Fiber Optic Light Sources

Fiber Optic Communications

ECEE – 641 Dr. Kurzweg
By: Antonios Boulos
 Overview
 What is an Optical Source
 LEDs
 SLEDs – Surface Emitting LEDs
 ELEDs – Edge Emitting LEDs
 LDs – Laser Diodes
 Tunable Lasers
 Conclusion
 Questions
 What is an Optic Source?
 The heart of a fiber optical data system
 A Hybrid Device
 Converts electrical signals into optical signals
 Launches these optical signals into an optical
fiber for data transmission.
 Device consists of an interface circuit,
drive circuit, and components for optical
source. (LEDs, ELEDs, SLEDs, LDs, etc)
LEDs – Light Emitting Diode
 Emits incoherent light through
spontaneous emission.
 Used for Multimode systems w/
100-200 Mb/s rates.
 Broad spectral width and wide
output pattern.
 850nm region: GaAs and
AlGaAs
 1300–1550nm region: InGaAsP
and InP
 Two commonly used types:
ELEDs and SLEDs
SLEDs – Surface Emitting LEDs
 Primary active region is a small circular area
located below the surface of the semiconductor
substrate, 20-50µm diameter and up to 2.5µm
thick.
 Emission is isotropic and in lambertian pattern.
 A well is etched in the substrate to allow the direct
coupling of emitted light to the optical fiber
 Emission area of substrate is perpendicular to
axis of optical fiber
 Coupling efficiency optimized by binding fiber to
the substrate surface by epoxy resin with
matching refractive index
Surface Emitting LED
 ELEDs – Edge Emitting LEDs
 Primary active region is a narrow strip that lies beneath
the semiconductor substrate
 Semiconductor is cut and polished so emission strip
region runs between front and back.
 Rear face of semiconductor is polished so it is highly
reflective while front face is coated with anti-reflective,
light will reflect from rear and emit through front face
 Active Regions are usually 100-150µm long and the
strips are 50-70µm wide which are designed to match
typical core fibers of 50-100µm.
 Emit light at narrower angle which allows for better
coupling and efficiency than SLEDs
Edge Emitting LED
LDs – Laser Diodes
 Emit coherent light through
stimulated emission
 Mainly used in Single Mode
Systems
 Light Emission range: 5 to
10 degrees
 Require Higher complex
driver circuitry than LEDs
 Laser action occurs from
three main processes:
photon absorption,
spontaneous emission, and
stimulated emission.
 Laser Diode Optical Cavity
 One reflecting mirror is at one end while the other end
has a partially reflecting mirror for partial emission
 Remaining power reflects through cavity for amplification
of certain wavelengths, a process known as optical
feedback.
 Construction very similar to the ELEDs.
Lasing Characteristics
 Lasing threshold is
minimum current that must
occur for stimulated
emission
 Any current produced below
threshold will result in
spontaneous emission only
 At currents below threshold
LDs operate as ELEDs
 LDs need more current to
operate and more current
means more complex drive
circuitry with higher heat
dissipation
 Laser diodes are much
more temperature sensitive
than LEDs
 Tunable Laser
 Tunable Laser
 Employed in broad-band interconnections and
broadcast networks where the need for high power,
narrow line width, and a tunable single-frequency
emission is a must.
 Laser that is able to produce controllable multiple
wavelengths within single cavity.
 Able to switch transmission of different wavelengths
without using multiplexer for transmission to many
different channels at by tuning the output frequency to
its designated channel.
 Tunable Laser Cavity

 Consists of an Active Region, and two passive regions:

Phase Control and Grating
 Active region is a double heterostructure of a low
bandgap between two high gap low index claddings.
 Two passive regions made from semiconductor with
intermediate bandgap between active and cladding.
 Tunable Laser Operation
 Current is injected into the Active Region causing the
entire optical cavity to oscillate in a single longitudinal
mode.
 A current is then injected into the grating control region
causing a refractive index decrease which induces a shift
of the Bragg wavelength and variation in the mode.
 The phase region with the injected phase current allows
for recovery in Bragg wavelength in order to keep the
same mode in the center of the filter band.
 This results in an output with variable wavelength.
 Summary
 Optical light sources convert electrical signals into optical signals
and launch them.
 Commonly used light sources include LEDs, ELEDs, SLEDs, and
LDs.
 LEDs produce nonlinear incoherent light whereas a Laser Diode
produces linear coherent light.
 Incoherent light sources used in multimode systems as where Laser
Diodes/Tunable Lasers in single mode systems
 Laser diodes must operate above their threshold region to produce
coherent light, otherwise operating as ELED.
 Laser diodes are much faster in switching response than LEDs
 Tunable laser is able to produce coherent light output with controlled
variable wavelength
 Tunable laser is used in multi wavelength systems by replacing a
system where many sources are coupled into a multiplexing device
system