Fernando Villarruel

Staff Systems Engineer

Transport and Access Networks
Scientific Atlanta, A Cisco Company
Leonard Ray
Business Development Manager, FTTH Solutions
Transport and Access Networks
Scientific Atlanta, A Cisco Company
1550 Video Overlay:
The New Old Reliable
Broadcast video delivery at 1550nm as an overlay in FTTH networks
has become the new backbone of modern, fiber optic networks
www.scientificatlanta.com
G1674B
Transport and Access Networks
2 Transport and Access Networks
Abstract
Delivering video over the radio frequency (RF) spectrum has been the backbone for traditional cable television
operators since the first community antenna networks needed to traverse any significant terrestrial distance.
With the emergence and growth of fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) networks from non-traditional video providers,
some may reason that this older delivery system might be abandoned or minimized. However, this has not been
the case. In fact, broadcast video delivery at 1550nm as an overlay in FTTH networks has become the new
backbone of these modern, fiber optic networks resulting in a rebirth of the technology. In fact, 83 percent
of FTTH networks in North America use a video overlay solution to deliver state-of-the-art video services.
Considering this development, it is important for service providers to understand how this video delivery method
can be optimized. This paper presents the Scientific Atlanta view of the ultimate video overlay solution relative to
operations, technology and cost.
Introduction
By the early to mid 1990s, it became clear to many industry analysts that the ever-growing worldwide consumer
appetite for bandwidth-hungry applications would eventually result in a shift not only in the way consumer
electronics would deliver the new converged communication experience, but also in the way that access
networks would be deployed and operated to enable
this experience. Initially, advances in data delivery over
legacy copper networks (Digital Subscriber Line/DSL,
for example) and the implementation of hybrid-fiber
coaxial (HFC) networks seemed to suffice. However, it
quickly became apparent that both of these copper-
based approaches would have severe shortcomings
as new services such as high-definition (HD) television,
video-on-demand (VOD), 10 Mbps+ residential data
services, IPTV, Voice over IP (VoIP), peer-to-peer
applications, online gaming, instant messaging (IM),
subscriber generated videos, etc, accelerated into the
market place. Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the remarkable
growth of some of these services.
In 1995, seven international network operators joined together to develop the first formal Passive Optical
Network (PON) standards under the umbrella of the Full Service Access Network (FSAN) group activities. By
1998, the FSAN groups specifications fostered in the release of the ITU-T G.983.1 standard. This first standard,
known as the Broadband PON (BPON), was followed
by the ITU-T G.984.1 Gigabit PON (GPON) and the IEEE
802.3ah Ethernet PON (EPON) standards. The goal of
each of these standards has been to make the delivery
of bandwidth-consuming services, such as high-end
video, as inexpensive as possible. At the physical
layer, this means fully leveraging the almost unlimited
bandwidth transmission capacity of a fiber waveguide
while spreading out the electronics costs across
as many Optical Network Units (ONU) as possible.
Figure 3 illustrates this point-to-multipoint distribution
principle of a PON. In theory, the split ratio can range
from 16 to 64 ONUs per Optical Line Terminal (OLT);
however, in practice the split ratio is typically 32 ONUs
for every one OLT (called a 1x32 split).
Trend in Residential Access Data Rates
100000
100000
10000
1000
100
10
1
0
1980 1990 2000
Year
2010 2020
N
o
m
i
n
a
l

D
a
t
a

R
a
t
e

(
M
b
/
s
)
28.8
0.3
1.2
2.4
3.6
14.4
56.0
1500
6000
2400
100000
50000
Analog
Modems
Broadband
Performance Increases
4 times every 4 years
(42% annually)
Source: Technology Futures, Inc.
B
r
o
a
d
b
a
n
d

A
c
c
e
s
s



2
0
0
7
HDTV Households
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
1995 2000 2005
Year
2010 2020 2015
P
e
r
c
e
n
t
a
g
e

o
f

H
o
u
s
e
h
o
l
d
s
Source: Technology Futures, Inc. Data sources: Various
H
D
T
V


