Fiber Optics

Presentation By:
1. Saksham Rijal 5. Ishanesh Khanal
2. Anish Khadka 6. Asmit Ghimire
3. Ayush Basnet 7. Anubhav Timsina
4. Saurab Gyawali 8. Ayam Kattel
• An optical fiber is a cylindrical system that operates at
optical frequencies.
• The central part is referred to as core and the seal
outside the core is called the cladding.
• Outside of the cladding we have the buffer coating which
is also referred to as jacket.
• Core: The core is the inner part of fiber optic cable. It is
the medium which allows light to pass through it. It is
made of higher refractive index material.
• Cladding: Cladding is the substance that is covered over
the core of the optical fiber. It has a lower refractive
index while compared to the core of the fiber.
• Buffer: The Buffer is the moist substance that is coated
over the surface of the cladding. They are mainly used to
provide flexibility to the optical fiber’s core and
cladding. Fig:
Cross Sectional View of Fiber Optic Cable
• Jacket: The jacket is the outer surface of the optical fiber.
They act as a shield for protecting the inner part of the
fiber.
Total Internal Reflection
The electromagnetic wave transmission through optical fiber is based on phenomenon of total internal reflection.

When light ray travels from one medium to another,

By Snell’s Law we can write:
μ1 sin i = μ2 sin r - (i)
When a ray of light travels from denser to rarer
medium such that angle of incidence is greater than
the critical angle. The ray reflects back into the same
medium. This phenomena is called Total Internal
Reflection.
From equation (i) we can write:
μ1 sin C = μ2 sin 90
sin C = μ1 / μ2
Here μ1 > μ2
Propagation of Light Wave

Consider an incident ray on an

optical fiber making an angle i
with the axis from outside.
The refractive index of air
outside is μ0 , That of core is
μ1 and cladding is μ2
respectively.
Classification of Fibers
The material of core can be compared in two different ways. Hence there are two different kind of optical fibers. They are:

Step Index Optical Fiber:

In this kind of optical fiber the
refractive index of core and cladding
are constant.
The light ray propagate through it in
the form of diagonal rays.
Step index fibers are often used in
short-distance applications like LANs
due to their simplicity and lower cost.
Graded Index Optical Fiber:
In this type of optical fiber the core has a
non uniform refractive index that
gradually decrease from center toward
the cladding interface.
The cladding has uniform refractive
index.
The light rays propagate in form of
helical rays and never cross the fiber axis.
Graded index fibers are preferred for
high-bandwidth and long-distance
communication systems, such as
telecommunications networks and
backbone connections.
Self Focusing: In graded index fiber light travels at
different speeds in different parts
because the refractive index changes
throughout the fiber. The refractive
index at outer edge is lower. As a
result the rays near the outer edge
travel faster than rays in the center of
core.
Because of this light rays in these rays
arrive at the end of fiber at
approximately the same time due to
the constant refocusing of the light
rays.
This reduces signal distortion.
Fiber Transmission
Mode is the path a light ray can take in the fiber. Generally there are two
possible options:
Single Mode Fiber:
• In single mode only one light ray can propagate
through the fiber resulting in high bandwidth.
• It has small core diameter (8-10 μm) and higher
cladding diameter (125 μm).
• The difference between refractive index of core and
cladding is very small.
• There is neither dispersion nor degradation making it
suitable for long distance communication( > 5 km ).
• Light can be launched with laser diode.
Multi Mode Fiber:
• It allows a large number of pathways for
multiple light rays to travel through it
resulting in low bandwidth.
• The core diameter is 62.5 μm and that of
cladding is 125 μm.
• The relative refractive index difference is
larger than single mode fiber.
• There is signal dispersion and degradation
in multi-mode fiber making it unsuitable for
large distance communication.
• Light can be launched with LED’s.
Problems with Fiber Optic
Fiber Loss:
Optical fiber has low transmission loss or attenuation. Signal attenuation
or transmission loss is the ratio of input to output optical power.
It is given in decibels per km as:
• O dB = 1/L [10 log (Pin/Pout)
where Pin and Pout are input and output powers and L is length of
optical fiber in km.
If Pin and Pout are equal such an optical fiber is ideal since there is no
loss in signal.
Dispersion Loss

In some cases during transmission through fiber, pulse at output wider

than pulse at input i.e. pulse gets distorted. This distortion is measured
in ns/km and determined using fractional refractive index change for a
certain length. It is given by the formula:
D = μ/c (Δ/1- Δ)
where c = speed of light
Other Types of Fiber Loss
•Absorption Loss
•Scattering Loss
•Radiation Loss (Bend Loss)
Advantages of Optical Fiber
Compared to their predecessors (copper cables and other older mediums). The fiber
optics have following advantages
• Greater volume of information can be carried over.
• It is light in weight and flexible so they are easier to handle.
• There is less interference of waves.
• The life span of cables is 20-30 years greater.
• They are safer due to only carrying light waves and not
electrical signals.
• There is no corrosion.
• They are easier to maintain.
 Applications

• Communication: Optical fiber cables play an important role in

the principle of optical fiber communication systems because they are
used for both transmission and reception. Speed and accuracy can be
improved by using it in many networking applications.
• Medical industry:
Surgical lasers,
endoscope lasers,
microscope lasers, and
biomedical lasers all
make use of fiber lasers.
Defense:
THANK
YOU!