and complexity

0.2 – 1 mrad divergence

2. Large Divergence and Field of= View
0.2 to 1 meter spread at 1 km
– Beam spread is larger than expected building motion
– Reduces link margin due to reduced energy density
– Low cost

2 – 10 mrad divergence
=2 to 10 meter spread at 1 km

Copyright © 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved. 18

 Challenges
Building Motion – Thermal
Expansion
Results from Seattle
Deployment:

• 15% of buildings move

more than 4 mrad

• 5% of buildings move
more than 6 mrad

• 1% of buildings move
more than 10 mrad

Copyright © 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved. 19