2
0
0
7
HDTV
Households
(Gompertz b=0.20)
Figure 1. (source: Technology Futures, Inc.)
Figure 2. (source: Technology Futures, Inc.)
3 Transport and Access Networks
CO/Headend
Tx/Rx
1490/1310 nm
1550 nm Video Transmitter
Through EDFA
OLT 1 Fiber Per
32 Subscribers
Splitters
ONUs
1 Fiber Per
Subscriber
Tx/Rx
1310/1490 nm
1550 nm Video
Receiver
10 - 20 KM
1250 1300
Data/Voice
Upstream
CWDM
Upgrade
Data/Voice
Downstream
Broadcast
Video
Isolation
Bands
1350 1400 1450 1500 1550 1600
Figure 3.
PON Principles
Implicit in the PON recommendations is the ability to efficiently deliver the video, voice and data triple play. The
type of information slated for transport in this specification can be broken into three types of services: broadcast,
downstream and return path services.
Broadcast traffic is information that all ONUs of a particular OLT receive equivalently and exactly: for instance,
nationally syndicated TV channels or locally syndicated channels such as city council TV. We further make a
distinction between general broadcast, and directed broadcast. General broadcast is information that all
ONUs of many OLTs in a deployment receive and directed broadcast is broadcast information that all ONUs of a
subset of OLTs from of a deployment receive (city council TV).
Downstream traffic is the specific information particular to one ONU in a PON, be it video, voice or data.
Downstream traffic is also referred to as narrowcast. Its method of delivery is dependent upon the transport and
networking specification used.
The return path, commonly referred to as the upstream path, is the information that is generated at the ONU and
received by the OLT. It allows a closed-loop information exchange system. This paper focuses on the broadcast
transport as it relates to BPON, GPON and EPON specifications.
Figure 3 illustrates how the different types of services are handled through four optical bands of operation, the
1270nm to the 1350nm band for the upstream, the Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing (CWDM) band above
the water peak up to 1480nm for future upgrades, the 1480nm to 1560nm for the downstream, and the 1550
1560nm range for downstream broadcast distribution. The hardware implemented in a PON architecture is also
particular with regards to function and expectation. At the Central Office (CO) resides an OLT, which is an ATM- (if
BPON or GPON) or Ethernet (if EPON)-based transceiver that transmits signal at 1490nm and receives signal at
1310nm that is generated by the ONU on the side of the home. The CO also houses a 1550nm transmitter and
the optical amplification (called an erbium doped fiber amplifier/EDFA) necessary to transmit a broadband radio
frequency (RF) spectrum signal. The combination of the downstream signals and the upstream signal at the CO
occur through a passive wide band filter. The input/output of this passive multiplexer is placed on one optical
fiber and per the ITU-T 983.1 specification can have a maximum logical reach of 20km for the BPON, with some
distance variation for GPON and EPON configurations. Nearing the end of this PON distance there is a high count
1xN optical splitter, after which each fiber terminates at an ONU, typically a residence or business.
4 Transport and Access Networks
At this ONU there are several components that are of interest. The first is an optical triplexer which takes the
input from the 1490 and 1550nm upstream signals and separates them for independent reception and takes
the upstream 1310nm signal and adds it to the PON fiber. Also important are the optical-to-electrical conversion
properties of the receiver diode, amplification and automated gain control circuit sets that prepare the signal for
demodulation at the TV or set-top video receivers.
For the remainder of this paper, the focus will be on the 1550-1560nm broadcast optical band, the equipment
necessary to transmit and amplify in this band for modulation in the RF spectrum, and the optical amplification
necessary to make video delivery cost effective. The relationship between the 1550nm signal and the ONU
receiver characteristics will be outlined, and, for simplicity, the 1550-1560nm portion of FTTH systems will be
referred to as the video overlay.
Video Overlay Making PONs Better
In FTTH networks, the purpose of the video overlay is to transmit a portion of the radio frequency spectrum
(55MHz to 1GHz) to each ONU. This is a time-proven technology for high-quality transmission of analog amplitude
modulation and Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM.) Figure 4 demonstrates the characteristics of a typical
analog QAM scheme at the input of an optical link.
The scheme is made up of amplitude modulated vestigial sideband channels (AM-VSB), commonly carrying
analog video at different frequencies separated by some understood standard, 6MHz for NTSC, 8MHz for PAL.
QAM channels follow the same frequency separation, but are generally 6-10dB down in composite channel
power in comparison to the peak value of the AM-VSB channels. QAM modulation is a symbol-based modulation
technique where amplitude and phase components exist according to baseband digital subsets. The QAM
symbol capacity can differ, from 64 to 1024 symbol schemes, but most typically 256 symbol modulation is used.
40 Mbps
EPON GibE
20 Mbps
BPON
6.6 Gbps
Video
Overlay
6.6 Gbps
Video
Overlay
80 Mbps
GPON
6.6 Gbps
Video
Overlay
Figure 4. Typical Analog QAM Scheme
Figure 5
5 Transport and Access Networks
Current off-of-the-shelf transmission capacity for the video overlay is quite large, up to 6.6Gbps, which can
support up to 918 HD channels or 3,978 standard-definition (SD) video channels. Not only is the video overlay
an ideal method to transmit analog, digital, and HD video, but it also fully enables the downstream data pipe by
removing the burden of transmitting both data and broadcast video as is the case in an IPTV scenario. Figure 5
illustrates the bandwidth benefits of using the broadcast video overlay. Note the bit-rate-per-home potential is
