Chap.

6 Optical Signal Generation

2.1 Components of Optical Transmitters

2.2 Fundamental of Light Emitted by
Semiconductor
2.3 Semiconductor lasers (Laser Diodes)
and Their Characteristics
2.4 Transmitter Design
2.5 External Modulation and Advanced
Modulation Formats

Chapter 2 1
6.1 External Modulation and Modulator
1. External Modulator
n Electro-absorption Modulator（EAM）
Ø EAM makes use of the Franz–Keldysh effect (夫兰兹-凯耳什效应),
according to which the bandgap of a semiconductor decreases when an
electric field is applied across it.
Ø Thus, a transparent semiconductor layer begins to absorb light when its
bandgap is reduced electronically by applying an external voltage.

Chapter 2 2
Ø Characteristics:
• relatively low drive voltages (typ. 2V)
• cost-effective in volume production and easy to realize integration
• wavelength-dependent absorption
• relatively low dynamic extinction ratios(<10dB)
• residual chirp
• limited optical power-handling capabilities

Chapter 2 3
n Mach–Zehnder Modulator (MZM)
Ø The refractive index of electro-optic materials such as LiNbO3 can be
changed by applying an external voltage. Therefore phase shift can be
introduced through voltage-induced index.
 1 3
  n  nr r33 E z
 2
 2nL VL 
      n 3
r
r 33   V
  d V
 d
V 
  n3r L
 r 33

Optical waveguide
Ø MZMs work by the Mach-Zehnder Travelling-Wave Impedance
principle of interference, Interferometer matched electrode structure

controlled by modulating
the optical phase.

Chapter 2 4
2. Operation Principle of MZMs
n Phase shift in the corresponding arm:
 
1 (t )  V1  2 (t )  V2
V V

n Output optical field:

Ein (t ) j1   2   2
Eout (t )   e  e j2   Ein (t ) cos 1 exp( j 1 )
2 2 2
  (V1  V2 )   (V1  V2 )
 Ein (t ) cos exp j
2V 2V

Ø The modulation voltage that is required to change the phase in one

modulator arm by π, and thereby lets the MZM switch from full
transmission to full extinction, is called switching voltage Vπ.
Chapter 2 5
 Ø V1(t) = -V2(t), the phase term can be eliminated in Eout(t), known as
balanced driving or push–pull operation.
n Output optical intensity:
Ø sinusoidal power transfer function
 V1  V2 2
I out (t )  Eout (t ) E (t )  I in cos [ 
out ]
2 V
1.00

0.75

0.50
optcial transmission

0.25

0.00

-0.25
Vpi 2Vpi V1-V2
-0.50

-0.75 intensity
field
-1.00

Chapter 2 6
n Biased and modulation (data) voltage:

1 1 1 1
V1  Vdata  Vbias V2   Vdata  Vbias
2 2 2 2

Vin  V1  V2  Vbias  Vdata Electrical

NRZ data
Ø Single-drive MZM

Chapter 2 7
6.2 Optical Signal Generation
1. NRZ Format 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0
Waveform

Eye diagram

Reverse loading Forward loading

Chapter 2 8
 对光场振幅进行乘积，而不是对直接对强度做乘法

2. RZ Format

33% RZ

NRZ 67% CSRZ

Chapter 2 9
n Pulse carving
Different RZ formats can be implemented by pulse carving :
Ø 50% RZ--Sinusoidally driving a MZM at the data rate B between
the minimum and the maximum transmission, i.e. the amplitude
of clock is Vπ/2 and the biased voltage is -Vπ/2 .
V V
Vin  V1  V2  Vbias  Vclock    cos(2 Bt)
2 2
• The output optical intensity after MZM2 is:

 V1  V2  
I out (t )  I in cos 2 [ ]  I in cos 2 [    cos(2 Bt )]
2 V 4 4
1
• Thus TFWHM  and duty circle is 50%.
2B
Chapter 2 10
 Ø 33% RZ--Sinusoidally driving a MZM at half the data rate
between its transmission minima produces a pulse with a duty
cycle of 33%.
Ø 67% CSRZ--Sinusoidally driving a MZM at half the data rate
between its transmission maxima results in pulses with 67%

？
duty cycle and with alternating phase.

