Fiber Optic

Communication
Overview,
Cable
Construction,
Laying & Splicing
By
OFC faculty, ALTTC,
GZB.
OFC Faculty Optical Fiber Communication
CONTENTS
HISTORY
ADVANTAGES
APPLICATIONS
FIBER OPTIC PRINCIPLE
WINDOWS OF OPERATION
FIBER CLASSIFICATION
FIBER PROPERTIES
STANDARD FIBER TYPES
A TYPICAL OPTICAL FIBER LINK
CURRENT TRENDS IN FIBER OPTIC COMMUNICATION

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1790: Optical telegraph was devised by Claude Chappe.
1880: Alexander Grahem Bell invented the PHOTOPHONE.
1940s: Optical guides with reflective coating to carry visible light.
1960:Invention of LASER-The first major break through in fiber optic
technology. Unguided (non fiber) communication systems were
developed after laser discovery.
1966 Onwards: Development of optical fibers by companies like
Corning Glass (very high loss).
IN 1970, Low loss fiber was developed and OFC system became
practical. It was operated at wave-length around 820 nm and at
attenuation of 1db/km.
Now fibers with losses of only a fraction of 1 db/km are available
(0.15-0.35 db/km).
HISTORICAL
PERSEPECTIVE(1)
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HISTORICAL
PERSEPECTIVE(2)
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High information carrying capacity:
A valid comparison would be on the basis of cost per meter per
telephone channel, rather than just cost per meter.
Resource plentiful:
The basic materials are either silicon dioxide for glass fibers or
transparent plastic which are plentiful
Less attenuation:
A typical fibre attenuation is 0.3 dB/km. Whereas a coaxial
cable (RG-19/U) will attenuate a 100-Mz signal by 22.6 dB/km.
Greater safety:
Optic fibers glass/plastic, are insulators. No electric current
flows through them.

ADVANTAGES OF FIBRE
COMMUNICATIONS (1)
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Immunity to Radio Frequency Interference:
Fibers have excellent rejection of radio-frequency interference
(RFI) caused by radio and television stations, radar, and other
electronics equipment.
Immunity to Electromagnetic Interference:
Fibers have excellent rejection of electromagnetic interference
(EMI caused by natural phenomena such as lighting, sparking,
etc).
No cross-talk:
The optic wave within the fiber is trapped and does not leaks
out during transmission to interfere with signals in other fibers.
Higher Security:
fibers offer higher degree of security and privacy.
ADVANTAGES OF FIBRE
COMMUNICATIONS (2)
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Small size and light weight:
typical optical cable has a fiber dia. of 125m, cable
dia. 2.5 mm and weight of 6 kg/km in comparison a
coaxial cable (RG-19/U) has a outer dia. Of 28.4 mm,
and weight 1110 kg/km.
Corrosion :
Corrosion caused by water/chemicals is less severe
for glass than for copper.
Less temperature sensitive:
Glass fibers can with stand extreme temperatures
before deteriorating. Temperatures up to 800 C leave
glass fiber unaffected.



ADVANTAGES OF FIBRE
COMMUNICATIONS (3)
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Telecommunications:
Long-Distance Telecommunications.
Inter-exchange junction.
Fibre in the loop (FITL).
Video Transmission:
Television broadcast, cable television (CATV), remote monitoring, etc.
Broadband Services:
provisioning of broadband services, such as video request service,
home study courses, medical facilities, train timetables, etc.
High EMI areas:
Can be laid along railway track, through power substations and can
be suspended directly from power line towers, or poles.
Military applications:
Non-communication fiber optic:
eg. fiber sensors.

APPLICATION OF FIBER OPTIC
COMMUNICATIONS
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Ray Theory:
A number of optic phenomena are adequately explained by
considering light as narrow rays.
The theory based on this approach is called geometrical optics.
These rays obey a few simple rules:
1. In a vacuum, rays travel at a velocity of c =3x10
8
m/s. In any
other medium, rays travel at a slower speed, given by
v = c/n n =refractive index of the medium.
2. Rays travel straight paths, unless deflected by some change in
medium.
3. If any power crosses the boundary, the transmitted ray direction
is given by Snells law:
n1 sin i = n2 sin r




Optic review
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INCIDENT RAYS 1
REFLECTED RAYS
REFRACTED RAYS
1
1
3
2
2
3
n2
r
i
PRINCIPAL OF TOTAL
INTERNAL REFLECTION
n1 = 1.48
n2 = 1.46
n1
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THE OPTICAL FIBRE
Cladding
125 m Core
6-10 m
Refractive index
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LIGHT PROPAGATION IN
FIBRE
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LIGHT PROPAGATION IN
FIBRE
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3
2
1
3
2
1

LIGHT PROPAGATION IN
FIBRE
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3
2
1
3
2
1

LIGHT PROPAGATION IN
FIBRE
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Air 1.0
Carbon dioxide 1.0
Water 1.33
Ethyl alcohol 1.36
Magnesium fluoride 1.38
Fused silica 1.46
Polymethyl methacrylate polymer 1.5
Glass 1.54
Sodium chloride 1.59
Zinc sulfide 2.3
Gallium arsenide 3.35
Silicon 3.5
Indium gallium arsenide phoshide 3.51
Aluminium gallium arsenide 3.6
Germanium 4.0
INDEX OF REFRACTION
MATERIALS

