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F PROJECTSIN FIBEROPTICS Applications Handbook Newport Gorporation 18235 Mt. Baldy Circle, P.O. Box 8020, Fountain Valley, CA 92728-8020 Phone(714) 963-9811 Telex685535 -l r , 2z _t -)e = u :J 1H $ FITH $ s -l-) ->l&) 'hl-l 14 $ I . .$r w rg' ) i $\,.,,,,;\ tb/ 7EIaH r-i-, d, I 4 I #8: F Project Building a I two<hannel fiber optics communications link. e, ! I .ta? Start with the basics,or explore today'smost advanced q applicationswith Newport'sProjects in Fiber Optics 1) I Model FKP-STD(see Equipment List on page 90) containsa *? I completeset of research-qualityequipment for performing b ten educational,applications-oriented projects E By project completion,you will be able to use the same equipmentwith other compatibleNewport componentsto E explore new areasof interest.What better way to start a _J I th- fiber optics lab? E sr'i) :,tY b lal- @NewportCorporation 1986 q (E rq # ! Fh,- - trE l.--t l- l- -l H TABLEOFCONTENTS E Page Preface I 0.0 Primer in FiberOptics 3 1.0 HandlingFibers, Numerical Aperture 25 2.0 FiberAttenuation 32 3.0 Single-ModeFibers I 37 4.0 Single-ModeFibers II 43 5.0 CouplingFibers to Semiconductor Sources 47 6.0 Connectorsand Splices 54 7.0 Componentsfor Fiber Communication 62 8.0 FiberOptic CommunicationLink 70 9.0 MultimodeIntensity Sensors 75 10.0 Single-ModeInterferometric Sensors 82 References 89 EquipmentList 90 I I j PROJECTSIN FIBER OPTICS PREEACE Projects in Fiber Optics (Newport Model #FKP)is a set of laboratoryequipment containing the hardwareneeded to complete a seriesof projectswhich will provide students, engineen and scientistswith an introductionto the hands-on E experience neededto master the basic conceptsand labora- tory techniquesof opticalfiber technology.The projects cover a wide rangeof applicationsin both communications and sensorsand cover the use of both multimode and single- mode fibers.Because this is a new and rapidly expanding technology,the educationof most engineersdoes not include coursesin fiber optics. Projects in Fiber Optics hasbeen developedby the technical staff of Newport Corporation in order to bridge the gap between current college courseoffer- ingsand today'srapidly expandingtechnology. This companionapplications handbook begins with a Primer in Fiber Opticswhich outlines,at an elementary level.the physicsand opticsbackground required to under- standthe field of fiber optics.The handbookthen givesa completedescription of each of the projectswhich are to be performedwith the equipmentin Projects in Fiber Optics. (A completelist of the projectsis given in Table I.) At the end of the handbookis a list of referenceswhich may be consideredfor classroomuse. This handbookwill serveas a TABLE I supplementto the material coveredin a comprehensive LIST OF PROJECTS classroomor independentstudy of fiber optics. Eachproject description contains a statementof pur- 1. Handlingfibers, numerical aperture poseoutlining what is to be accomplishedin that project,a 2. Fiber attenuation sectionreviewing the relatedbackground and theory,sug- 3. Single-modefibers I gestedreferences, and a completestep-by-step instruction set 4. Single-modefibers Il which will guidethe experimenterthrough the laboratory 5. Couplingfibers to semiconductorsources exercise.The materialcontained in eachproject description 6. Connectorsand splices will allow the studentto focuson "what's happening"in each 7. Componentsfor fiber communication laboratoryexercise. 