SENECA COLLEGE

School of Electronics &Computer Engineering

Fiber Optics Communications

CHAPTER-10
OPTICAL MODULATION

By Harold Kolimbiris

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INTRODUCTION

 INTRODUCTION
 Until recently, optical communications systems have been operating with
direct modulation.

 That is, the input binary data directly modulates the laser diode biasing
current, in order to produce a time varying output optical power.

 This method of modulation has proven satisfactory for low transmission

rates

 However, for high speed digital (Gb/s) and CATV optical systems, direct
modulation imposes limits to system performance because of laser diode
non-linearities and broader spectral linewidth.

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INTRODUCTION

 These two factors are very critical to high-speed optical systems because
they contribute to undesirable pulse dispersion and the generation of
relevant distortion products.

 More specifically, direct modulation broadens the spectral linewidth of the

laser diode by increasing the refractive index of the cavity.

 This refractive index increase induces large variations of the center

wavelength, resulting in an enlargement of the generated spectral
linewidth.

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INTRODUCTION

 large spectral linewidth coupled with the fiber dispersion, increases pulse
broadening (chirping), and ultimately imposes limits on the speed and
length of the optical link.

 Chirping which causes intersymbol interference (ISI) and cross talk can be
dramatically reduced or altogether eliminated by a very narrow laser diode
spectral linewidth

 A narrow linewidth can be produced by the laser diodes operating at CW

mode of operation

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INTRODUCTION

 An external modulator, inducing practically zero pulse dispersion, can

modulate the generated narrow linewidth CW optical power.

 There exist two types of external modulators

 i) Mach Zehnder modulator
 ii) Electroabsorptive modulator

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 THE MACH ZEHNDER INTERFEROMETER

 The basic Mach Zehnder interferometer illustrated in fig-1 is composed of
four mirrors and four plates incorporating spacers for optical path
comparison. p3 p4
Plate Plate

M1 M2
Light

Light
Mach Zehnder interferometer.Fig-1 M3 M4

Plate Plate
p1 p2

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 Where,
 M1 , M 2 , M 3 , M 4 Mirrors
 P1 , P2 , P3 , P4 Plates incorporating spacers for optical path comparison

 Operation
 Mirror is used to divide the light beam into two equal paths and they are
recombined at mirror with constructive interference.

 If one of the two paths is phase shifted, a destructive interference will be

encountered at the beam select mirror

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 This consideration is used in the design of a modulator.

 In a Mach Zehnder optical modulator, 3dB Y-optical splitters

and combiners are used while the required phase shift is
induced in one of the paths by changing the waveguide (path)
refractive index through a change of an applied electric field.


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 THE MACH ZEHNDER (OPTICAL MODULATOR)

 General description
 The cross section area of a Mach Zehnder optical modulator is illustrated
in fig-2.

Mach Zehnder LiNbO3 modulator.Fig-2

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 The MZ optical modulator of fig 10-2 is composed of two-phase

modulators, a 3dB Y-junction optical splitter, and a 3dB Y-junction
combiner and incorporates three input ports and an output port.

 The CW input port connects to the output of the laser diode, the binary
data is connected to the RF port, the DC biasing voltage is connected to
the bias port and the modulated optical power is collected at the output
port.

 A narrow linewidth CW polarized optical signal, generated by the laser

diode, is applied at the input of the MZ-modulator.

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 The optical signal is then divided and then fed into two equal paths by the
3dB Y-junction splitter

 If a voltage is applied at the RF input port, an interaction between the

optical signal and the RF electrical signal will alter the phase of the optical
signal.

 Through this process, two sets of optical signals are generated: in-phase
and out-of-phase signals

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 At the Y-junction combiner, the in-phase signals are coupled into the
optical fiber, while the out-of-phase signals, transformed into a higher
order mode, are dissipated into the substrate of the modulator.

 The transfer function of the modulator is expressed by

 Where, V 
2  (t ) 
 I (t )  aI ( ) cos 
I(t)=Intensity of the of the output modulated signal  
 2V 
 a=Insertion loss of the modulator
 I()=Laser diode intensity at the input of the modulator
 V(t)=Voltage applied at the RF port
 V =Modulator drive voltage required to achieve
(t ) 0
phase shift.
180

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 A typical MZ modulator
Vpi
transfer function curve is
Maximum transmission
illustrated in fig-3

Optical transmission
 Operation
 The generated optical CW
signal fro a DFB laser diode
with a very narrow linewidth is
fed into the MZ modulator. Minimum transmission

Bias voltage
Linear operating range
Normal operation bias

 The modulator transimpedance

is a function of the V(t) signal Mach Zehnder modulator transfer function.Fig-3
applied at the RF input.

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 Therefore, a binary data stream applied at the RF port of the
modulator can alter the optical CW signal.

 The benefits of the utilization of an external modulator in optical fiber

communications links are:

 Higher optical output power coupled into the optical fiber

 Very small pulse broadening (chirp)
 Longer link distance
 Higher transmission rates
 Fewer EDFAs required

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 No jitter
 Electronic noise rejection
 >20dB dynamic range
 Immunity to environmental changes
 Supports wide band transmission
 Cost efficiency

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 ELECTROABSORTION MODULATED LASER (EML)

 There exist three optical modulation schemes.
 i) Directly modulated laser diode
 ii) Externally modulated laser diode
 iii) Electroabsorptive modulated laser (EML) diode.

 The development of the EML allowed longer transmission distances

with a minimum degree of pulse broadening (chirping)

 Since directly modulated laser diodes exhibited large chirping, they

were considered insufficient for long distance optical transmissions

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 EML modules, exhibiting chirp levels on the order of 0.2 at 2.5Gb/s bit
rates over distances in excess of 400km, were considered ideal for long-
haul applications.

 An electroabsorptive modulated laser (EML) module incorporates a CW

laser diode and an integrated modulator in a single chip.

 This module is designed to complement the external MZ- modulator,

offering certain advantage such as, easy of implementation and reasonable
cost.

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 The device is intended for long distance optical transmissions applications
(600km), and can be used for 2.5Gb/s or 10Gb/s bit rates with the addition of an
integrated driver circuit .

 The EML modules are designed to operate at 1550nm wavelength

windows and at discrete wavelengths across the ITU-T frequency grid.

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