greatly enhanced in a video overlay environment.
HFC and PON Transmission Principles
As mentioned earlier, the RF modulation scheme has been the backbone of the modern HFC architecture for more
than two decades and has continually evolved into a better and better solution. HFC networks today consist of
a fiber trunk that terminates at a node, which is the point where the signal shifts to RF for transport on a coaxial
plant that distributes the signal to the end users. In the FTTH world, the coaxial distribution plant is replaced with
a PON, thus significantly reducing the complexity for delivering high-quality video.
In fiber optic RF transmission links, both the electronics and optics disrupt the input signal via various noise
sources. The challenge for service providers is to manage or correct these disruptions for efficient interpretation
by the end line user. The main noise sources service providers must contend with are:
Relative Intensity Noise (RIN) from transmitter laser and laser to modulator interaction, and from optical
amplifiers
Intermodulation noise from transmitter, fiber and fiber scattering
Diode and electronic characteristics in the optical receiver module
Fiber non-linear interaction between multiple wavelengths
The RIN is a broadband effect that degrades the RF signalto-noise (CNR) for all channels in the operating band.
The intermodulation noise creates harmonic beating effects (Composite Second Order/CSO) from second order
harmonics and Composite Triple Beat (CTB) from third order harmonics. These beats are spread statistically
throughout the operating band. Scattering phenomena, such as Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS) and
Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS) appear due to the high launch powers into optical fiber (see Appendix A.) All
of these if unchecked reduce the necessary quality of service.
As a point of reference, in HFC networks, for optical fiber terminating at a node, the specifications per channel
are typically CNR > 52dBc, CSO > -65dBc, and CTB > -65dBc, while for FTTH systems, for fiber terminating at
an ONU the specifications per channel are CNR > 46dBc, CSO > -53dBc, CTB > -53dBc. The transmission of
a QAM load somewhat blurs the source of intermodulation and broadband penalties, but for applications that
carry any considerable amount of analog channels, the treatment of analog parameter characteristics must come
first. Nevertheless, even from the point of view of QAM specifications there is a benefit, for an HFC node the
specification desired is typically < 1E-9 symbol BER ITUB JAnnexB, without forward error correction, while for a
FTTH ONU only a <1E-6 symbol BER is required.
Accounting for all the impediments mentioned above, HFC systems are intermodulation limited. Thus, all the
technology development, network design and cost reduction have gone mostly toward creating hardware that
can mitigate intermodulation effectively. From the perspective of optical links this means delivering to the coaxial
plant very low levels of intermodulation distortions (e.g. -65dBc), to be degraded rapidly through RF amplifiers to
end delivery at the customer site with some margin on typical standard (e.g. ~53dBc.). This limit has historically
bound the evolution of optical networks in the HFC world. This means that without proper design provisions, both
at the board and systems level, one would expect the CSO to go out of specification long before the CNR would.
6 Transport and Access Networks
FTTH systems, on the other hand, are more directly limited by factors of overall broadband noise sources that
come from the interplay of composite laser modulation limits and in particular the shot noise resulting from the
optical-to-electrical conversion in the ONU receivers. These points describe the maximum modulation potential of
a FTTH system, and thus CNR per channel for FTTH systems.
Modern FTTH architectures are designed so that the 1550nm video overlay hits the ONU receiver at the minimum
value possible. This is done for both technical and cost reasons: technically it limits the launch power into the fiber
necessary in keeping in check SBS, and for cost reasons to leverage the optical power per port and ultimately
reducing the cost per optical port. In this scenario, the receiver shot noise is the dominant noise. Therefore, we
refer to FTTH systems as shot noise limited. At the same time however, this limit also enables the use of multiple
optical amplifiers in cascade, which is typically a drawback in the HFC world, where the RIN contribution from
optical amplifiers quickly dominates the CNR parameter (see Appendix B for more detail).
Another point of comparison to HFC is that the optical link budget for PON recommendations equals or exceeds
25dB. These high-loss links created an opportunity for Scientific Atlanta to overcome a long standing SBS limit,
where for purposes of HFC had been only 17 dBm. Basically, the optical input power limit of an uncorrected
source is 7dBm into the fiber. For FTTH applications Scientific Atlanta has been able to create SBS free
transmission of up to 23dBm. Cost reasons have not dictated the use of such high powers, typically only 19 dBm
is launched, but the capacity beyond that exists in the Scientific Atlanta solution.
Ultimately unlike HFC links, the input power at a receiver will be much lower than 0dBm, even down to -8dBm in
some cases of low analog channel count. This then leaves the receiver shot noise as the only dominant term to
define the CNR. This is a benefit when considering the allowable number of optical amplifiers in cascade, where
the additive RIN of amplifiers pales in comparison to the shot noise contribution of ONU receivers.
In understanding and meeting all these challenges, Scientific Atlanta has created a portfolio of technologies
specifically applicable to FTTH markets.
Typical Deployment Scenarios
The video signal acquisition originates at a standalone building location typically called a Super Headend (SHE).
