PHY110 UNIT III: Fiber optics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx07PShjJmk

Prof. Reji Thomas DRD-DRC March 10, 2023

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Who first discovered and proved white light consist of seven

colors?

a) Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

b) Issac Newton (1643-1741)
c) Albert A. Michelson (1852–1931)
d) Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695)

Ans: B
Prof. Reji Thomas DRC-DRD March 10, 2023
Fiber- Thin strand of dielectric material (transmission of light)
Wire: The strand of metal (transmission of electricity)

Laser diode: Forward biased

Photo diode: Reverse biased? n1 > n2
Laser diode/LED Photo diode
AIR
n1
AIR

OPTICAL FIBER SYSTEM

“Fiber optics is a technology in which electrical signal is

converted to optical signals and transmitted through fibers and
reconverted back into electrical signals”
Prof. Reji Thomas DRC-DRD March 10, 2023
Optical Fiber: Structure Human hair thickness ~ 100µm

1. Core - Light guiding region

2. Cladding- confine the light to the core
3. Buffer or Sheath - protect the fiber from
physical and environmental damage
Additional functions of cladding
 To maintain the uniformity along the length of the fiber
 To protect the outer surface of the core
 To reduce the cone of the light

Prof. Reji Thomas DRC-DRD March 10, 2023

5

TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION happens when a ray light

pass from the denser medium to rarer medium:

n2

n1

TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION

Critical angle  > c
Snell’s law

Principle on which Fiber optic communication rely on is TOTAL

INTERNAL REFLECTION
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imax is the acceptance angle of the fiber.

2imax = acceptance cone

 Relative Refractive Index
  is always positive because n1 > n2.
 Typically value of  is the order of 0.01
 For effective light transmission through the fiber, <<1.

Numerical Aperture (NA)

• Measure of the light gathering ability of
the fiber
• Depends only on the refractive indices of
the core and cladding.
• Independent of the dimension of the fiber
• Typical values are in the range 0.13 to 0.50
 Classification of Optical Fibers

8
1. The material from which it is made
i. Glass optical fibers
ii. Plastic Optical fibers
iii. Plastic Clad Silica (PCS) optical fibers
2. The propagation modes through it
i. Single mode optical fibers
ii. Multimode optical fibers
3. The refractive index profile of the material used
i. Step-index optical fibers
ii. Graded index optical fibers
4. the modes and refractive index profile
i. Step-index single mode(SISM) optical fiber
ii. Step index multimode (SIMM) optical fiber
iii. ??? GISM
iv. Graded-index multimode (GIMM) optical fiber

Prof. Reji Thomas DRC-DRD March 10, 2023

V-number
Maximum number of modes Nm supported by a fiber having diameter d for a
particular wavelength  is
Step index fiber Graded Index fiber

For a fiber to be single mode V < 2.4.

and the wavelength with which the fiber becomes single mode is called cutoff
wavelength c
Single mode for any wavelength  > c

Single mode transmission in a multimode fiber can be realized by

reducing the diameter and/or decreasing the  such that V< 2.405

V-number also known as normalized frequency of the fiber

Prof. Reji Thomas DRC-DRD March 10, 2023
 Losses and Dispersion in optical fibers
When the optical signal is made to propagate through the optical
fiber, signal strength reduces and shape of the wave changes due to
1a. Attenuation Intrinsic
a) Absorption loss/attenuation
b) Scattering

1b. Radiative loss Extrinsic

Bending of optical fiber loss/attenuation

2. Dispersion
a) Intermode
b) Intramode
i. Material dispersion
ii. Waveguide dispersion
 Loss of amplitude of the signal: attenuation
 Change in shape of the signal: Distortion/dispersion

Prof. Reji Thomas DRC-DRD March 10, 2023

 LOSSES IN OPTICAL FIBERS
11
ATTENUATION
The loss of signal amplitude is known as attenuation

The loss of optical power as light travels down the fiber exponentially
depends on the distance

Po is the power at distance L, Pi input power and  is the fiber

attenuation constant expressed in /km

In unit of dB/km, is defined as,

In ideal case, Pi = Po and attenuation is zero

 LOSSES IN OPTICAL FIBERS
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1. Losses due to Attenuation

a) Material absorption
 Imperfection and impurities in the fiber account for 3-5 % loss
 OH- common impurity-
 Due to water trapped during the manufacturing process or Humidity from
the atmosphere
 Cu, Ni,Cr,V, Mn impurities in glass absorb visible wavelength

