Course Name:

FIBER OPTICS
Semester and Year:

SEMESTER TWO / 2019-2020

REG Number:

17RP00761

LECTURER:
KANYESHEJA J.D
Date of Report Submitted: ASSIGNEMENT N0:
22nd April 2020 ONE

YEAR 3,
ET B
Q1. what is fiber optics and what makes it the best today in information carrying capacity?
A. what is fiber optics?
Fiber optics communication is a technology that is use to transmit signals like data, video or voice which is
modulated with pulse of light that serves as an electromagnetic carrier wave send down a glass tube over a
long distance with very little attenuation or loss.
Then, Fiber optic cable is a high-speed data transmission medium. It contains tiny glass or plastic filaments
that carry light beams. Digital data is transmitted through the cable via rapid pulses of light. The receiving
end of a fiber optic transmission translates the light pulses into binary values, which translated by a
computer.
B. what makes it the best today in information carrying capacity?
Optical fibers are used most often as a means to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber and find
wide usage in fiber-optic communications, where they permit transmission over longer distances and at
higher bandwidths (data rates) than electrical cables. It is mostly used because of the following reasons:
1. Fiber optic transmission is faster: The standard way to measure data transmission rates is via
bandwidth. These days, it is measured in gigabits of data per second (Gbps), or even terabits per
second (Tbps).
2. Fiber optic transmission can cover greater distances: Both copper and fiber-based signaling suffers
from attenuation, or a weakening of the waveform signal over distance. However, fiber optic cables
can transmit data over much longer distances.
3. Fiber optic cables are impervious to electromagnetic interference (EMI): The light transmission in
fiber optics does not generate any EMI, so fiber winds up being more secure, and requires less
retransmission, ultimately leading toward a stronger ROI.
4. Save space and enhance cable management: Fiber optic strands are extremely narrow. In fact,
they’re measured in microns, or millionths of a meter.
5. Fiber optics are future-proof: Every year the amount of data we consume increases, as do bandwidth
requirements, so fiber optics meet the requirements.

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Q2. Compare optic fiber with other transmission media.
Fiber Optics and Copper wires are the two prominent communication links used in modern communication
and play a great role. Each of this communication links has its own advantages and disadvantages over the
other. both fiber optics and copper I evaluated it and compared regarding their advantages and
disadvantages based on bandwidth, cost, weight, size and flexibility, signal loss, information capacity,
safety and immunity.
1. Advantages of fiber optics compared to another transmission media
criteria Fiber optics Copper wires
bandwidth Large bandwidth Low bandwidth
cost More cost related to Less cost related to final
final product but product, but low
according to low material are very
material is very cheap expensive
as it is manufactured
from sand.
weight Less weight Heavier than fiber
Size It occupied less space It occupied large space
Flexibility Very high tensile Very low tensile
strength strength
Signal loss low signal loss Higher signal loss
Safety and immunity immunity Not immunity
Immune to EMI and Immune to EMI and
RFI and crosstalk RFI and crosstalk
Frequency range 0 to 500MHZ 180 to 370THZ
Typical attenuation 0.2Db/km at 1KHZ to 0.2 to0.5Db/km
7Db/km at 10MHZ
Typical delay 4-50us/km 5us/km
Repeater spacing 1 to 9km 40km

Even though fiber has many advantages compared to another transmission line, but it has even some
drawbacks as I mention it below.
2. Disadvantages of fiber optics compared to another transmission media

 Optical fiber cables have limited bend radius (about 30 mm). So, if they are bent more, it
might lead to some signal loss.
 Fiber splicing is a complicated procedure and requires skilled manpower to achieve. If it is
not done properly, there will be performance degradation.
 After the installation and also during trouble shooting, the fiber cores need to be tested
using testing equipment like OTDR. But these equipment are quite expensive to procure,
and if rented, the charges for testing each core could be considerable.
 Physical vibration will show up as signal noise. [13]
 Gamma radiation can cause some types of glass to emit light (causing interference) and
also gamma radiation can cause glass to discolor and hence attenuate the signal.
  There are outdoor fiber cables but they need to be shielded well. This shielding makes
them less agile/flexible to run in all the places and it increases the cost of cables as well.

3. Conclusion
Performance comparison between fiber optics and cable wire in communication has been presented. The
invention of fiber-optic technology is a revolutionary departure from the traditional copper wires of
twisted-pair cable or coaxial cable. Today, coppers wires are still used because they are cost effective and
reliable and interconnect parallel machines. However, as machines become more powerful, wire density
becomes critical, thus making optical fiber an alternatives source. There is no doubt as to the vast
opportunities that fiber optic technology can give and it should be continuously researched and expanded to
cater for future demands.

