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P421lecture 3

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23 views14 pages

P421lecture 3

Uploaded by

abanoubadly110
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Lectures Notes

In Fiber optic communications


Code: P421
For Physics Students

by
Prof. Dr. \ Safwat William Zaki Mahmoud
Professor of Laser Physics
Optical Fibers

Cladding n2<n1

  n1
 core

cladding n2<n1

  critical angle

❑ For optical communication system, the guiding medium is the optical


fiber, that acts as the transmission channel carrying the information -
carrying light beam
❑ It was necessary to provide a “guiding” medium that protects the light
beam from losses
❑ The dramatic reduction of transmission loss in optical fibers has brought
about a phenomenal growth of the fiber optic industry.
How does the fiber work to confine and guide light?

➢ Operation of fibers is based on the Cladding n2<n1


principle of total internal reflection
  n1
core
➢ We know that
cladding n2<n1
light reflects or refracts
when penetrating a different medium
depending on the angle of incidence  > critical angle

➢ The difference n1 > n2 causes most of lightwaves to internally reflect and


stay within the core.
Fiber core acts as a mirror for the transmitted light
Light waves are guided to the other end of the fiber

➢ By controlling the angle of incidence of light waves, we can control their


efficiently to reach their destination.
TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION (TIR)
TIR is responsible for the guidance of the light beam
through the optical fiber

(a) A ray of light incident on a denser medium (n2 > n1).


(b)A ray incident on a rarer medium (n2 < n1).
(c) For n2 < n1, if the angle of incidence is greater than
critical angle, it will undergo total internal reflection.

−1  n2 
1 = c = sin   φ2 = 90°
 n1 
When φ1 > φc, there is no refracted ray and we have TIR
Example
For the glass-air interface, n1 = 1.5, n2 = 1.0, and the critical angle is

On the other hand, for the glass-water interface, n1 = 1.5, n2 = 1.33


OPTICAL FIBERS

(a) Glass fiber consists of a


cylindrical central core clad
by a material of slightly
lower refractive index.
(b) Light rays impinging on the
core-cladding interface at an
angle > c are trapped inside
the core of the fiber.

n = n1 for ra
n = n2 for ra

❑ Cladding is pure silica while the core is silica doped with germanium.
❑ A protective acrylate coating then surrounds the cladding in order to
protect the glass from dust and scratches.
OPTICAL FIBERS

We define a the refractive index difference Δ through

n12 − n22

2n12

=
(n1 + n2 )(n1 − n2 )  2n1(n1 − n2 )  n1 − n2
2n12 2n12 2n1

❑ For a ray entering the fiber core at its end, if the angle of incidence
φ > φc [= sin–1 (n2/n1)], the ray will undergo TIR at that interface.
❑ Because of the cylindrical symmetry in the fiber structure, this ray
will suffer TIR at the lower interface also and therefore be guided
through the core by repeated TIR.
THE NUMERICAL APERTURE (NA)
Consider a ray incident on the
entrance face of the fiber core
with an angle i.
sin i n
 1
sin  n0
if this refracted ray suffers TIR,
the angle of incidence φ must
satisfy the equation,

n2
sin  = cos 
n1
2
n 
sin  = 1 − cos 2  sin   1 −  2 
 n1 
If ia is the maximum half-angle of the acceptance cone for rays at input
end, then applying Snell’s law results in i < ia.
THE NUMERICAL APERTURE (NA)
n
n0 sin i = n1 sin   sin i = 1 sin  = n1 sin  (n0 = 1)
n0

n22 n12 − n22


sin ia = n1 1 − = n1 = n1 2
2
n1 2
n1

acceptance angle ia

❑ Therefore, the angles i < ia correspond to rays to be transmitted by TIR


(called meriodional rays).
❑ Thus, if a cone of light is incident on one end of the fiber, it will be
guided through it provided the half-angle of the cone is less than ia.
❑ This half-angle is a measure of light-gathering power of the fiber.
❑ We define the numerical aperture (NA) of the fiber by:

NA = sin ia = n1 2
Example
For a typical step-index (multimode) fiber with n1 ≈ 1.45 and Δ ≈ 0.01,
we get

sin ia = n1 2 = 1.45 2 x 0.01 = 0.205

so that ia ≈ 12°. Thus, all light entering the fiber must be within a cone
of half-angle 12°.

❑ In a short length of an optical fiber, if all rays between i = 0 and ia


are launched, the light coming out of the fiber will also appear as
a cone of half-angle ia emanating from the fiber end.
❑ If we now allow this beam to fall normally on a white paper and
measure its diameter, we can easily calculate the NA of the fiber.
ATTENUATION IN OPTICAL FIBERS
❑ Attenuation and dispersion represent the two most important fiber
characteristics that determine the information-capacity of a fiber
optic communication system.
❑ The lower the attenuation and dispersion, the greater can be the
required repeater spacing and the lower will be the cost.
If an input power P1 results in an output power P2, the
power loss α in decibels is given by
 P2 
 (dB) = 10 log10  
 P1 
❑ If the output power is half the input power, loss = 10 log 2 ≈ 3 dB
❑ If the power reduction is by a factor of 100 or 10, the power loss is 20
dB or 10 dB respectively.
❑ If 96% of light is transmitted through fiber, the loss is about 0.18 dB.
❑ In a typical fiber amplifier, a power amplification of about 1000
represents a power gain of 30 dB.
ATTENUATION IN OPTICAL FIBERS

❑ the spectral dependence of fiber attenuation as a function of


wavelength of a typical silica optical fiber.
❑ The losses are caused by various mechanisms such as Rayleigh
scattering, absorption due to:-
➢ metallic impurities and water in the fiber
➢ intrinsic absorption by the silica molecule itself.
ATTENUATION IN OPTICAL FIBERS

❑ The Rayleigh scattering loss varies as 1/λ4, i.e., shorter wavelengths


scatter more than longer wavelengths: loss decreases up to 1550 nm.

❑ The two absorption peaks around 1240 nm and 1380 nm are


primarily due to traces of OH– ions and traces of metallic ions.

❑ For λ > 1600 nm, the increase in loss is due to absorption of infrared
light by silica molecules. This is an intrinsic property of silica.

❑ There are two windows at which loss attains its minimum value.

1. Around 1300 nm (< 1 dB/km) where material dispersion is


negligible.

2. Around 1550 nm, minimum loss of 0.2 dB/km.


Example
Calculate the loss in the dB scale of a 40-km fiber link with a
loss of 0.4 dB/km?

Total loss = 0.4 dB/km × 40 km = 160 dB

Example
If the input power of a 5-mW laser decreases to 30 μW after
traversing through 40 km of an optical fiber, calculate the loss per km
of the fiber?

ttenuation (in dB/km) = 10log10 (Pout/Pin) / Length


= 10xlog10 (0.03/5)]/40 ≈ 0.56 dB/km.

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