This location is used to receive all satellite-based, as well as, local off-air video programming. Services are then
transported to Video Hub Offices (VHOs) by either SONET or GigE digital transport. At the VHO, digital video
streams are reconverted to Analog AM-VSB or 256 QAM services, via an edge modulation platform, for transport
over an analog 1550nm video link to the PON. The VHO will then serve the Video Serving Office (VSO) which is
co-located within a central office building. Figure 6 illustrates this deployment scenario.
Satellite
GigE/SONET
SDH
VHO
SHE
VSO
VSO
VSO
PON
Distribution
Super
Headend
Video Hub
Office
Video
Service Offices
Figure 6. FTTH Video Ring
7 Transport and Access Networks
The instances where the digital ring must extend from the VHO to the VSO are called Edge Modulation
architectures. Other instances are where the distance from VHO and VSO is < 50km where an analog
Supertrunk could be implemented between the VHO and VSO before PON deliveries, (see Figure 7 below) for
the remainder of this paper the focus is on the Edge Modulation solution.
FTTH
Transmitter
OLT
WDM
1
x
32
ONT
Pre
Amplifier
Post
Amplifier
20 km
Figure 7a. Edge Modulation VSO PON,
FTTH
Transmitter
OLT
WDM
1
x
32
ONT
Pre
Amplifier
Launch
Amplifier
Post
Amplifier
20 km
<50 km
Figure 7b. Supertrunk PON, Supertrunk Conguration
Scientific Atlanta FTTH Prisma II Video Distribution
Platform
Using the industry-leading Prisma II Video Distribution Platform as a foundation, the Scientific Atlanta FTTH
video solution places all components in a common NEBS IIIb certified chassis complete with dual power supplies
and integrated network management functionality. The FTTH Modules are lightweight, low-power consumption
modules that allow for the highest density of video distribution transmitters, amplifiers, optical switches, receivers
and a wide array of other video distribution equipment to be placed within a common form factor, interface and
fiber management scheme. The two key items in the FTTH video solution are the FTTH transmitter (Tx) and the
FTTH distributed optical amplifier also called the EDFA.
FTTH Transmitter High SBS Technology
The Scientific Atlanta FTTH Transmitter is a 1550nm externally-modulated optical transmitter designed
specifically for video delivery on FTTH networks. Unlike a standard CATV-derived externally modulated optical
transmitter (EMT), the Scientific Atlanta FTTH Transmitter is based on a unique, external modulator design that
has been optimized to transport QAM-modulated digital carriers at the lowest possible bit error rate (BER), along
with conventional analog payloads. Designed from the ground up for FTTH networks, the Scientific Atlanta FTTH
Transmitter takes a fundamentally different approach toward the generation, modulation and control of the optical
signal. This approach, detailed in the following pages, helps ensure significant performance increases in optical
launch power per fiber, linearity, digital payload BER, packaging density and reliability.
8 Transport and Access Networks
Optical Launch Power: Stimulated Brillouin Scattering
Suppression
The Scientific Atlanta Prisma II FTTH Transmitter with SBS suppression technology allows impairment-free
launch of up to +23dBm optical powers into a single fiber. High optical launch powers of up to 20dBm are also
possible into longer links up to 50km and beyond in certain cases. A different approach to SBS suppression
is required to achieve this level of performance, not simply an evolutionary step in existing Lithium Niobate-
(LiNbO3) based external modulator, or even directly modulated laser technology.
Earlier-generation SBS-suppression technologies simply spread the lasers line width over multiple Bessel
sidebands to achieve higher SBS suppression and thus total optical launch power came at the cost of excessive
line width, which adds to fiber induced CSO. These early approaches quickly run out of capacity when called
upon to launch +20dBm into a single, long fiber.
The Scientific Atlanta FTTH SBS-suppression technique does not rely upon a phase dither impressed upon
the optical carrier via a LiNbO3 phase modulation stage. Instead, the proprietary modulator design allows an
efficient complex modulation of the light wave carrier to increase the SBS launch limit, while keeping the total
occupied optical spectrum low. This method results in the maximum optical launch power being achieved while
simultaneously providing the minimum necessary line width.
Linearization and Digital Payload Bit Error Rate
Proprietary linearization technology was developed for the FTTH Transmitter to provide both a higher Optical
Modulation Index (OMI) desired in FTTH applications as well as the stringent BER requirements imposed by the
digital QAM payload. In order to support a high CNR in the PON at low received optical powers necessary for
driving down the cost per home served, a FTTH transmitter must be capable of operating at higher OMI than that
of a conventional CATV transmitter.
To do this without generating excessive distortion products, the modulator selected for use must exhibit a very
high degree of linearity. Failure to do so results in excessive error generation on the digital QAM tier, due to
distortion products that are generated by analog carriers, which fall outside the analog and into the QAM tier.
To this end, the Scientific Atlanta FTTH Transmitter uses a proprietary, highly linear, external electro-absorption
modulator. The modulators intrinsic linearity is further enhanced by use of wideband predistortion provided
by ultra-high speed, highly integrated component technology. The intent is to maximize the linear conformance
region of the modulator to allow the highest possible OMI at the lowest possible distortion levels.
Finally, unlike existing LiNbO3 based modulator designs, which use a tone (or tones) injected in the payloads
signal path in order to track and control its bias point, the Scientific Atlanta FTTH Modulator is entirely passive
and requires no signal at its input other than the desired modulation. This greatly simplifies Optical Network Unit
