ES 475 - Optical Communication and

Computing
Lecture 2

Dr. Asad Mahmood

Jan 25, 2023
Outline
• Quick Review of Last Lecture
• Introduction to the course

• Outline for Today’s Lecture

• Chapter 1: Overview of Fiber Optic Communications
• 1.1 - Motivations for Lightwave Communications
• 1.2 - Optical Spectral Bands
• 1.3 - Decibel Units
Introductions to ourselves

• Dr. Asad Mahmood

• Research Interests: Hyperspectral Imaging / Remote Sensing of Environment,
Signal Processing for Communications/ Wireless Communications
• Contact Information:
• Email: [email protected]
• Office: G-9, FES faculty area
• Phone: 2285
• Consultation hours: During office hours, or by appointment for long consultation
• Your Introduction
• Relevant courses
 Introduction to the Course
• Optical communications, in form of fiber optic communications, free space
optics etc., is becoming an integral component of modern
telecommunication infrastructure.
• This course is designed to give an introductory understanding to the basics
of optical communications, in particular focusing on the fiber-optic
communications.
• An understanding of basic concepts and components of an optical
communication system including optical fibers, optical transmitter/source
and optical receiver/detector design and performance analysis etc. is given
in the start and mid of this course.
• Last part of the course aims to introduce to the students an understanding
of link budget design and optical network architecture at a high-level, and
if time permits introductory concepts of optical computing are briefly
discussed at the end of the course.
Course Contents
• Overview of fiber optic communication: Advantages of optical fiber communication key elements of optical
communications, optical spectral bands, units etc. (Chapter 1)
• Optical fiber waveguides: Nature of light, basic optical laws, optical fiber modes, key results of mode theory,
single and multi-mode fibers, fiber materials and fabrication, optical cables etc. (Chapter 2)
• Transmission characteristics of optical fibers: Signal Attenuation, Signal Dispersion, transmission
characteristics of single-mode fibers, international standards (Chapter 3)
• Optical sources: Basics of semiconductor physics, LEDs, LASER diodes, heterojunction structure (Chapter 4)
• Power launching and coupling: Source-to-fiber power launching, lensing schemes for coupling improvement,
fiber-to-fiber joints, Fiber splicing, optical fiber connectors (Chapter 5)
• Photodetectors: Physical principles of Photodiodes, Photodetector noise, Response time, Comparisons (Ch. 6)
• Optical receiver: Optical Receiver Operation, digital receiver performance, eye diagrams etc. (Chapter 7)
• Optical System design: System considerations, link power budget, rise time budget, Power penalties (Ch. 8)
• WDM concepts and components: overview of WDM operation principles, passive optical couplers,
Mach-Zehnder interferometer (Chapter 10)
• Optical networks: Basic Network concepts, Network topologies, SONET / SDH, Optical switching, WDM
network examples (Chapter 13)
• Optical computing: Basic motivation for optical computing, Basic concepts and components
Grading Policy
• Grading policy
• 5*Assignment Quizzes = 3*5% = 15%
• 5*Assignments = 2*5% = 10%
• 1*Complex Engineering Problem Assignment + Presentation = 9%
• 1*Ethics Assignment = 1%
• 1*Midterm exam = 25%
• 1*Final exam = 40%
CLOs and PLOs
Mapping of CLOs and PLOs
Sr. No. Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) PLOs Blooms
Taxonomy
CLO1 • Solve problems related to optical principles used in optical PLO1 C2
fibers and characteristics of optical fibers
CLO2 • Analyze important components used in optical communication PLO1 C3
links e.g. optical sources, optical detectors etc.

