Optical Fiber Communication

By
Abhijit Dongaonkar
Lecturer, Information Technology
SVKM’s SBM Polytechnic,Vile Parle,Mumabi
abhijit.dongaonkar@sbmp.ac.in
8767518118

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Course Outcomes:
1. Define the principle of light propagation in Fiber optics and
compute the Numerical Aperture for different values of radius
and distance.
2. Investigate the losses associated with fiber & types of dispersion.
3. Classify different types of cables and connectors, different optical
sources and detectors.
4. Describe the fiber manufacturing and testing methods,
attenuation for Fiber Optics communication.
5. Describe optical network, Multiplexing and Demultiplexing
techniques

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Chapter 1 Fundamentals of Fibre Optics

1.1 Block diagram Optical fiber communication system

1.2. Advantages and disadvantages
1.3. Physics Principles
1.4. Ray theory–
1.5. Total Internal Reflection, Optic Fiber Structure
1.6. Classification of fibers -
1.7. Refractive Index profile, Standard dimensions. Number of modes
1.8. Advantages, disadvantages of single mode, multimode fiber.

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Ray theory – light transmission in core & cladding
• Total internal reflection & Critical angel
• Acceptance angle
• Numerical aperture

Electromagnetic mode theory for optical propagation

• Electromagnetic waves
• Modes in a planar guide
• Modes
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Classification of optical Fiber
Optical fiber is classified into two categories based on

1) Number of mode
1) Single mode fiber(SMF)
2) Multi-mode fiber(MMF)

1) Refractive index
1) Step index optical fiber
2) Graded index optical fiber

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Optoelectronics & Photonics: Principles & Practices by Safa O. Kasap

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Skew rays

Reference:- Chapter 2 Page 21-22, Optical Fiber Communications Principles and Practice(practice Hall)- by John M. Senior)
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Three basic types of fiber optic cable are used
in communication systems:

1. Step-index multimode
2. Step-index single mode
3. Graded-index multimode

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Step index fibers

The optical fiber considered

in the preceding sections
with a core of constant
refractive
index n1 and a cladding of
a slightly lower refractive
index n2 is known as step
index fiber

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Reference:- Chapter 2 Page 44, Optical Fiber Communications Principles and Practice(practice Hall)- by John M. Senior)
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Step index fibers

• This is because the refractive index profile for this type of fiber makes
a step change at the core–cladding interface, as indicated in diagram
which illustrates the two major types of step index fiber. The
refractive index profile may be defined as:

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• A multimode step index fiber with a core diameter of around 50 μm or greater,
which is large enough to allow the propagation of many modes within the fiber
core. There many different possible ray paths through the fiber.
• A single-mode or monomode step index fiber which allows the propagation of
only one transverse electromagnetic mode (typically HE11), and hence the core
diameter must be of the order of 2 to 10 μm. The propagation of a single mode
a single ray path only (usually shown as the axial ray) through the fiber.
• The single-mode step index fiber has the distinct advantage of low intermodal
dispersion, Whereas with multimode step index fiber considerable dispersion
may occur due to the differing group velocities of the propagating modes
• This in turn restricts the maximum bandwidth attainable with multimode step
index fibers, especially when compared with single-mode fibers.

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However, for lower bandwidth applications multimode fibers have several
advantages over single-mode fibers. These are:

a. The use of spatially incoherent optical sources (e.g. most light-emitting

diodes) which cannot be efficiently coupled to single-mode fibers;
b. larger numerical apertures, as well as core diameters, facilitating easier
coupling to optical sources;
c. lower tolerance requirements on fiber connectors.

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Graded index fibers
Graded index fibers do not have a constant refractive index in the core* but a
decreasing core index n(r) with radial distance from a maximum value of n1
at the axis to a constant value n2 beyond the core radius a in the cladding.

Reference:- Chapter 2 Page 47, Optical Fiber Communications Principles and Practice(practice Hall)- by John M. Senior)
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Graded index fibers

Reference:- Chapter 2 Page 46, Optical Fiber Communications Principles and Practice(practice Hall)- by John M. Senior)
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Graded index fibers

where  is the relative refractive index

difference and  is the profile parameter
which gives the characteristic refractive
index profile of the fiber core
variation of , allows representation
• step index profile when  = ∞
• parabolic profile when  = 2
• triangular profile when  = 1

Reference:- Chapter 2 Page 46, Optical Fiber Communications Principles and Practice(practice Hall)- by John M. Senior)
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Graded index fibers
A multimode graded index fiber with a parabolic index profile core in shown in previous slide. It may be
observed that the meridional rays shown appear to follow curved paths through the fiber core. Using the concepts
of geometric optics, the gradual decrease in refractive index from the center of the core creates many
refractions of the rays as they are effectively incident on a large number or high to low index interfaces.

This mechanism where a ray

is shown to be gradually
curved, with an ever
increasing angle of
incidence, until the
conditions for total internal
reflection are met, and the
ray travels back towards the
core axis, again being
continuously refracted.

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Thank you

• Optical fiber modes

• V parameter or number
• Numaricals

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Thank you
• Next session

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