(ONU) receiver design by not requiring excess headroom or excessive linearity requirements to prevent inter-
modulation products in the receiver electronics.
Clipping Suppression
The linearity of the Scientific Atlanta FTTH Modulator is already optimized for QAM transport at minimum BER
and does not rely on clipping suppression to achieve its BER performance. The modulators smooth, monotonic
transfer function does not result in signal clipping, unlike optical transmitters based on directly modulated lasers
or Mach-Zehnder (M-Z) modulators. The latter, which do not formally clip, can be driven beyond their maximum
modulation amplitude point with effects similar to clipping. Thus, unlike those optical transmitter modulation
technologies that require modulation correction or clipping suppression to pass digital QAM carriers without
excessive BER, the Scientific Atlanta FTTH Modulator was built to handle high-performance QAM transport, with
or without clipping suppression engaged.
9 Transport and Access Networks
Packaging and Reliability
The Scientific Atlanta FTTH Transmitter occupies a single slot in the Prisma II optical shelf. In addition to having
three times the packaging density of a standard (CATV) externally-modulated transmitter (EMT), the Scientific
Atlanta FTTH Transmitter also dissipates less than 7.5 watts of power over its full operating temperature range.
Careful attention was paid to the design details of the laser, modulator and RF drive electronics chain in order to
produce a transmitter with less than one third the component count of a CATV EMT, along with dramatically lower
power dissipation. Unlike existing LiNbO3 Mach-Zehnder modulator-based designs, no complex control loop is
required to bias, or to track the drifts over temperature of the Scientific Atlanta FTTH Modulator. Its simple, robust
design is efficiently controlled by a small fraction of the number of components necessary to bias and maintain a
LiNbO3 M-Z modulator at its most linear, or quadrature, operating point.
In addition to the space savings, the physical ruggedness and reliability of the Scientific Atlanta FTTH electro-
absorption Modulator is far superior to that of those based on LiNbO3 technology. Thus, due to a simple,
straightforward, robust design using fewer optical, RF and control components dissipating far less power, the
Scientific-Atlanta FTTH optical Transmitters overall reliability and performance are significantly enhanced over
both LiNbO3 and directly modulated based transmitter designs.
Distributed Optical Amplifiers & Cladding Pump
Technology
Typical FTTH general broadcast architectures require large amounts of distributed optical amplification in
order to achieve the lowest dollar/miliwatt ($/mW) of optical signal at each amplifier output. At the VSO, these
distributed optical amplification requirements can be summarized as:
Lowest possible cost per mW of output power
High shelf port density
Low noise figure
Low power consumption
The Scientific Atlanta distributed optical amplification platform addresses these requirements through the use of
patented Erbium Ytterbium (ErYb) cladding pumped amplifier technology and modular access platform.
ErYb Cladding Pumped Amplifier Technology
The highest cost item in a standard EDFA is the 980nm pump diode. In order to efficiently pump the single mode
Erbium gain medium, the 980nm pump diodes use a very precise index-guided structure, whose 3m stripe
width can have outputs as high as 170mW per micron of aperture (see Figure 5). The very narrow absorption
peak of the Erbium requires that this high-performance device be mounted on a thermoelectric cooler (TEC)
for wavelength stabilization, and many of these laser diodes have external Bragg Reflecting fibers to further
wavelength stabilize the emission from these devices. These single-mode pump lasers have been used to
successfully pump EDFAs in long haul and metro applications for many years and have had demonstrated
lifetimes of tens of millions of hours. With this high performance, unfortunately comes high cost, making such
devices prohibitive for Distributed Optical Amplifiers in enhancement band access applications.
The ideal pump source for this application would be the sister device to the single-mode 980nm pumplaser, the
Broad Area 9xxnm Laser. This laser diode, based on a 100m stripe width has demonstrated output of over four
watts fiber coupled with only a 40mW/mm facet loading and demonstrated lifetimes in excess of one million
hours, more than acceptable for Distributed Amplification access applications. The $/mW cost of these devices
is over one order of magnitude less than single-mode pump lasers, and can be used without a TEC.
10 Transport and Access Networks
However, a concern with using these broad-area lasers as pump lasers has been the low coupling efficiency
of these devices into single mode fiber for an EDFA. To get around this problem, engineers at Scientific-Atlanta
developed a Cladding Pumped Architecture to efficiently couple the low-cost pump light from the broad area
9XX laser, see Figure 5. In the Cladding Pumped Architecture, a dual clad structure is created with the active
core in the center, an inner cladding and an all glass outer clad. Here the pump light from the broad area laser
is coupled with high efficiency into the inner cladding where it propagates along the axis of the fiber. As it
travels down the fiber, the light that passes through the core of the fiber is absorbed, creating optical gain in
the active core region of the fiber. However, the absorption per meter of fiber for standard Erbium doped cores
is much too low to provide sufficient absorption to be used in a cladding pumped configuration. Therefore,
Scientific Atlanta invented and patented a totally new atomic pumping and lasing system, the ErYb doped fiber
(US Patent #5,225,925). In this system, Ytterbium (Yb) ions doped into the glass absorb the pump light over