CLO3 • Design an optical communication component, link or network PLO3 C5

for a target set of desirables and constraints.
CLO4 Present effectively via an oral presentation the solution of PLO10 C4
the Complex Engineering Problem given in the course
CLO5 Demonstrate understanding of professional ethics and PLO8
practice one or more as part of course.
CLOs and PLOs

CLO Assessment Mechanism

CLO1 CLO2 CLO3 CLO4 CLO5

Quizzes 1-2 Quizzes 2-3 Quizzes
CEP 1 report 1 1
presentation/ presentation
report /report
section
Midterm Exam 2 Qs 1-2 Qs
Final Exam 1-2 Qs 1-2 Qs
Books
Course Textbooks:
1. Gerd Keiser, ‘Optical Fiber Communications’, 4th/5th Edition, McGraw Hill

Reference Books:
1. Fiber Optic Communications, Lecture Notes, Prof. Walter Johnstone
2. G. P. Agarwal, ‘Fiber Optic Communication Systems’
3. Zanger and Zanger, ‘Fiber Optics – Communication and Other Applications’
4. Joseph C Palais, ‘Fiber Optic Communications’
5. Ramaswami, Sivarajan, ‘Optical Networks- A Practical Perspective’
Course Admin
• Preparing for the assignment quizzes is the best way to do well in this course, as they
will be interspersed throughout the semester and you will have ample amount to
prepare IF you plan nicely.
• All the assessments (Heavy-weightage quizzes, Midterm and Final Exam) will be from
the book topics covered in the lectures. Hence, make sure that you read the book topics
thoroughly and NOT rely ONLY on the slides, which are made only to assist in lecturing.
• Quiz/Assignment date will be announced well in advance and hence it will not be
changed. Make sure to plan your other commitments accordingly as you will be given
ample amount of time to prepare for each quiz
• Please do not make the class noisy. As 4th year students, it is expected of you to act
maturely in the classes. You are allowed to go out of the class quietly if there is
something urgent that needs your attention.
• 80% attendance is mandatory to be allowed to sit in the final examination as per
institute’s policy
Chapter 1- Overview of Fiber Optic
Communications
Background
• Human need for communication
• Historical Use of Optical Signals for Communications
– Distant past
1. Use of Fire → Used by Greeks in 8th century BC for sending alarms
2. Light reflected from mirrors → Ship-to-ship communications
• Very short range → Limited by visibility/ weather
– Recent Past
• Invention of Laser (High intensity well focused light) in 1960s → very large
BW as compared to microwave
• Experiments using atmospheric optical channel in 1960s – attenuation+
economically unattractive!
• First attempt on using fiber optic cable for long distance communication
was in 1966
– High amount of impurities, large size of laser → only limited distance
communication was possible
• Invention of low loss fibers ( Works of Charles Kao in 1960s to 1980s) has
enabled long distance communications
• Practically deployed working fiber optic communication system in 1978
 Background
Historical developments in Optics/fiber-optics
• 1621 → Snell’s law = behavior of light when entering another
material
• 1870 → John Tyndall = studied behavior of light bending along a
water stream
• 1900/1905 → Max Planck/Einstein developed Photon theory
for light behavior/ photoelectric effect
• 1930 → W. Lamb experimented with light guided in a glass fiber
• 1951 → Image transmission via a bundle of glass fiber
• 1953 → Singh developed fibers with cladding
• 1962 → First semiconductor laser
• 1981 → single-mode low-loss, high-bandwidth fibers
• 2009 → Nobel Prize in Physics given to Charles C Kao for his
works on showing glass fibers can be used for light propagation
Chapter 1 -
Overview of Optical Fiber Communications
• 1.1 - Motivations for Lightwave Communications
• 1.2 - Optical Spectral Bands
• 1.3 - Decibel Units
• 1.4 - Network Information Rates
• 1.5 - WDM Concepts
• 1.6 - Key Elements of Optical Fiber Systems
• 1.7 - Standards for Optical Fiber Communications
• 1.8 - Modeling and Simulation Tools
 1.1.1 – The Path to Optical Networks

