Challenges

Solar Interference
Direct or reflected sunlight can saturate receivers or tracking sensors Primarily affects East/West links Duration and frequency of outages dependent upon global location of link Outages typically on the order of minutes Outage frequency and duration wavelength dependent

1.6 1.4 1.2 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0

Irradiance (W/m^2-nm)

Sunlight

10 0

30 0

50 0

70 0

90 0

11 00

13 00

15 00

17 00

Wavelength (nm)
Copyright 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved.

19 00

Challenges

Obstructions to Line of Sight

Copyright 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved.

Transceiver Design

Basic Design Transceiver Trades

Design Constraints
Price Point Range and Availability Data Rate

Major Technical Choices

Wavelength Wide Divergence Vs. Automatic Pointing and Tracking Single-Transmitter Vs. Multi-Transmitter Direct Coupling Vs. Fiber Coupling

Copyright 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved.

Transceiver Design

Choosing a Wavelength
FSO (30-400 THz)
Visible Light

MMDS, U-NII, ISM

Gamma Ray X-Ray

UltraViolet

Infrared

Millimeter Wave

Microwave

Radio

~400700nm

300 GHz

30 GHz

10 GHz

Typical FSO Wavelengths 785-850 nm 1550 nm 10000nm (10 micron) ~380 THz ~190 THz ~30 THz

FSO wavelengths selected for low atmospheric molecular absorption

Copyright 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved.

Transceiver Design

Choosing a Wavelength
Wavelength (nm) 785-850 Advantages Low Cost High Sensitivity/Large Area Silicon Detectors Disadvantages Relatively Easy to Detect Close to Visible Wavelengths

1550

Higher Power Vs. Eye-safety Same Components as Fiber Compatible w/ EDFAs

Better Fog Penetration???? Higher Power Vs. Eye-safety

High Cost Small InGaAs Detectors

Doesnt Penetrate Glass Not Compatible w/ Fiber Components Limited Sources and Detectors

10000

Copyright 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved.

Transceiver Design

Divergence Vs. Pointing and Tracking

Wide Divergence
Easier to keep on target Low cost

Narrow Divergence
Stronger signal at the receiver Longer range Higher availability Requires automatic pointing and tracking for building motion

Flashlight Wide Divergence

Security Considerations
Wider beams are easier to intercept

Laser Pointer Narrow Divergence

Copyright 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved.

Transceiver Design

Field of View (FOV)

Laser 1

Field of View Cone

Receiver

FOV is the receivers equivalent of divergence If light doesnt originate within the defined cone, the receiver wont see it (e.g., Laser 2) Smaller FOV means less noise entering system Small FOV makes interference highly unlikely

High data rate detectors typically have small FOVs

FOV also drives the need for pointing and tracking
Copyright 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved.

Transceiver Design

Automatic Pointing & Tracking Systems

Compensates for base motion Adjusts to maintain alignment of receiver and transmitter Essential for narrow divergence/FOV systems
Receiving Optics

Laser

Steering Mirror Gimbal Motors

Copyright 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved.

Transceiver Design

Single Transmitter Vs. Multi-Transmitter

Spot Size = X

Spot Size = X+Y Distance Between Centers = Y

Copyright 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved.

Transceiver Design

Single Transmitter Vs. Multi-Transmitter

At long range, the multiple beams merge into one No inherent power or alignment advantages Does offer significant advantages for overcoming the effects of scintillation Typically not important for high availability fog limited installations

Copyright 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved.

10

Transceiver Design

Direct Coupling Vs. Fiber Coupling

Direct Coupling
Light is focused directly onto the detector Allows for a large FOV Electronics closely coupled to optics Low cost

Fiber Coupling
Light is focused onto the end of a fiber
Eventually the fiber connects to a detector -May be after several FSO links Fiber requires a small FOV

Detector

-Pointing and tracking required

Not required for data rates <2.5 Gbps The Ultimate vision of FSO Fiber through the air
Copyright 2002 Terabeam Corporation. All rights reserved.

Fiber

11