Fiber Systems Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM)

Alpina Kulkarni Optical Communications (EE566) Dr. Paolo Liu Electrical Engineering @ UB

Brief Overview
Problems with increasing network demands Solutions proposed & their limitations Evolution of DWDM Technical details Drawbacks Ongoing Research Conclusion

Growing Network Usage Patterns

Issues
 Exponential increase in user demand for bandwidth
Doubling of bandwidth requirement every 6-9 months 6-

 Consistency in quality of services provided  Keeping the cost of solutions at bay

Solutions
 Increase channel capacity: TDM, WDM  Statistical multiplexing of users: Multiple optical fibers

Another glimpse at the solutions

TDM (Time Division Multiplexing)
 Slotting of channels simultaneous users  Increasing bit rate to maximize utilization of given bandwidth

WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexing)

   

Use of optical fibers to achieve higher speeds Utilize wavelengths to multiplex users Allow continuous channel allocation per user Increases the effective bandwidth of existing fiber

Limitations of current solutions

TDM
 Dependency of Mux-Demux on bit rate Mux Limitations on bit rates
how fast can we go? (Decides how small the time slots can be)

WDM
 Inefficient usage of full capacity of the optical fiber  Capability of carrying signals efficiently over short distances only

Improvements in optical fibers and narrowband lasers

 Birth of Dense WDM (DWDM)

Evolution of DWDM
Late 1990 s 1996 DWDM Early 1990 s Narrowband WDM

64+ channels 25~50 GHz spacing 16+ channels 100~200 GHz spacing 2~8 channels 200~400 GHz spacing 2 channels 1310nm, 1550nm

1980 s Wideband WDM

What is DWDM?
Definition
 Dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) is a fiber-optic fibertransmission technique that employs light wavelengths to transmit data parallel-by-bit or serial-by-character parallel-byserial-by-

How does DWDM fair better?

No O-E-O required OProtocol & Bit Rate independence Increased overall capacity at much lower cost
 Current fiber plant investment can be optimized by a factor of at least 32

Transparency
 Physical layer architecture supports both TDM and data formats such as ATM, Gigabit Ethernet, etc.

Scalability
 Utilize abundance of dark fibers in metropolitan areas and enterprise networks

Capacity Expansion

Basic Components & Operation

Transmitting Side
 Lasers with precise stable wavelengths  Optical Multiplexers

On the Link
 Optical fiber  Optical amplifiers

Receiving Side
 Photo detectors  Optical Demultiplexers

Optical add/drop multiplexers

Optical Amplifier

Eliminates O-E-O conversions OMore effective than electronic repeaters Isolator prevents reflection Light at 980nm or 1480nm is injected via the pump laser Gains ~ 30dB; Output Power ~ 17dB

Drawbacks
Dispersion
 Chromatic dispersion  Polarization mode dispersion

Attenuation
 Intrinsic: Scattering, Absorption, etc.  Extrinsic: Manufacturing Stress, Environment, etc.

Four wave mixing

 Non-linear nature of refractive index of optical fiber Non Limits channel capacity of the DWDM System

Ongoing Developments
Nortel Networks
 Metro DWDM  OPTera Long Haul 5000 Optical Line System

Cisco Systems
 ONS 15200 Metro DWDM Solution

Lucent Technologies
 LambdaXtreme Transport  WaveStar OLS 1.6T

Agility Communications & UC Santa Barbara

 Tunable Lasers used for multiple wavelengths

Conclusion
Robust and simple design Works entirely in the Optical domain Multiplies the capacity of the network many fold Cheap Components Handles the present BW demand cost effectively Maximum utilization of untapped resources Best suited for long-haul networks long-

References
[1] Introducing DWDM http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/mels/dwdm/dwdm_fns.htm [2] Fundamentals of DWDM Technology http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/mels/dwdm/dwdm_ovr.htm [3] Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) http://www.iec.org/online/tutorials/dwdm [4] Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) Testing http://www.iec.org/online/tutorials/dwdm_test [5] Fiber-Optic Communications Technology by D.K. Mynbaev, L.L. Scheiner, Pearson FiberEducation Asia, 2001 edition [6] Dense wave nets' future is cloudy by Chappell Brown, EETimes http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20011221S0035 [7] Cisco Systems http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/optical/ps1996/products_quick_reference_gui de09186a00800886bb.html [8] Lucent Technologies http://www.lucent.com/products/subcategory/0,,CTID+2021-STID+10482http://www.lucent.com/products/subcategory/0,,CTID+2021-STID+10482LOCL+1,00.html [9] Nortel Networks: OPTera Long Haul & Metro DWDM http://www.nortelnetworks.com/products/01/optera/long_haul/dwdm/) (http://www.nortelnetworks.com/products/01/optera/long_haul/dwdm/) & http://www.nortelnetworks.com/products/library/collateral/12001.25-03-02.pdf) (http://www.nortelnetworks.com/products/library/collateral/12001.25-03-02.pdf) [10] Agility Communications http://agility.com/intervals/index.phtml?ID=93&f_code=1