a broad absorption band extending from 915nm to 970nm much more efficiently than for Erbium alone. This
broad absorption band enables the use of uncooled laser diodes, providing savings in terms of cost, power
consumption and package size. The energy from the excited Yb ion is transferred to the Erbium ion and creates
excited electrons in the 1550nm Er amplifier gain band. To provide for efficient transfer of energy between the Yb
and Er ions, an entirely new and patented Phosphosilicate glass structure was created along with the ErYb Co-
doped system since the silicate glass systems used in standard commercially available telecom fibers will not
allow for efficient energy transfer. This dual clad fiber design is shown in figure 9.
Single-stripe
Laser Pump
EDFA
Multimode
Laser Pump
Cladding Pump
Larger pipe = More power in
Diode array (broad area device)
Lower $/mW
Figure 8. Single Mode Optical Amplier Pumping versus
11 Transport and Access Networks
Cladding Pumping
The multimode propagation of the pump light in a simple circular inner cladding consists of propagating modes
that pass through the core and Skew Rays, modes that travel in a helical manner around the core and do not
pass through it. This creates a situation of non-absorbed pump light and decreased Optical Amplifier efficiency.
To overcome this, the engineers at Scientific-Atlanta developed a Patented Symmetry Breaking cladding
architecture (US Patent #6,411,762). Features are created in the outside diameter of the inner clad to disrupt
these Skew Rays and send them back through the core where they can be absorbed, thus allowing for the
efficient creation of optical gain. A diagram of this inner clad structure is show in figure 10.
n
1
>n
2
>n
3
1550 nm light guides in the core
Second Cladding: Fluorine-doped Silica
Core: Fused Silica with Ytterbium (Y
3+
),
Erbium (Er
3+
), Aluminum Oxide, Phosphorus
125
m
n
3
n
2
n
1
90
m
5 m
First Cladding: Fused Silica
Figure 9. Cladding Pumped Fiber Design
Figure 10. Symmetry Breaking Inner Cladding Feature Design
To summarize: in order to meet the demanding cost and performance requirements of Distributed Optical
Amplifiers, Scientific Atlanta has created a new Distributed Optical Amplifier technology consisting of:
Low Cost, High Power Uncooled 9xx Broad Area Lasers
Cladding Pumped Fiber Architecture and Design
ErYb Co-doped Atomic System for Efficient Pump Absorption
Symmetry Breaking Unique Inner Clad Design
12 Transport and Access Networks
FTTH Video Overlay Optimized Amplifier Architecture
In the FTTH Broadcast Video Overlay, a low level 1550nm signal must undergo several stages of amplification
and splitting to create amplified 1550nm output ports in the 17.5dBm to 22dBm optical power range per port.
In order to keep per port costs low and to achieve high output port modules and high shelf density, Scientific
Atlanta has created a distributed optical amplifier architecture specifically for this application. This optimized
architecture is shown in figures 11a and 11b.
The Scientific Atlanta FTTH distributed optical amplifier consists of two modules. The first module is called
the Pre-Amp and is schematically depicted in Figure 11a. A signal typically between eight and five dBm enters
the Pre-Amp. After a monitoring photodiode/tap coupler, the first gain stage encountered is a traditional EDFA
stage pumped by a 500mW 980nm single mode laser diode. This erbium-only stage saturates at low inputs,
thus providing a low noise figure and a moderate output level of 22dBm. The second stage is a cladding pump
amplifier which is pumped by a four Watt high-power Broad Area laser in the 915 to 970nm range. This cladding
pumped stage can produce output powers in excess of 30dBm, but it requires a high input for saturated, low-
noise operation. This hybrid combination of a low-input optimized EDFA input stage and a High Power optimized
Cladding Pumped output stage in the Pre-Amp provides the perfect combination of high gain, low noise and
high output power for an FTTH Pre-Amp. An Isolator, 1x5 splitter and monitoring tap coupler/photodiode on the
highest power output port form the rest of the Pre-Amp Module.
The Second Module in the Scientific Atlanta distributed amplifier is the Post-Amp, shown in figure 11b. In the
Post-Amp, the Pre-Amp input is split in half, with each leg going through independent high power Cladding
Pumped stages similar to the stage found in the Pre-Amp. Each 30dBm output then goes through an integrated
isolator/splitter and monitoring module. This module can have a number of split ratios delivering four to 12 outputs
on each leg, providing a Post-Amp Module with up to 24 outputs.
Shelf and Module Design Considerations
In order to further optimize the platform for FTTH applications, it is necessary to minimize the total number of stages
on a shelf basis, while keeping the individual amplifier modules small enough to keep the size, weight and power
consumption down, which also allows a small failure group size without adversely impacting cost. The Scientific
Atlanta distributed amplifier shelf accomplishes this through judicious choices in Pre- and Post-Amp sizing and
configurations. The amplifier system is part of the Prisma II shelf system, allowing for one Pre-Amp and five Post-
Amps per shelf, creating a shelf system capable of up to 120 ports and over 38dBm of optical power per shelf with
only one low input EDFA Stage and 11 high power, low $/mW Cladding Pumped stages. Multi-shelf configurations
can also be created by splitting one or two of the Pre-Amp Module outputs to drive the inputs of Pre-Amp modules
in other shelves, creating a possibility of over 240 outputs per bay including FTTH WDMs and 480 outputs per bay
without the FTTH WDMs. Low noise operation throughout the system is ensured throughout using proprietary noise
suppression filtering and other techniques, including those described in US Patent #6,278,816.
Tap
Coupler
WDM
1 x 5
Splitter
Input
Gain
Fiber
Pump 1
(980)
Photo
Diode
WDM
Clad
Gain
Fiber
Assy
Isolator
Pump 2
(hi-pwr)
Tap
Coupler
Photo
Diode