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Wave Nature of Light :
Many light phenomena can be explained by realizing that light is
an electromagnetic wave having a very high oscillation
frequencies.
The wavelength of light beam:
= v/f
v = beam velocity
f = its frequency.
Particle Nature of light :
Sometimes light behaves as though it is made up of very small
particles called photons. The energy of a single photon is:
Wp = hf joules
h = 6.626 x 10
-34
j x s is Plancks constant..
f = frequency.
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NATURE OF LIGHT
OFC Faculty Optical Fiber Communication
Visible wavelengths
0.4 m (red)
Silica glass fiber
attenuates light
heavily in visible
& UV regions.
Glass fiber is
relatively efficient
in infrared
region.
Three window of
operation are at
0.85, 1.3 and
1.55 m.

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POWER
RADIO
MICROWAVE
ULTRAVIOLET
INFRARED
ELECTROMAGNETIC
SPECTRUM

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Basic Fibre
core with R.I., n1 is
supported by
concentric
cladding layer with
R.I. n2.
R.I. of core is
greater than
cladding (n1 > n2).
The cladding layer
is surrounded by
one or more
protective coating.
Change in RI is
achieved by
selectively doping
the glass perform.
CONSTRUCTION OF OPTICAL
FIBER CABLE
CORE
CLADDING
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Cabling is done to protect the fiber during transportation, installation
& operation.
Cabling protects the optical fibers from mechanical damage and
environmental degradation.
It resembles conventional metal cables externally.
There are a variety of cable design available and irrespective of their
design ,fiber optic cables have the following parts in common :
Buffer : to protect fiber from outside stress; materials used - nylon,
or plastic.
Strength member : to reduce stress due to pulling, shearing,
and bending; materials used-textile fibers (kevlar), or steel.
Cable filling compound: to prevent moisture intrusion and
migration in the cable.
Cable jacket : to protect the fiber against cut and abrasion;
material used-polyethylene polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride or teflon.

CABLING OF OPTICAL
FIBRE
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Material Classification :
Liquid core fibre.
All fused-silica-glass fibre: have silica-core and silica-cladding.
Plastic-clad-silica (PCS) fibre: have silica core and plastic cladding.
All-plastic fibre : have both core and cladding made up of plastic.
Compound glass fibre such as fluride glass fibre.
Modal classification :
Similar to metallic wave guides, there are stable propagation states of
electromagnetic waves in an optical fibre called modes.
Fibers can be classified based on number of modes available for
propagation : Single-mode (SM) fibre
Multi-mode (MM) fibre.
Classification based on refractive index profile :
Step index (SI) fibre.
Graded index (GRIN) fibre.

CLASSIFICATION OF OPTICAL
FIBRE
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2a
2a
2a
8 - 12 m
50 - 200m
50 m
C) Multi mode GRIN fiber
b) Multi mode step-index fiber
a) Single mode step-index fiber
CLASSIFICATION OF
OPTICAL FIBRE
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- 190 THz
OH
-
OH
-

OH
-

Cut - off wave length
for single - mode
fibre
- 50 THz
Wavelength (m.)
0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7
0









1








2













3









4













5

First Window
Second Window
Third Window
Fourth Window
WINDOW CONCEPT IN SPECTRUM
OF OPTICAL FIBER
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soil categorization : ( for depth of trench )
(A) Rocky : Cable trench, where it is not possible to be dug without
blasting and/or chiseling.
(B) Non Rocky : Other than A above, soil mixed with stone and soft
rock.
Pipes for cable laying
Advantage for using pipes :1.It gives mechanical protection
2.Pipes can be laid in advance so that
the cable laying is faster
(1) HDPE pipe 75 mm (diameter) length 5m. (approx 18 to 20 )
(2) HDPE pipe 50 mm (diameter) length 5m. (approx 18 to 20 )
(3) PLP pipe (40 mm. outer diameter ) length 1km/200m
LAYING OF CABLE
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Mow manual laying method is discouraged as it is
expensive , time consuming and also due to safety
consideration.
Now for digging JCB machines are preferred.
Air blowing method by using Pressure machine is
used for cable laying.
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LAYING OF CABLE
OFC Faculty Optical Fiber Communication
Measurement of cable depth
Depth should be measured from the top of pipe.
However it is acceptable, if it is less upto eight
cms from the specified depth.

(A) Cross country rout (normal soil):
HDPE pipe or PLP pipe depth is 1.5 meter .
In rocky area minimum depth 0.9 m ( where digging more
then 1 meter above pipe is not possible due to any
Obstruction etc) should be considered. However, all
cables having depth less then 1.2 meter should be
protected by RCC/GI pipes

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LAYING OF CABLE
OFC Faculty Optical Fiber Communication
(B) In built up area (city/town/urban area):
(1) OF cable should be laid through exiting duct.
(2) GI pipe or RCC pipe at the entry of duct.
(3) In non duct area it should be laid through HDPE
pipe/PLP pipe at depth of 1.5 meter using RCC/GI pipe for
protection.
(4) Depth in rocky soil may be consider as 0.9 to 1.0 meter
(C) On culvert/bridge over river and nallah:
(1) At the depth of 1.5 meter. Pipe length should be extended upto 2
meters at both ends.
(2) This should be fixed along the parapet wall/bridge wall when
river or nalla is full of water through out year, through fixed GI
pipe on wall at suitable height above the water level.


