http://www.wiretechworld.

com/the-future-of-optical-fibres/

https://www.doityourself.com/stry/9-uses-of-fiber-optic-cables
 Fiber Optics Communication
q Surgery and Dentistry
q Automotive Industry
q Lighting and Decoration
q Mechanical Inspections
q Military and Space Applications

https://www.newsdigitize.co.in/what-are-the-basic- https://mammothmemory.net/physics/refraction/medical-
elements-of-a-fiber-optic-communication-system/ use-of-optical-fibres/medical-uses-of-optical-fibres.html
https://www.upscclub.site/2020/08/submarine-optical-fiber-cable.html

https://dharmakshethra.com/optical-fibre-cable-connectivity-between-
mainland-kochi-and-lakshadweep-islands/
• Advantages over copper coaxial cable
– Increased capacity higher bandwidth (Gbps)
– Lower loss
– Lighter cable
– Less space
– Electrical isolation
– Immunity to electromagnetic interface
– Security and prevention of signal leakage
 Optical
Transmitter

Message inà
voice, à Optical Optical
tv, à Repeater Repeater
Internet à Optical Fiber Optical Fiber
….... à

Optical Fiber

Optical Optical
Repeater Repeater Message Out à
Optical Fiber
Optical Fiber

Optical
Receiver
• Converts electrical signal to the proper format
• It impresses this signal onto the carrier wave generated by carrier source
The types of sources used include LEDs, lasers, fabry-perot (F-P) lasers,
distributed feedback (DFB) lasers and vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers
(VCSELs). All convert electrical signals into optical signals, but are otherwise quite
different devices. All three are tiny semiconductor devices (chips) really the size of grains
of sand. LEDs and VCSELs are fabricated on semiconductor wafers such that they emit light
from the surface of the chip, while f-p and DFB lasers emit from the side of the chip from a
laser cavity created in the middle of the chip.

https://www.lasercomponents.com/de-en/product/
https://www.thefoa.org/tech/ref/appln/LEDs-lasers.html fiber-coupled-high-power-laser-diodes/

Construction of a simple semiconductor diode: Light emitting diodes and injection laser diodes
have a similar basic construction, although the actual structure of the laser device is considerably
more complicated.
Amplitude
modulation

Frequency
modulation

1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1
 Parts of the fiber:

Core - Thin glass center of the fiber where the

https://computer.howstuffworks.com/fiber-optic.htm
light travels
Cladding - Outer optical material surrounding
the core that reflects the light back into the
core
Buffer coating - Plastic coating that protects
the fiber from damage and moisture
Hundreds or thousands of these optical fibers
are arranged in bundles in optical cables. The
bundles are protected by the cable's outer
covering, called a jacket.

Fiber types:
• Single-mode fibers: 9 µm in diameterà Transmits IR laser light ( 1300-1500 nm)
• Multi-mode fibers: 62.5 µm in diameterà Transmits LED light ( 650 nm)
 Propagation of light
rays through an
optical fiber. Ray B
defines the maximum
input cone of rays
satisfying total
internal reflection at
the walls of the fiber.

At point F:

Example: NA=0.6 à Acceptance cone 74o

Skip distance Ls

Propagation of a
typical light ray
through an optical
fiber.

n0=1, n1=1.6, θ=30o, and d=50 µm à Ls=152 µm.

1 m fiberà1/ Ls=6580 reflections!

0.1% Loss at each reflectionàEnergy loss by factor of 720
Therefore, fiber is coated with a layer of plastic or glass called the cladding with n2
n2<n1 à frustrated total internal reflection
 µ

Attenuation of optical fiber as a function of

wavelength.
 α: attenuation or
absorption coefficient

decibels per kilometer (db/km)

(nm)

αdB=5 db/km à32% of input power transmits in 1 km fiber

 Understanding dB Math

A logarithm is the exponent or “power” to which a base must be raised to yield a given number, for
example:

10

So if we convert 20dB this way, showing it step by step,

Thus 20 dB means the ratio of measured power to reference power is 100:1. Likewise 10dB
is a factor of 10 and 30dB is a factor of 1000.
Now there is one more thing to learn about logarithms, they can be positive or negative
numbers. Consider this where dB is negative:
Understanding dB Math

In most fiber optic power

meters, the readings are
in dB, not watts, so the
measurement of dB is
expressed more simply -
no logs, just subtraction
of two values in dB:
For Long haul applications repeaters and amplifiers are necessary to remove signal
distortion and increase signal level.

There are two approaches:

• Electro-optical repeaters an regenerators

Electrical Electrical
Optical signal signal Electrical signal Optical signal
Receiver Signal Transmitter
processing

• Optical amplifiers (Erbium Dopped Fiber Amplifier (EDFA), Raman

Amplificartion)

Optical signal Optical signal

Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifiers (EDFAs)

https://www.thefoa.org/tech/fiberamp.htm

Erbium has several important properties that make it an excellent

choice for an optical amplifier. Remember that there are several
Energy States of Erbium very specific bands (wavelengths) that fiber optic cables can carry.
Erbium ions (Er3+) have quantum levels that allows them to be
stimulated to emit in the 1540 nm band, which is the band that
has the least power loss in most silica-based fiber. That gives them
the ability to amplify signals in a band where high-quality
amplifiers are most needed.

Erbium's quantum levels also allow it to be excited by a signal at

either 800 nm or 980 nm, both of which silica-based fiber can carry
without great losses, but aren't in the middle of the signal
wavelengths. Those bands are also far enough away from the
signal bands that it is easy to keep the pump beam and the signal
beam separated.
Time Division Multiplexing (TDM):

Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM):

Detectors for Fiber Optic Receivers

Receivers use semiconductor detectors

(photodiodes or photodetectors) to convert
optical signals to electrical signals. Silicon
photodiodes are used for short wavelength
links (650 for POF and 850 for glass MM fiber).
Long wavelength systems usually use InGaAs
(indium gallium arsenide) detectors as they
have lower noise than germanium which
allows for more sensitive receivers.
 Light transmitted by a fiber may not only lose power by the mechanisms just
mentioned; it may also lose information through pulse broadening.

Portions of a square wave input

pulse starting at point A arrive at
Modal Distortion the fiber end B at different
times, depending on the path
taken.

Material Dispersion

A square wave input arrives at the fiber

end at different times, depending on
Waveguide wavelength, even in a dispersionless
Dispersion medium. For any one mode, the angle of
propagation is a function of the
wavelength.
There are many online resources on Fiber Optics Associations (FOA) web
site given bellow. The FOA is the international non-profit professional
society of fiber optics, chartered to promote the fiber optics industry
through education, certification and standards.
https://www.thefoa.org/tech/ref/contents.html#Directions

Example videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEzvqJyRoR8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIlBlNW7sOo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vd2WGC-nt0U