 Electronic absorption at UV and vibrational absorption at IR wavelengths are

un avoidable
 Absorption found to be minimum around the wavelength 1.3 µm (1300 nm)
 Propagation of light with wavelength above 1.7 µm (1700nm) is not possible
due to infrared (IR) absorption
 LOSSES IN OPTICAL FIBERS
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1. Losses due to Attenuation

b) Rayleigh scattering

 Account for the 96% of attenuation in the fiber

 Microscopic density variation causes changes in
refractive index locally in the fiber
 These obstructions act as scattering centers and
scatter light in all direction- Rayleigh scattering
 It varies as 1/4 – high at lower wavelength
 Lower wavelength limit is 800 nm (0.8 µm)

Material absorption set the upper wavelength limit at 1700 nm

and Rayleigh scattering set the lower wavelength limit at 800
nm. So light having wavelength in the range 800-1700 nm is
used in optical communication!
 LOSSES IN OPTICAL FIBERS
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800-1700nm is used in optical communication

1. Losses due to Attenuation

 nm loss dB/km
820-880 2.2
1220-1320 0.6
1550-1610 0.2

 The band of wavelength at which the attenuation is a minimum is

called optical window or transmission window or low-loss window
 The range 1550-1610 is most preferable
 1300 nm is suitable as the dispersion is minimum
 LOSSES IN OPTICAL FIBERS
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2. Losses due to bending of Optical fiber

a) Macrobend
Fiber is bend in noticeable way and strain
induced ‘n’ change TIR conditions and light
escape

b) Microbend

 Small scale local bend on the fiber

 Not clearly visible
 Indicative of pressure on the fiber
 Light refracted into the cladding as TIR
condition get changed
 DISPERSION
16Rainbow and Splitting of white light to spectrum of colours are the most
familiar example of dispersion

Due to the wavelength () dependence of refractive index (n)

𝑑𝑛
= 0 No dispersion
𝑑
𝑑𝑛
< 0 Normal dispersion
𝑑
𝑑𝑛
> 0 Anomalous dispersion
𝑑

However, dispersion in optical fibres is due to the group velocity (Vg)

dispersion and that causes pulses to spread and consequently this distortion
degrades the signals over long distances. 𝑐
𝑉𝑝 =
𝑛
𝑉𝑔 = 𝑉𝑝 No dispersion
𝑉𝑔 < 𝑉𝑝 Normal dispersion
𝑉𝑔 > 𝑉𝑝 Anomalous dispersion
 DISPERSION
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Distortion of the signal in an

optical fiber due to DISPERSION

a) Intermodal Dispersion
b) Intramodel Dispersion
i. Material dispersion
ii. Waveguide dispersion
 DISPERSION

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a) Intermodal Dispersion

• Input power divided into various modes and propagate

through the fiber
• Lower order modes take less time compared to higher
modes

• Pulse broadens and hence reduces transmission rate

• Can be reduced in Graded index fiber
 DISPERSION
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b) Intramodal Dispersion
b.1 Material dispersion
b.2 Waveguide dispersion
Material dispersion is a
wavelength dependence of
the fiber material refractive index.

 Light pulse is a wave packet, having components of several wavelengths..

 Glass dispersive medium.. Different wavelength component travel at
different speed..
 Pulse broadening occurs as a result
 Material dispersion can be reduced by reducing the spectral width or by
increasing the wavelength
 DISPERSION
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b) Intramodal Dispersion
b.1 Material dispersion
b.2 Waveguide dispersion

• Refractive index variation along the waveguide means different

speed for different wavelength
• Also results is pulse broadening

 SMF- Only material and waveguide dispersions (only

intramodal dispersion) exist
 MMF- intermodel, waveguide and material dispersion ( both
intramodal and intermodal dispersion) exist
 Applications of optical fiber
1 In communication system
Hundred thousands times better than other transmission lines ( microwave, radio
waves) or wires in carrying the amount of information- higher band width

