Optical Fibre Communication

Systems

Lecture 8 - Systems

Professor Z Ghassemlooy

Electronics & It Division

School of Engineering
Sheffield Hallam University
U.K.
www.shu.ac.uk/ocr

Prof. Z Ghassemlooy 1
Contents

ƒ System Design
ƒ Digital Systems
ƒ Link Power Budget
ƒ Link Rise Time (Bandwidth) Budget
ƒ Transmission Distance
ƒ Analogue Systems

Prof. Z Ghassemlooy 2
Fiber Optic System Design
i There are many factors that must be considered to ensure that
enough light reaches the receiver. Without the right amount of
light, the entire system will not operate properly.

Prof. Z Ghassemlooy 3
 Fiber Optic System Design- Step-by-
Step
i Select the most appropriate optical transmitter and receiver
combination based upon the signal to be transmitted (Analog,
Digital, Audio, Video, RS-232, RS-422, RS-485, etc.).
i Determine the operating power available (AC, DC, etc.).
i Determine the special modifications (if any) necessary
(Impedances, bandwidths, connectors, fiber size, etc.).
i Carry out system link power budget.
i Carry out system rise time budget (I.e. bandwidth budget).
i If it is discovered that the fiber bandwidth is inadequate for
transmitting the required signal over the necessary distance, then
either select a different transmitter/receiver (wavelength)
combination, or consider the use of a lower loss premium fiber

Prof. Z Ghassemlooy 4
Digital Systems

iCompared with analogue systems:

– It Gives superior performance
– It reduces problems associated with the optical source non-
linearities and temperature dependency (in baseband
transmission)
iProvide ideal channel for data transmission
iInformation is carried in the baseband using Intensity
Modulation (IM).

Prof. Z Ghassemlooy 5
Link Power Budget

Pt

Po

Total loss LT = αf L + lc + lsp

Pt − Po = LT + SM
Po = Receiver sensitivity (i.e. minimum power requirement)
SM = System margin (to ensure that small variation the system operating
parameters do not result in an unacceptable decrease in system performance)
Prof. Z Ghassemlooy 6
Link Power Budget - Example 1

Parameters Value dB
ƒ Transmitter
ƒ Average transmitted power 3 mW 4.8 dBm
ƒ Fibre coupling losses -3.7 dB
ƒ Channel
ƒ Fibre loss -15.7 dB
ƒ Splitting losses -10 dB
ƒ Splice & Connector losses -0.79 dB
ƒ Fibre dispersion & nonlinearity 0 dB
ƒ Receiver
ƒ Signal power at the receiver All lossess -26.79 dBm
ƒ Receiver sensitivity -31 dBm
System Margin (-20 dBm -(-30 dBm)) +4.1 dB

Prof. Z Ghassemlooy 7
Link Power Budget - Example 2
i Transmitter
– Date rate = 500 Mb/s
– Source Laser @ 1300 nm
– Coupling power = 2 mW (3 dBm) into a 10 um fibre.
i Channel
– Mono mode fibre of length 60 km and a loss of 0.3 dB/km
– Connector loss = 1 dB/connector
– Splicing every 5 km with a loss = 0.5 dB /splice
i Receiver:
– PIN @ 1300 nm
– BER = 10-9
i System margin = ?

Prof. Z Ghassemlooy 8
Link Power Budget - Example 2 contd.

Receiver
sensitivity
-29 dBm

Pt − Po = LT + SM
LT = 2(1 dB) + 0.3(60)
+ 0.5 (11)
= 25.5 dB
thus
3 +29 = 25.5 dB+SM

therefore
SM = 5.5 dB
G Keiser
Prof. Z Ghassemlooy 9
 Link-Power Budget - Example 3

Launch power
into fibre
1 dB

Link power budget can

be shown graphically in
terms of receiver
sensitivity Vs. the
data rate

L
Launch power
into fibre
LED/PIN, @ 20 Mbps

G Keiser
Prof. Z Ghassemlooy 10
Link-Power Budget - contd.

iDispersion -equalisation penalty is given as:

(
DL = 2 2σBT 2 ) 4
(dB)
Where BT is the bit rate, σ is the rms pulse width.

Therefore, the total channel loss is given as:

Total loss LT = αf L + lc + lsp + DL (dB)

DL is only significant in wideband multi-mode fibre systems

Prof. Z Ghassemlooy 11
Rise Time Budget

iThe system design must also take into account the

temporal response of the system components.
iThe total loss LT (given in the power budget section) is
determined in the absence of the any pulse broadening
due to dispersion.
iFinite bandwidth of the system (transmitter, channel,
receiver) may results in pulse spreading (i.e.
intersymbol interference), giving a reduction in the
receiver sencitivity. I.e. worsening of BER or SNR
iThe additional loss penalty is known as dispersion-
equalisation or ISI penalty.
Prof. Z Ghassemlooy 12
 Rise Time Budget - contd.
0 .5
⎛ N
2⎞
The total system rise time t sys = ⎜⎜ ∑ ti ⎟⎟
⎝ i −1 ⎠

t sys = t( 2
s +t 2
inter +t 2
intra +t 2
d )
0. 5

Fibre Fibre
Source intermodal intramodal Detector

Note - 3 dB bandwidth of a simple low pass RC filter is given as:

1
B=
2πRC

With a step input voltage into the RC filter, the rise time of the output
voltage is: 0.35
t r = 2.2 B =
B
Prof. Z Ghassemlooy 13
Rise Time Budget - contd.
0.35
For a fibre optic link: t sys = t r =
B

1 0 1

For RZ data format Bit rate R = B = 1 / τ

τ 0.35
BRZ =
t sys

For NRZ data format Bit rate R = B = 1/ 2τ

2τ 0.75
BNRZ =
t sys

Prof. Z Ghassemlooy 14
Transmission Distance -1st window
Multi-mode, Input power Pt = -13 dB LED (0 dBm laser), fibre loss = 3.5 dB/km,
SM = 6 dB, BER = 10-9

(0.07ns/(nm-km) for fibre with

@ λ=800 nm) bandwidth of
800 MHz/km

Po: -51dBm Si PIN

-64 dBm Si APD Po: -38dBm
G Keiser -57dBm
Prof. Z Ghassemlooy 15
Transmission Distance -3rd window
D = 2.5 ps/(nm.km), fibre loss = 0.3 dB/km@ 1550nm, Pt = 0 dBm laser,
Po = 11.5 log B -71dBm forAPD, and = 11.5 log B- 60.5 dBm for pin

G Keiser B

Prof. Z Ghassemlooy 16
Analogue System

iThe system must have sufficient bandwidth to pass the

HIGEST FREQUENCIES.
iLink Power budget is the same as in digital systems
iRise Time budget is also the same, except for the
system bandwidth which is defined as:

0.35
Bsys =
t sys

Prof. Z Ghassemlooy 17