Chapter 2 11
3. NRZ-DPSK/BPSK Format
0 1 0

Optical NRZ-
DPSK/BPSK

0 1 0
Data

n Operating in push-pull mode, Vbias  V and Vin  0 or 2V

  (0)   (0)
Vin  0  Eout (t )  Ein (t ) cos exp j  Ein (t ) exp( j 0 )
2V 2V
  (2V )   (0)
Vin  2V  Eout (t )  Ein (t ) cos exp j   Ein (t ) exp( j  0)  Ein (t ) exp( j 
 )
2V 2V

Chapter 2 12
n Ideal: standard rectangular waveform for electrical NRZ data

n Practical: transient amplitude dip at crossing zero point because

of finite rise time and fall time

Chapter 2
4. RZ-DPSK/BPSK Format
Puls e c a r v e r t o
generate different
duty circles

Optical NRZ- Optical RZ-

DPSK/BPSK Data DPSK/BPSK Data
Chapter 2 14
n Eye diagram

3比特的8种组合（NRZ）

Chapter 2 15
 NRZ RZ NRZ-DPSK RZ-DPSK

Chapter 2 16
5. QPSK & DP-QPSK Format
n I-Q modulation and constellations


A(t )
E(t )  Re[e  F (r )  A  exp(i (t   ))]
 (t )

I-Q modulation

A(t )

OOK BPSK/
(ASK) DPSK
Chapter 2 17
n Bit rate (bit/s) and Symbol rate (Baud=Symbol)

RB  RS log 2 M
total number of symbols
contained by modulation
format
symbol rate
bit rate

Ø OOK: M  2  RB  RS
Ø BPSK/DPSK: M  2  RB  RS
Ø QPSK/DQPSK: M  4  RB  2 RS
Ø 16QAM: M  16  RB  4 RS

Chapter 1 18
n Nested MZMs for QPSK generation

I/Q modulator

Differential
encoding

Chapter 2 19
 • QPSK modulator

• DP-QPSK modulator

Chapter 2 20
6.3 Advanced Modulation Formats
1. Spectral Efficiency (SE)

bitrate (bit/s)
SE 
occupied bandwidth (Hz)

(a) 50%RZ (b) 50%RZ-QPSK

Advanced modulation formats mainly
differ in the time and spectral domain:
n Discrete frequency components
n Bandwidth of the main lobe
(c) NRZ-DPSK (d) NRZ-QPSK
(related to SE)
• Optical spectra and optic a l
n Waveforms and eye diagrams intensity eye diagrams of
important modulation formats.

Chapter 2 21
2. Evaluation Criteria of Advanced Modulation Formats

n Receiver sensitivity
n Resistance to fiber
nonlinearity
n Tolerance to dispersion
accumulation and dispersion
map
n Resistance to PMD
n Achievable SE
n Resistance to concatenated
filtering in optically routed
networks
n Complexity and cost of
terminal equipment

Chapter 2 22
Review
p 光纤通信对光源的要求，光谱线宽和阈值电流。
p 半导体发光的物理基础：三种跃迁过程，费米能级，粒子数反转
，正向偏置PN结，双异质结结构对半导体发光器件的性能改善，
非辐射复合及其危害。
p LD的工作条件，阈值条件，纵模条件。
p LD的典型结构，增益导引和折射率导引条形激光器，同质结、异
质结、条形激光器、多量子阱结构如何实现阈值电流的降低和输
出功率的提高？
p 如何实现单纵模？DBR、DFB、外腔、VCSEL的基本原理。
p 光源的噪声来源。线宽测量的基本原理和装置。
p LD的工作特性：P-I特性, 大信号调制的瞬态效应。
p 光发射机驱动电路，LED和LD驱动电路的不同，PI曲线表示调制
过程，带光反馈的LD数字驱动电路。
p 外调制器的类型与工作原理。MZM的传递函数。NRZ、RZ、DPSK、
QPSK等不同调制格式的产生结构和时、频域特征。正交调制与星
座图。
Chapter 2 23
Chapter 3