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Q3. An optical fiber has numerical aperture of 0.20 and a cladding refractive index of 1.59.
Determine:
a) the acceptance angle for the fiber in water which has a refractive index of 1.33;

data:
NA=0.2 NO=1.33
NA 0.2
 b) the critical angle at the core-cladding interface

𝑁𝐴 = √ n 12−n 22
where n1= the index of refraction of the core glass, and
n2=the index of refraction of the cladding glass.
Thus, 𝑛1 = √(𝑁𝐴2 +𝑛2 2 )= √(0.22 +1.592 )= 1.602 ≈ 1.60
n2 1.59
the critical angle=(oc)=sin-1( ¿= sin-1( ¿=83.590
n1 1.60

c) Explain the types of optical fibers

An optical fiber is a piece of very thin and almost absolutely pure glass, it is thin as human hair. No single
fiber design meets all application requirements mainly due to many economic reasons. However,
manufacturers have concentrated on three broad categories, then each category has own types as I
mentioned below:
1. Based on refractive index profile
2. Number of modes transmitted through fiber
3. Tapered fiber

1.Based on refractive index profiles

Optical fibers are classified into two types based on the refractive index profile of core and cladding. They
are
a. Step index fiber: In Step index fiber, core has the constant refractive index n2. At the core cladding
interface there is sudden decrease in the refractive index from n2 to n1. It remains constant
throughout the cladding part of optical fiber.
b. Graded index fiber: the refractive index of core n1 decreases gradually from the centre of core as a
function of the radius from the Centre of the optical fiber.

2.Based on the number of modes propagated through optical fiber

Mode is the one which describes the nature of the electromagnetic wave in waveguide
a. Single mode fibers: Single Mode cable has a much smaller core (8-9um) than multimode cable and
uses a single path (mode) to carry the light. Single mode fiber has following characteristics:
o Only one path of propagation is available
o V number is less than 2.405
o Core diameter very small
o No dispersion effect
 o Higher bandwidth(1000MHz)
o Used for long haul communication
o Fabrication is difficult and costly
b. Multimode fibers: more than one mode is transmitted through optical fiber and disperses the light
into multiple paths as it travels down the core. Multimode optical fibers have following
characteristics:
o More than one path is available
o V number is greater than 2.405
o Core diameter is higher
o Higher dispersion
o Lower bandwidth(50MHz)
o Used for short distance communication
o Fabrication is less difficult and not costly

Single mode fibers Multimode fibers

Single Mode jacket color is typically yellow for
jumpers but you may see a variety of colors
depending on the application and the outer jacket
type. Single mode fiber is the standard choice for
high data rates or long distance spans and can carry
signals at much higher speeds than multimode
fibers with less signal attenuation and external
interference. It offers many advantages over
multimode fiber and is an effective way to future
proof your network cabling
Multimode fiber has come a long way in 30 years.
It has evolved with the growing demand for more
speed. Since OM1(optical mode1) and OM2 fiber
could not support the higher speeds, OM3 and
OM4 became the main choice for multimode fiber
to support 25G, 40G and 100G Ethernet. With
even greater demands on the horizon, OM5 was
developed to extend the benefits of multimode
fiber in data centers.

3.Tapered optical fibers

Tapered fibers are useful for getting maximum amount of power from a poor quality laser spot into a fiber.
The use of tapered optical fiber is an efficient low cost method of transforming a poor quality laser beam
into a uniform output spot.
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Q4. One of the targets in National Strategic Transformation (NST-1) is to be country of knowledge
based economy by 2024; explain how fiber optics technology will help achieving this goal.
The core of NST1 builds on lessons learned, successes and challenges encountered in previous medium
term development strategies. It therefore entails interventions to enable the transformation journey towards
achieving Vision 2050 aspirations. This goal is only achieved through number of services sold either
internal and external of country.
Actually, a big shift in rwanda’s export outlook will be oriented towards services export, including in high-
tech areas such as financial Services/fin-tech/e-payment, bPos, legal, Security services, and other
professional services.
According to our country Rwanda those services to be accomplished, only faster internet is backbone. Then
fiber optics will be the key in supplying faster internet in other to carry out much data in small time and at
fast speed.
Through fiber optics also, the researches will be conducted in easy way so that the learner will carry out
different experiment referred to the research that they have done.
As conclusion, each development is from hard working over researches. these researches cannot be
accomplished without support of faster internet, the faster internet are supplied by the fiber as well. Then
knowledge based on economic will be extracted with help of fiber optics as sources of researches and
National Strategic Transformation achieved.

References:
1. 7 Years Government Programme: National Strategy for Transformation (NST1) 2017 – 2024
2. The Basics of Fiber Optic Cable, A Tutorial, information on http://www.ivacommunications.net
3. Communication systems engineering,John G. Proakis Masoud Salehi2nd Ed
4. https://www.AssignmentExpert.com
5. en.m.wikibooks.org/wiki/communication_mediums

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