Introduction

Transmission of light - transparent - Old phenomenon -1807 – John

Tyndall – demonstrated – 1880 – Alexander Graham bell –

Transmission of speech – modulated sun light – 200 m – lack of light

source – rain, snow , fog , dust

- Great interest - 1960 - Laser

Microwave frequency - 10 8 - 10 10 Hz

Optical frequency - 5 x 10 14 Hz – Greater by 10 5

-Transmission of picture - bundle of flexible glass fiber

Fiber optics - branch of physics – Transmission and detection – Light waves

Voice transmission – Television - digital signals

 Low index η2 (air) Refracted ray

Θ1

High index
η1 (glass) Θ2

Incident ray
.

Glass or plastic - advantage over conventional

Cable - 1000 times – Principle - Refractive index
 η2
η1 > η2
Critical ray

Snell’s law η1
η1 Sin Ф = Ф1
η2 Sin Ф
1 2

Sin Ф1 / Sin Ф2 = η2
/ η1
=Ф2
Sin Ф1 = η2 / η1 Sin Ф2

When Ф 2 = 90 0 η2

Sin Фc = η2 / η
1
η1
Ф1 Ф2
Фc - Critical angle

Total internal
Ф1 > Фc - Total internal reflection reflection
Meridional ray Low index cladding

Ф Ф Ф Ф
Ф Ф
High index core

Structure of Optical fiber Kevlar Strength members

Silicon coating

Cladding Core
Buffer(Inner)
Black polyurethane outer jacket
Core - Optical transmission

Cladding – Low refractive index – strength

Additional jacket - Moisture and Abrasion

Core thickness - 50 µm

Cladding thickness - 100 - 200µm

Overall thickness - 125 - 200µm

 Types of Optical fiber

Plastic fiber Step – index fiber

Refractive -index
Material Optical fiber

Graded – index fiber

Glass fiber Number of modes

Multi-mode fiber Single – mode fiber

 Geo2 - Sio2 – Core
Sio2 – Cladding

Glass Optic fiber

Material
Plastic Optic fiber

Polystyrene – Core
Methyl metha crylate - Cladding

Single mode
Mode of Propagation Core diameter - 3µm
Multi mode

Core diameter - 50µm

Step index fiber

Refractive index
Graded index fiber
 STEP-INDEX FIBRE MULTIMODE

η1 r < a ( Core )
η( r ) =
η2 r > a ( Cladding )

Refractive
Index η( r )
a

η1

η2
 STEP-INDEX FIBRE - SINGLE MODE

Buffer jacket

Primary coating Ref

index
Core η1
Cladding
η2

Core diameter 5 – 10 µm
Cladding diameter 125 µm
Buffer jacket diameter 250 - 1000 µm
Numerical aperture 0.08 - 0.15
GRADED INDEX FIBER

η1

α =∞
1 – Triangular α = 2
2 – Parabolic α = 10
α =1

Core axis
α - Step index
η2 η2

-a a Radial Distance ( r )

η1 [ 1 - 2∆ (r/a)α ]1/2 r < a ( Core )

η( r ) =
η1 ( 1 - 2∆ )1/2 = η2 r ≥ a ( Cladding )

∆ - Relative Refractive index α = Profile Parameter

 REFRACTIVE INDEX PROFILE AND RAY TRANSMISSION IN A MULTIMODE
GRADED INDEX FIBER
v
η( r )
Refractive index

η2

Cladding

η1
a

Core
ACCEPTANCE ANGLE AND ACCEPTANE CONE

LOW INDEX CLADDING

A

θa
θC HIGH INDEX CORE

θa - Conical half angle - Acceptance angle

Acceptance cone - Critical half angle θa

LIGHT WAVE PROGATION IN OPTICAL FIBER

η = η2
θ
CORE η = η1
θ Core axis
i

CLADDING
ηo
Total Internal Reflection between Air and Core
η 0 sin i = η 1 sin θ

Sin i = ( η 1 / η 0 ) sin θ 1

At total internal reflection between core and cladding

η 1 Sin(90 - θ ) = η 2Sin 90

η 1Cos θ = η 2 Since Sin(90 – θ) = Cos θ

Cos θ = η 2 / η 1 2
Sin θ = √1 – Cos2 θ

Sin θ = √1 – η22 / η12 3

Sub equation (3) in (1)
Sin i = { η 1 / η 0} √1 – η22 / η12

Sini = 1/ η0√ η12 – η22

The acceptance angle

i = Sin-1 (√ η12 – η22 / η0 )