2. In Fiber optic sensors

a. Temperature sensor
b. Mechanical strain sensor
Light beam is changed in five optical properties
c. Vibration sensor
like, intensity, phase, polarization, wavelength,
d. Pressure sensor
and spectral distribution. These are sensed
e. Acceleration sensor
f. Chemical sensor

3. Military applications
Wiring of the communication equipment
Used in guided missiles

Prof. Reji Thomas DRC-DRD March 10, 2023

 Applications of optical fiber
22

4. In Medical applications
 Diagnostics- Endoscopy
 Ophthalmology- guiding lasers
 Cardiology- optical energy guided to evaporate
plaque ( blocking the blood circulation in the body)
 Cancer treatment- IR energy transmission line
(Infrared laser used)
Endoscopy (looking inside) to look inside the body- We will have a
look at the ENDOSCOPY technique now.
 OPTICAL ENDOSCOPESES
23

When large number of fibers are bounded together

 Flexible incoherent bundles
 Used for the illumination purpose
 Flexible light carrier
 Flexible coherent bundles:
 Capable of sending undistorted image to a distant place
 Flexible image carrier

Both forms the interface between the

Doctor and the patient’s inside body
parts to be imaged
 ENDOSCOPEES
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• Fiber bundles (incoherent bundles) used for illuminating the object

inside the body
• and another bundle (coherent bundle) used to obtain the image of
the object to be seen/scanned
• 10,000 fibers forms the bundle of 1 mm diameter
• Visual inspection of internal parts of a human body

Type of endoscopy
a) Broncho- endoscope
b) Gastrointestinal endoscope
c) Laparoscope
 ENDOSCOPES- Parts
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1. Viewing accessories
 connected to the coherent optical fiber bundle
 Can be connected to a TV screen or just look with
your eyes
2. Light source with a focusing lens
 connected to the incoherent optical fiber bundle
through a beam splitter
 ENDOSCOPES- Parts
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3. Incoherent bundle of optical fiber- receive light from

the light source and illuminate the inside body parts
 It include a beam splitter that pass through the both sides of
coherent optical fiber bundle
4. Coherent bundle of optical fiber receive the reflected
light from the body parts and the image is fed to the
screen
 ENDOSCOPE- Parts
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5. Imaging accessories (Prism and lenses

encapsulated in the transparent tube) at
other end of the coherent and incoherent
fiber optic bundles
 feed focused light from the incoherent fiber optic
bundles to the body parts
 receive the reflected light from the illuminated body
 and feed back those light to the coherent fiber optic
bundles.. Remember this light not coupled to the
incoherent optical fiber bundle
Now we connect these five component together in the ‘right
way’ to get a an ENDOSCOPE as can been in the next slide
 ENDOSCOPE and ENDOSCOPY S
28
1
TV
screen 5
1 3

5
2

4
Now you do some imaging with this instrument (ENDOSCOPE) and
it is ‘ENDOSCOPY’
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What is the principle of fiber optical communication?

a) Frequency modulation
b) Population inversion
c) Total internal reflection
d) Doppler Effect

Ans: C
Prof. Reji Thomas DRC-DRD March 10, 2023
30

Snell’s law describes

a) Interference
b) Diffraction
c) Refraction
d) Reflection

Ans: C
Prof. Reji Thomas DRC-DRD March 10, 2023
31

What is the other name for maximum external incident

angle?

a)Optical angle
b)Total internal reflection angle
c)Refraction angle
d) Wave guide acceptance angle

Ans: D
Prof. Reji Thomas DRC-DRD March 10, 2023
32

The numerical aperture of a fiber if the maximum angle of

acceptance is 15°, is

a. 0.17
b. 0.26
c. 0.50
d. 0.75

Ans: B
Prof. Reji Thomas DRC-DRD March 10, 2023
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The refractive indices of core and cladding for a step index fibre
are 1.52 and 1.41 respectively. Find the critical angle for the
refracted ray to grace the interface between core and cladding.

a) 68.3°
b) 75.1 °
c) 48.1 °
d) 15.3 °

Ans: A
 The refractive indices of core and cladding for a step index fibre
are 1.52 and 1.41 respectively. Find the numerical aperture for this
34 particular fiber.

