Laser Communication

PRAVIN KUMAR 07EC75 2011

05-04-

Organization
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

8. 9.

10. 11.

Introduction Basic principle LASER action Construction What is LASER Communication? Why Laser Communication? A Simple Laser comm. System 7.1. Transmitter 7.2. Modulation 7.3. Receiver Current Application FSO 9.1. What is FSO? 9.2. Advantages of FSO 9.3. Last mile bottleneck 9.4. Signal Propagation Impedances SUMMARY References

INTRODUCTION

LASER ?

LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY SIMULATED EMMISSION OF RADIATION

BASIC PRINCIPLE
ABSORPTION SPONTANEOUS EMISSION STIMULATED EMISSION POPULATION INVERSION

LASER ACTION

LIGHT PROPOGATION

CONSTRUCTION

Laser Communication ?

Laser communications systems - wireless connections. - work similarly to fiber optic links. - no fiber backbone required. - lasers transmitted through free space.

Free Space Laser Communication

Transmitting information via a laser beam

Video Data Sound

Terrestrial / Space based systems

010001100110 111011001111 001010000010 101110010001 111001011011

Why Laser Communication?

Current high speed communications technology:

Radio Fiber Optics

Why not Fiber Optics?

Not always possible to lay fiber lines

Satellites Combat zones Physically / Economically not practical Emergencies

LC incorporated into fiber optic networks when fiber not practical.

Why not RF?

Bandwidth

LC >> RF transmit data @ 2.5-10 Gbps. LC directed at target. Much less transmission power required. Less free space power loss. LC antenna << RF antenna. LC more secure than RF - low divergence laser beam.

Power

Size / Weight Security

Free Space Optic Link Equation:

Preceived = received power Ptransmit = transmit power Areceiver = receiver area Div = beam divergence (in radians) Range = link length

Directional transmission: Narrow divergence of the FSO transmit path (shown in red) as compared to a typical Radio Frequency (RF) path (shown in blue).

A Simple laser Comm. System

Signal

Transmitter Receiver laser

Laser

Signal

High Level design

Conditioning MCU UART

MCU
UART

Conditioning
Laser Diode

Conditioning
Photo resistor

PORT

A/D

What is the Transmitter?

The transmitter involves: o Signal processing electronics (analog/digital) o Laser modulator o Laser (visible, near visible wavelengths)

Transmit antennae gain, transmit pointing losses. Laser characteristics - peak and average optical power - pulse rate

Laser Diode
Laser Diodes include Photodiodes for feedback to insure consistent output.

Modulation

AM
Easy with gas lasers, hard with diodes

PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) PFM (Pulsed FM)

Potentially the highest bandwidth (>100kHz)

What is the Receiver?

o o o

The receiver involves:

Telescope (referred to as antenna) Signal processor Detector

-PIN diodes

-Avalanche Photo Diodes (APD) -Single or multiple detectors

Often both ends - equipped with a receiver and transmitter

AVALANCHE PHOTO DIODE

Stabilisation of working point of APD: . Gain =75 Temperature stabilisation. Thermoelectrically cooler stabilisation system inside of APD module

Current Applications
Defense and sensitive areas. FSO Communication. airports - communication across the runways. Mass communication
400 TV channels o 40,000 phone conversations
o

NASA
Satellite satellite o Earth - satellite
o

Earth

FSO
line-of-sight technology. uses LASERS and Photo detectors. optical connections between two points without the fiber.

FSO units consist -optical transceiver with a laser (transmitter) -Photo detector (receiver) -provide full duplex capability.

ADVANTAGES OF FSO SYSTEMS

No licensing required. Very low installation cost. No sunk costs. No capital overhangs. Highly secure transmission possible. High data rates @ 2.5 -10 Gbps.

LAST MILE BOTTLENECKS

Signal Propagation Impediments:

Absorption: - suspended water molecules extinguish photons.

Scattering: - wavelength collides with the scatterer. - Rayleigh wavelength) scattering (Lambda scatterer <<

- Mie scattering (Lambda scatterer wavelength)

Physical obstructions: Flying birds

Safety: - technology uses lasers for transmission.

Scintillation: - fluctuations in signal amplitude. - heated air rising from the earth or man made devices.

Summary
Basic principle of laser action discussed. Laser communication system used in satellite communication. Provide higher data rates , high security & lesser antenna size. FSO used for lesser link length ~ 4km. FSO links designed carefully due to safety issues.

References
www.mindstein.net Laser communication.pdf www.bestneo.com Lasercommunicationsystem.pdf server4.oersted.dtu.dk/courses/31825/Project11.pd f www.freepatentsonline.com/4717828.html www.mseconference.org/.../mse03_2P_Uherek_Mi crooptoelectronicscurricula.pdf opticalcomm.jpl.nasa.gov/PAPERS/ATP/gospi03b. pdf

3/2/2012

Technical Seminar-II

30