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(D) Along rail bridge or crossing :
Through HDPE pipe/PLP pipe protected by RCC or iron pipe as
per the prescribed by railway authority.
(E) On road crossing :
At a depth of 1.5 meter through HDP pipe enclosed in RCC
pipe extended by 3.0 meter to the either side end of the road.
Indicators along route :
(A) Route indicator
At every 200 m route length, showing name of route & no
of indicators.
(B) Joint indicator :
At every joint (Splice), generally it is placed at every
2/4 Km(Drum length)
(C) Branch (Root diversion) indicator:
Provided at route diversion or branching from the main
root.
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There are several points in an optic system where losses occur.
These are: coupler, splices, connectors and the fiber itself.
Losses associated within the fiber classified as under:
Losses due to absorption: Even the purest glass will absorb heavily
within specific wavelength regions. Other major source of loss is
impurities like, metal ions and OH ions.
Losses due to scattering: caused due to localized variations in
density, called Rayleigh scattering and the loss is:
L = 1.7(0.85/)
4
dB/km
is in micrometers
Losses due to geometric effect:
micro-bending.
macro-bending.
LOSSES IN OPTICAL
FIBER
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OTDR is used for measurement of splice loss/ fiber loss in a section.
Optical power meter is used to know total loss of terminated cable
section.
GENERAL ANALYSIS OF OTDR
PLOT
FRESNE REFLECTIONS
LOSS

(db)
SPLICE
CONNECTOR
DISTANCE (KM)
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Dispersion is spreading of the optical pulse as it travels down the length.
Dispersion limits the information carrying capacity of fibre.
Classified as : Material Disp, Waveguide Disp. & Modal Disp.,
Material Dispersion:
R.I. varies with Wave length causing velocity variation.
d n2 z
Pulse spread : (t/L) = - C d2 = - M
Waveguide Dispersion:
effective R.I. varies with wavelength for given film thickness (n eff =
c/vg)
d n2 eff z
Pulse spread : (t/L) = - C d2 = - M g
Modal Dispersion:
pulse spreading caused by various modes.
Pulse spread:(t/L) = Ln1 2 /2c for GRIN fiber
Total Dispersion = - (M + Mg ) L for SM fiber
= (modal disp.)2 + (mat. disp.)2 for MM fiber (as MG = 0).
DISPERSION IN FIBER
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A basic comm. System consists of : a transmitter, a receiver, &
a medium.
Optical Transmitters:
convert electrical signals to optical.
Optical Receivers:
convert optical signal to electrical.
The basic elements in transmitters: Electronic interfaces,
Electronics processing circuitry, Drive circuitry, light source,
optical interfaces, output sensing and stabilization,
Temperature sensing and control.
The basic elements in an optical receiver: Detector,
Amplifier, Decision circuits.
BASIC FIBRE OPTIC
COMMUNICATIONS
Ligh t
source
ELECTRICAL
SIGNAL
TRANSMITTER MEDIUM RECIEVER
Ligh t
sansor
ELECTRICAL
SIGNAL
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The device which actually converts electrical signals to its optical
equipment.
Most common light sources:
light-emitting diodes (LEDs) .
Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation
(laser) diodes.
It is particularly required in lasers to maintain stable output power
by way of feedback mechanism.
Laser is very sensitive to temperature. Operating characteristics of
a semiconductor laser - notably threshold, current, output power,
and wavelength change with temperature. Hence temperature
sensing and control is required to maintain stable temperature.
OPTICAL SOURCES
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The detectors used in fibre optic communications are
semiconductor photodiodes or photodetectors.
It converts the received optical signal into electrical
form.
Pin photodiode: cheaper, less temperature
sensitive, and requires lower reverse bias voltage.
Aavalanche photodiode (APD): used where
receiver is to detect lower power,

DETECTORS
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Power budget: for a link to be feasible.
Source Transmitting Power - (coupling Loss to
fibre + Connectors Losses + Fibre Loss + Splicing
Loss Maintenance Margin) Receiver Sensitivity

Rise time Budget: to check total link rise i.e. this
time is to be within permissible limit.
SYSTEM DESIGN
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SYSTEM CONSIDERATIONS
* NUMBER OF CIRCUITS * TRANSMISSION DISTANCE
* UPGRADABILITY
Fibre Network Fiber
Loss Topology Bandwidth

Sources
* Wavelength
* Line Width
* Rise Time
Cable network
* Route Loss
* Route BW
* Network Flexibility

LED LASER
PIN APD
Detectors
* Responsivity
* Dark Current
* Gain
APD PIN
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Thank You
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