Figure 11a. Distributed Optical Amplier Pre-Amp Schematic
13 Transport and Access Networks
50/50
1 x 8
Splitter
Input
Tap
Coupler
Photo
Diode
WDM
Clad
Gain
Fiber
Assy
Isolator
Pump 1
(hi-pwr)
Tap
Coupler
Photo
Diode
1 x 8
Splitter
WDM
Clad
Gain
Fiber
Assy
Isolator
Pump 2
(hi-pwr)
Tap
Coupler
Photo
Diode

Figure 11b. Distributed Optical Amplier Post-Amp Schematic
Looking Forward
The video overlay capacity in PON networks can be thought of in two ways. The first and most obvious is that it
provides a physical layer that allows delivery of general broadcast. In this scenario, many thousands of ONUs receive
the same video content at a very affordable cost per home, this has been done quite efficiently up to now. The second
way is that leveraging more fully the full 1550 1560 nm window can be a path to provide directed broadcast, where
just a few thousand, even a few hundred ONUs can be targeted specifically, for instance different city or township
channels. In its most efficient form, the overlay can be segmented even to 128 ONUs, and in this case even carry
narrowcast information, greatly relieving the burden on an OLT to carry the highest of quality narrowcast video, HD VOD
for instance. This approach is of great interest to smaller operators or a cable MSO looking to enter the FTTH space.
More specifically, using innovative transmission principles and further increasing amplifier efficiency, Scientific
Atlanta has developed a patent-pending transamplifier product that can simultaneously segment general
broadcast and directed broadcast into different wavelengths and amplified sections. See the Figure 12 below.
Narrowcast 1
Narrowcast 2
Narrowcast 3
Narrowcast 4
Broadcast
1
Transmission
Stage
MUX
2
3
4
Amplification
Stage
DMUX
Splitter
1
2
3
4
Figure 12.
14 Transport and Access Networks
Practically, the transamplifier has 16 optical outputs broken into groups of four, where each group has its own
wavelength between 1550 and 1560nm, and its own independent RF signal. This allows the operator to not only
broadcast but also narrowcast to each individual group according to its differentiated needs. This technique will
prove extremely valuable for further leveraging the existing 1550nm layer in all PON networks.
Summary
To provide best-in-class services in todays competitive service provider market requires both a complete
understanding of superior architectures and implementation of superior network elements. The Scientific Atlanta
FTTH video overlay has been developed specifically to provide a best in class video distribution system and to
allow FTTH standards to perform to their fullest extent.
15 Transport and Access Networks
Appendix A
Stimulated Brillioun Scattering
The optical input power limit in a fiber is dependent on various parameters in the fiber chemistry. For a particular
fiber type however, it is ultimately dependent on the effective linewidth of the incident signal and the length of
the link being used. Below is a plot of the SBS curve for the Scientific-Atlanta FTTH transmitter. Note that the
asymptotic value is 20 dBm, while at the specified PON distance it goes up to 23 dBm.
SBS Threshold for FTTH High SBS Transmitter
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Fiber Length (km)
20 dBm @ 50 km
S
B
S