a) 0.916
b) 0.250
c) 1.000
d) 0.568

Ans: D
 The refractive indices of core and cladding for a step index fibre
are 1.52 and 1.41 respectively. Find the maximum incident angle.
35

a) 75.6°
b) 55°
c) 24.6°
d) 34.6°

Ans: D
 A signal of 100mW is injected into a fibre. The outcoming signal
from the other end is 40 mW. What is loss in dB?
36

a) 4.98
b) 2.98
c) 3.98
d) 5.02

Ans: C
37

Calculate the refractive index of the core of a fibre, if the

numerical aperture is 0.22 and relative refractive index is 0.012.
38

Calculate the refractive index of the cladding of a fibre, if the

numerical aperture is 0.22 and relative refractive index is 0.012.
39

What is the waveguide acceptance angle of a fibre, if the numerical

aperture is 0.22 and relative refractive index is 0.012?
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Multimode step index fiber has

a) Large core diameter & large numerical aperture

b) Large core diameter and small numerical aperture
c) Small core diameter and large numerical aperture
d) Small core diameter & small numerical aperture

Ans: A

Prof. Reji Thomas DRC-DRD March 10, 2023

41

The performance characteristics of multimode graded index

fibers are

a) Better than multimode step index fibers.

b) Same as multimode step index fibers.
c) Lesser than multimode step index fibers
d) Negligible

Ans: A
Prof. Reji Thomas DRC-DRD March 10, 2023
42

Multimode graded index fibers have overall buffer jackets same

as multimode step index fibers but have core diameters

a) Larger than multimode step index fibers.

b) Smaller than multimode step index fibers.
c) Same as that of multimode step index fibers.
d) Smaller than single mode step index fibers.

Ans: B
43

In single mode fibers, the most beneficial index profile is

a) Step index
b) Graded index
c) Step and graded index
d) Coaxial cable

Ans: A
44

Incoherent bundles used in the endoscope carry both light

and image. State true or false

(a) True
(b) False

Ans: B
45

Coherent bundles used in the endoscope to carry both

light and image. State true or false

(a) True
(b) False

Ans: A
 A step-index fibre has a normalized frequency 26.6 at 1300 nm
46 wavelength. If the core radius is 25 m, calculate the numerical

aperture

A) 0.22
B) 1.00
C) 0.75
D) 0.43

Prof. Reji Thomas DRC-DRD March 10, 2023

 Find the core radius necessary for single mode operation at 820
nm wavelength operation of a step index fibre. The refractive
47 indices of the core and cladding are 1.48 and 1.478, respectively.

a) 16.8 m
b) 4.08 m
c) 64.20 m
d) 2.04 m

Prof. Reji Thomas DRC-DRD March 10, 2023

A graded index fibre has a core diameter of 0.05 mm and numerical
aperture of 0.22 at wavelength 8500 Å. Calculate the wave number.

a) 40.63
b) 56.13
c) 41.25
d) 102.66

Ans:A
Prof. Reji Thomas DRC-DRD March 10, 2023
A graded index fibre has a core diameter of 0.05 mm and numerical
aperture of 0.22 at wavelength 8500 Å. Calculate the number of
modes guided through this fibre.

a) 206
b) 56
c) 412
d) 825

Ans:D
Prof. Reji Thomas DRC-DRD March 10, 2023
 The refractive indices of core and cladding of a fibre are 1.465 and
1.460, respectively. The wavelength of light transmitted is 1.25 m.
50
What should be the diameter of the core for a single mode
propagation?

a) > 7.9 nm
b) 3 mm
c) 1 cm
d) < 7.9 m

Ans:D
Prof. Reji Thomas DRC-DRD March 10, 2023
 The refractive indices of core and cladding of a fibre are 1.465 and
1.460, respectively. The wavelength of light transmitted is 1.25m.
51
If the core diameter is 50 m, how many modes will propagate
through this fibre?

a) 115
b) 130
c) 260
d) 57

Ans:A
Prof. Reji Thomas DRC-DRD March 10, 2023
52

A signal of power 5 µW enters an optical fiber of 100 m long.

Calculate the abortion coefficient of the fiber if the output power
is 1 µW.

a) 140 dB/km
b) 70 dB/km
c) 35 dB/km
d) 280 dB/km

Ans:B
Prof. Reji Thomas DRC-DRD March 10, 2023
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Prof. Reji Thomas DRC-DRD March 10, 2023