ELEC6063 Optoelectronics &

Lightwave Technology

Part 3: Fiber system designs & budgets

1. Transmitters and Receivers

Lecturer: Dr. Wallace C.H. CHOY

Rm 721, CYC Building
Phone: 3917-8485
chchoy@eee.hku.hk

ELEC 6063
1
Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, HKU
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1.1 Modulators
1.1.1 Electro-Optic modulator
1.1.2 Electro-Absorption modulator
1.2 Transmitter
- director modulation
- external (indirect) modulation
1.3 Receiver and Transceiver

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1.1

External modulators
• Adjust light transmission to control
transmitter output
• Used only in high-performance systems
(such as long-haul (>100km) system)

Two types of modulators:

• Electro-optic waveguide modulator
• Electroabsorption semiconductor

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1.1.1
Electro-optic waveguide
modulator (reverse bias operation)
• Lithium niobate integrated optics (Lithium
niobate has large refractive index change
under reverse bias)
• Applied voltage changes refractive index
• Light passes through two parallel guides
– Voltage applied across one or both
– Refractive index change causes phase shift
V
– Phase shift   180 
V180
– Interference modulates output light power

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1.1.1
Electro-optic modulator
(reverse bias operation)

Constructive
interference

Destructive
interference

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 Electro-optic (phase) modulators
The field dependent change in the refractive index can be expressed by
 1 
  2   rE  s E 2
n 
where r is linear electro-optic coefficient (Pockels effect), and s is quadratic
electro-optic coefficient (Kerr effect). Commonly used material LiNbO3.

Phase modulator
V
1 Mach-Zender
Optical Input Output
Interferometer/
2 Modulator
V=0V, output power is high, V0, phase of path 1 changes,
output power is low because of destructive interference
when signals 1 and 2 recombine.
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1.1.2

Electroabsorption (EA) modulator

(reverse bias operation)
• Reverse-biased semiconductor diode
• Transparent when 'off' (low absorption at off
state, at ‘on’ state, i.e. the EA modulator is under
reverse bias, absorption loss increases and
input light will be absorbed and no or low output
power.)
• Can be made on same substrate as laser
• Integrated with diode lasers
• Not a semiconductor amplifier
– Turning voltage on causes absorption
– Creating states that absorb laser light

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 “Quantum Well (QW)”
Electroabsorption (EA) Modulators
(operated by reverse bias)
Energy Diagram of QW
For understanding working mechanism Device structure
Absorption Spectra

op

Zero levels
are offset
Strong excitonic effect (peaks)
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Quantum confined Stark Shift
1.1.2
Electroabsorption modulator
(integrated with DFB laser)

Anti-reflection(AR) Coating Anti-reflection(AR) Coating

Light
Light intensity
intensity Digital data encoded.

Light
time
time
Waveguide type modulator

Vertical type modulator 9

 Data encoded carrier (carrier= light source)

Module: a packaged
integrated O/E circuit
e.g. Transmitter,
regenerator &
Receiver.

Detect optical signals &

convert them to electrical signals

Light sources (Carrier), Waveguides, Fibers, Connectors, Optical

amplifiers, Photodetectors.
In advanced (high bandwidth) network: Optical modulators, Wavelength
division multiplexers (WDM) 10
1.2

Transmitters
• Light sources plus accessories (some
optional)
– Electronic pre-processing (e.g. voltage-
current)
– Bias current generator
– Modulator driver (for either laser or external
modulator)
– Optical monitor
– Cooler
– External modulator
– Attenuator
– Optical and electronic interfaces 11
 1.2

Generic Transmitter
Electronic Electronic Optical
interface signals interface

Electronic Modulator
preprocessor driver
Optical
monitor
Laser External
Feedback Bias current Modulator Attenuator
generator Output signal
Bias current

Temperature
Cooler monitor
Light
Housing signal
either direct modulation or in-direct modulation 12
1.2
Direct laser modulation:
encoding signal to carrier
• Speed depends on
– Rise and fall time of laser emission
– Device structure
– Materials
• Effects of direct modulation
– Chirp in wavelength: dynamically wavelength
drifting
• Refractive index depends on electron density
• Resonant wavelength depends on refractive index
• More serious for edge emitters than VCSELs
– Can limit wavelength stability

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1.2

Direct modulation
Light Laser
intensity output
• Steady bias
current near
laser threshold
• Separate driver
adds signal
current
Bias current current
(steady)
Drive current
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(varies)
1.2

External (Indirect) modulation

• Laser operates continuously
– Stable single-frequency output
– Avoids 'chirp' in diode lasers
• Change in drive current modulates refractive index,
affecting wavelength
• Separate modulator changes light intensity
• External electro-optic modulator
• Electro-absorption semiconductor
modulator
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1.1.2

EA modulator integrated with DFB laser

Forward Bias Reverse Bias

p-type p-type
Light generated
in this region
n-type

Digital data encoded.

Light Light
intensity intensity

time time

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1.2

Modulation formats
• Amplitude
modulation of
carrier signal
– Analog
– Pulse Code
Modulation
(digital)

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 1.2
Direct and Indirect Modulated Transmitters

Direct
I
Current
Driver
d.c. bias
Signal in voltage Signal in voltage

Modulator

I
Current Indirect
Driver
d.c. bias
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 Optical Transmitter
Output optical power
in dBm
=10log10[P(in mW)/1mW)]

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 Data encoded carrier (carrier= light source)

Module: a packaged
integrated O/E circuit
e.g. Transmitter,
regenerator &
Receiver.

Detect optical signals &

convert them to electrical signals

Light sources (Carrier), Waveguides, Fibers, Connectors, Optical

amplifiers, Photodetectors.
In advanced (high bandwidth) network: Optical modulators, Wavelength
division multiplexers (WDM) 20
1.3

Receivers
• Convert optical signals to electronic signals
• Roles (Functions) of receivers
– Detection: optical-to-electronic (o/e) signals
– Amplifying signal after the o/e detection
– Thresholding, retiming (electronic regeneration)
• Remarks for receivers
– One wavelength channel needs one receiver
– After detecting signals by a receiver, time-division
demultiplexing and other electrical signal
processing will be implemented.

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 1.3

Receiver

Digital receiver

Analog receiver
Detector Analog Thresholding
(light to electronic and retiming
electronic) amplifier for digital Digital
output Electronic
output
Light input

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Optical Receiver

Bit Error Rate

For the example, to achieve a bit error rate (BER)

< 10-9 (i.e. ~1 bit error for 109 bit transmission),
we required signal to noise ratio K > 12.

signal to noise ratio K , bit error rate 

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1.3

Wavelength response
of Detectors
• Silicon 400-1100 nm
• Germanium 800-1600 nm
• GaAs 400-1000 nm
• InGaAs 400-1700 nm
• InGaAsP 1100-1600 nm

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1.3

Detector bandwidth
• Response is
not instant Input optical pulse

• Pulse is
blurred
Light
• Loss of high intensity
Output electrical pulse
frequencies 90% level

Rise Fall Long, slow tail

time time For some devices

10% level

time 25
1.3

Discrimination and timing

Original digital signal

Degraded by transmission
Discrimination threshold

Jitter Discrimination finds

high points in signal

Retiming with new clock

signal
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1.3

Transceivers
• Transceiver is transmitter and receiver
at one point, serving the same terminal
equipment. One for the input fiber, one
for the output

Output fiber
Transmitter

Receiver
Input fiber
Transceiver
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