T
h
r
e
s
h
o
l
d

(
d
B
m
)
Stimulated Raman Scattering
The existence of multiple wavelengths in the fiber leads to natural non-linear interactions determined by
properties of the fiber. A complete description of fiber non-linear interactions is beyond the scope of this paper,
but a short description of the Raman interaction between the 1490nm and 1550nm wavelengths is necessary.
In the fiber, the 1490nm acts as a pump on the 1550nm, where the typical Raman gain bandwidth is described
in the figure below. It is a maximum near 12 THz (100nm) delta from the pump, so the maximum gain is nearly
applicable to 1550nm from 1490nm onto 1550nm.
16 Transport and Access Networks
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
Channel Separation (cm-
1
)
R
e
l
a
t
i
v
e

G
a
i
n

C
r
o
s
s
-
S
e
c
t
i
o
n
10 THz
~150 nm
20
7x10
-12
cm/W
1cm-
1
= 30 GHz
Figure 1 Optical telecommunications book
[Optical Fiber Communications, I.P. Kaminow, T.L. Koch Academic Press]
The signature penalty of the pump, 1490nm, on the 1550nm depends on the pump modulation. The amplitude of
the penalty depends on the optical power of the 1490nm pump. The figure below shows a comparison of the RIN
penalty from crosstalk on a PON system from an OLT 1490nm output power of 0.65dBm, with BPON modulation
of 622Mbps, and GPON modulation of 1.24Gbps. The flat line is the RIN contribution from the transmitters and
amplifiers. Note that the crosstalk noise is dominant only in the first few analog channels. In practice, certain
operators overemphasize the drive level of the first few analog channels to overcome this CNR penalty. In general,
some care must be taken when dealing with the interplay between the 1490nm and 1550nm signals, if completely
unguarded for in the design, the Raman crosstalk can be a nagging problem that could cripple a system.
55 155 255 355 455 555 655 755 855 955
RIN B PON G PON
Frequency (MHz)
R
I
N
(
d
B
)
BPON 8km
GPON 8km
System RIN
-100
-150
-200
-250
Figure 2 Measured RIN penalties
17 Transport and Access Networks
Appendix B
Carrier to Noise
Below is the Carrier to Noise (CNR) function that describes a standard optical receiver.
CNR =
( )
1
2-B
m
2
-1
2
2e-I+n
2
+RIN-I
2
where m is the optical modulation per channel, I is the average received photocurrent, B is the noise bandwidth
per channel (4MHz for NTSC channels,) n is the thermal noise introduced by the receiver referred to the
photocurrent, typically 5-12 pA/Hz^.5. The term e is the electron charge and RIN is the relative intensity noise.
The I term decreases as the input power incident on the receiver decreases. Thus the term 2eI which is the shot
noise term, becomes dominant as the input power on the receiver decreases.
The figure below is an example CNR curve for a channel with an OMI of 3.4%, system RIN of -154 dBm/Hz and
-150 dBm/Hz, a receiver responsively of 0.85 Amps/Watt, and a thermal noise of 7.5 pA/Hz^(0.5). Note that as the
input power decreases, the effect of the system RIN (usually dominated by optical amplifiers, is less significant,
giving way to a dominating recover noise.
CNR Vs. ONT Input Power
40.0
42.0
44.0
46.0
48.0
50.0
52.0
54.0
56.0
3
2
.
52
1
.
51
0
.
50
-
0
.
5
-
1
-
1
.
5
-
2
-
2
.
5
-
3
-
3
.
5
-
4
-
4
.
5
-
5
-
5
.
5
-
6
-
6
.
5
Optical Input (dBm)
C
N
R
(
d
B
c
)
RIN -154
RIN -150
18 Transport and Access Networks
Scientific Atlanta, A Cisco Company 770.236.5000
5030 Sugarloaf Parkway www.scientificatlanta.com
2007 Scientific-Atlanta, Inc. All rights reserved. Product features subject to change without notice. Scientific Atlanta is a reg-
istered trademark and Prisma II is a trademark of Scientific-Atlanta, Inc. Cisco, Cisco Systems and the Cisco Systems logo are
registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and certain other countries. All other trademarks
shown are trademarks of their respective owners.
G1674B