• Before optical communications, electrical pulses transmission based

communication system → telegraphs
• Graham Bell made a system in 1876 that could transmit the entire voice
signal in an analog form
• Increasing system capacity with an increase in carrier frequency →
more sophisticated system with higher carrier frequency were then
developed → baseband vs carrier-based/bandpass comms systems
• Optical Frequencies are several orders of magnitude higher than the
electrical frequencies → Larger Bandwidth! (see fig. next slide)
• Although Laser was invented first, but optical fibers were found to be
more feasible for long distance low cost communications than lasers
– Lasers also unreliable in non line-of-sight, dense fog conditions
– technical breakthrough in 1970 → researchers demonstrated the
feasibility of producing a glass fiber having an optical power loss
that was low enough for a practical transmission link
1.1.1 – The Path to
Optical Networks

EM spectrum for
communications
• Higher Carrier Frequency
available In Optical
Communications meant,
much higher bandwidths
available and hence a
higher data rate
• Increase in the demand
for data-rates in modern
times
1.1.1 – The Path to Optical Networks
1.1.2 Advantages of Optical Fibers
• Long-distance communications→ Low attenuation results in Less
no. of repeaters/ low-cost for long-distance communication
compared to copper wires
• Large information Capacity: wider bandwidth than copper wires
→ less physical wires needed
• Small size and light weight: important in aircrafts, satellites and
ships
• Immunity to electromagnetic interference: dielectric medium and
hence no coupling with high voltage transmission lines, radar
systems, power electronic systems, airborne systems etc.
• Enhanced safety: No electricity sparks/damage etc. however care
in lasers must be taken with respect to eye damage
• Increased security: Optical signal is well-confined within the fiber
and an opaque coating around the fiber absorbs any signal
emissions
Chapter 1 -
Overview of Optical Fiber Communications
• 1.1 - Motivations for Lightwave Communications
• 1.2 - Optical Spectral Bands
• 1.3 - Decibel Units
• 1.4 - Network Information Rates
• 1.5 - WDM Concepts
• 1.6 - Key Elements of Optical Fiber Systems
• 1.7 - Standards for Optical Fiber Communications
• 1.8 - Modeling and Simulation Tools
1.2.1 - Electromagnetic Energy
• All telecommunication systems use some form of
electromagnetic energy to transmit signals.
• Electromagnetic energy is a combination of electrical and
magnetic fields and includes power, radio waves, microwaves,
infrared light, visible light, ultraviolet light, Xrays and gamma rays
– All EM radiations travel with the speed of light in vaccum
• Physical properties of the
waves in different parts of the
spectrum can be measured in
several interrelated ways
• Frequency (mostly used for
electrical signal/ RF waves )
• Wavelength (Mostly used
for Optical SIgnal)
• Energy
 1.2.1 Electromagnetic energy
• Visible Light → 400 to 700 nm
• Optical Fiber communication bands → 770 nm to 1675 nm (near
infrared bands)
• The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has designated six
spectral bands (O, E, S, C, L, and U bands) for use in optical fiber
communications within the 1260-to-1675-nm region.
• These long-wavelength band designations arose from the attenuation
characteristics of optical fibers and the performance behavior of a
Erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA)
1.2.2 – Windows
and Spectral
Bands

• One of the principal

characteristics of an
optical fiber is its
attenuation as a
function of
wavelength

• Best Wavelength?
– Have to consider
dispersion
 Evolution of optical fibers

• 1950s:Imaging applications in
medicine & non-destructive
testing, lighting
• 1960s:Research on lowering the
fiber loss for telecom. applications.
• 1970s:Development of low loss
fibers, semiconductor light sources
& photodetectors
• 1980s:single mode fibers (OC-3 to
OC-48) over repeater spacings of
40 km.
• 1990s:Optical amplifiers (e.g.
EDFA), WDM (wavelength division
multiplexing) toward dense-WDM.
Optical Fiber communications, 3rd ed.,G.Keiser,McGrawHill,
2000
Chapter 1 -
Overview of Optical Fiber Communications
• 1.1 - Motivations for Lightwave Communications
• 1.2 - Optical Spectral Bands
• 1.3 - Decibel Units
• 1.4 - Network Information Rates
• 1.5 - WDM Concepts
• 1.6 - Key Elements of Optical Fiber Systems
• 1.7 - Standards for Optical Fiber Communications
• 1.8 - Modeling and Simulation Tools