For air η0 = 1

i = Sin-1 √ η12 – η22

Maximum light transmission = Numerical Aperture (NA)

NA = Sin i

= √ η12 – η22

= η1 (2∆)1/2

Where

Relative refractive index ∆ = η12 – η22 / 2η12

 DISPERSION

Dispersion - distortion - digital and analog signal – broadening of light pulses

-Inter symbol interference (ISI) – high error – high signal to noise ratio (SNR)
-For no overlapping

Digital Bit rate BT ≤ 1 / 2ς

Where 2ς - Pulse Duration

amplitude FIBER INPUT

Time
COMPOSITE PATTERN
amplitude

FIBER OUTPUT AT A DISTANCE L1

Time
NO ZERO LEVEL INDISTINGUISHABLE PULSES
COMPOSITE PATTERN
amplitude

FIBER OUTPUT AT A DISTANCE L2> L1

Time
Types

1. Inter modal
2. Intra modal

Intermodal Dispersion or Modal dispersion

Different modes - travel – Different angle – αc –

Critical mode – Same velocity – Different path –
Output – diff.time – Pulse broadening - inter modal
dispersion
 MODES IN AN OPTICAL FIBER

T 0

1 T 1

2
T αC α1 α2
T 2
0

T C
L
OUTPUT PULSE
T ∆t
For Zero order mode ,required
Time to = L/V
Where
L – Link length ; V = Light velocity (c/η1)
For Critical angle

tc = L / VCos αc

The pulse broadening

∆t = tc – to

= L/V Cosαc - L / V

= L/V [I/Cosαc - 1 ]

But Cos αc = η2 / η1

∆t = L/V (η1 / η2 – 1)

But V = C / η1

Contd………
Since ∆t = Lη1/C (η1 – η2 / η2)

pulse broadening – step index fiber.

INTRAMODAL DISPERSION (OR) CHROMATIC DISPERSION

1. Material dispersion
2. Waveguide dispersion

Material Dispersion

Variation of η with ‘λ’ – ‘V’ - broadening

Wave guide dispersion

Only single mode fiber – 80% core – 20% cladding – variation of ‘η’ – cladding
Light faster than core – dispersion - structure
 Merits of Optical Fibre:
1. Cheaper:
Optical fibres are made from silica (SiO2) which is one of the
most abundant materials on the earth.
The overall cost of a fibre optic communication is lower than
that of an equivalent cable communication system.
2. Smaller in size, lighter in weight, flexible and strong:
The cross section of an optical fibre is about a few hundred
microns.
Hence, the fibres are less bulky. RG-19/U coaxial cable
weights about 1100kg/km while a PCS fibre cable weights
6kg/km only.
Optical fibres are quite flexible and strong.
3. Not hazardous:
A wire communication link could accidentally short circuit high
voltage lines and the sparking occurring thereby could ignite
combustible gases in the area leading to a great damage.
Such accidents cannot occur with fibre links since fibre links
are made of insulating materials.
4. Immune to EMI and RFI:
In optical fibre, information is carried by photons.
Photons are electrically neutral and cannot be disturbed by
high voltage fields, lightening, etc.
Therefore, fibres are immune to externally caused
background noise generated through electromagnetic
interference (EMI) and radiofrequency interference (RFI).
5. No cross talk:
The light waves propagating along the optical fibre
are completely trapped within the fibre and cannot
leak out.
Light cannot couple into the fibre from sides.
In view of these features, possibility of cross talk is
minimized when optical fibre is used. Therefore,
transmission is more secure and private.
6. Wider bandwidth:
Optical fibres have ability to carry large amounts of
information. While a telephone cable composed of
900 pairs of wire can handle 10,000 calls, a 1mm
optical fibre can transmit 50,000 calls.
7. Low loss per unit length:
The transmission loss per unit length of an optical
fibre is about 4dB/km. Therefore, longer cable-
runs between repeaters are feasible.
If copper cables are used, the repeaters are to be
spaced at intervals of about 2km. In case of optical
fibres, the interval can be as large as 100km and
above.
Disadvantages:
Installation and maintenance of optical fibres
requires a new set of skills. They require
specialized and costly equipment like optical time
domain reflectometers etc. All this means heavy
investment.