8. Fiber optic communicationlink Theseprojects can be usedin structuringa courseat 9. Multimodeintensity sensors either the sophomoreor upper-divisionlevel for engineering 10. Single-modeinterferometricsensors or ptrysicalscience students. A knowledgeof ray opticsfrom higtrschoolphysics or from a collegefreshman physics course (not requiringcalculus) will be a sufficientbackground for a sophomorecourse using Projects in Fiber Optics. A simpli- fied descriptionof the propagationof modesat the levelof the Primer in Fiber Opticsmay be usedin Projects#3, #4, and #10. For an upper-divisioncourse for engineeringand physi- cal sciencemajors at a four-yearschool, the instructormay want to give a more completetheoretical development of the propagation of electromagneticwaves in optical fiber wave- guides.The backgroundfor sucha coursemight includea knowledgeof Maxwell'sequations, wave equations, propaga- tion of electromagneticwaves in dielectricmedia, and an introduction to waveguides.However, the instructor may chooseto includean introductionto someof this materialin the fiber opticscourse itself. Althoughmany of the studentsin thesecourses will be =- electricalengineering or electronictechnician students, the | intent ofthe projectsis to concentrate properties on the of the A-t opticalfibers and opticalcomponents being studiedand to keepthe amountof electricalequipment used and the J- amount of wiring done in the laboratoryto a minimum. The i problems of designingand building transmitters and receivers J for optical fiber systemsis best left to another course. n TheseProjects in Fiber Optics will provide a well- -lA grounded introduction to fiber optic technology.The techni- cal staff of Newport Corporation is availableto provide A technicaladvice in implementingthese projects. a a ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS :l The technicalstaff of NewportCorporation would like = to thank Dr. DonaldC. O'Shea,School of Physics,Georgia ) Instituteof Technology,for co-authoringthe Primer in Fiber -l= Optics.Thanks also to Dr. O'Sheaand to Dr. Rick Feinbers, Department of Physics,Western Washington University, f"or -A their commentson the instruction setsin this manual. | = ) 4 :l H :l. :l)1 la:l -:l :l H 7 fl :l -l4 .J TJ n:l :l 4 f,r- l_aJ f td 4J afl :l I ta:l 7 -_l t \-- PRIMERIN FIBEROPTICS Horndirects voiceto diaphragm Beamof sunlight O.I HISTORYOF FIBEROPTICS -200 The conceptof optical goes communications far back meterdistance into history.The sendingof messagesby light is certainlyas Parabolic old asthe first signalfires or smokesignals, and hascontin- diaphragm Reflector ued, in more recenthistory, in the useof signallamps for lightbeam communicationbetween ships at pat- sea.However, the first Speaker ents for an opticalcommunications system were filed in 1880. At that time, AlexanderGraham Bell obtainedpatents on the photophoneand demonstratedcommunication on a beam of light at a distanceof 200 meters.The photophone,shown in Fig.0.l, useda photosensitiveselenium cell to detectvaria- Figure 0.1. Schematic diagram of Alexander Graharn tionsin the intensityof a beam of light. However,all of these Bell's photophone. methodsmentioned here depend on the atmosphereas the transmissionmedium, and anyonewho hasever driven on a foggyday knows how unreliablethat is. A waveguidemade of a non-conductingmaterial which Light transmitslight (a dielectric),such as glassor plastic,would Source providea much more reliabletransmission medium, because it is not subjectto the variationsof the atmosphere.The guid- ing of light by a dielectricmedium is alsonot a new idea.In 1870,John Tyndall showed that light could be guidedwithin a streamof water.Tyndall's experiment is illustratedin Fig.0.2. By 1910,Hondros and Debyehad developeda theory of dielectricwaveguides. The brealthrough which has madethe optical fiber waveguidethe leadingcontender as the transmission mediumof choicefor current and future communications Stream of water systems was triggered by two events. The first was the demonstrationof the first operatinglaser in 1960.The second was a calculation,in 1966,by a pair of scientists,Charles Kao GuidedLight Ray and GeorgeA. Hockham,speculating that optical fiber waveguidescould compete with the existing coaxial cables Figure 0.2. Tyndall's experiment showing that a stream usedfor communicationsif fibers could be madethat would of water will guide a beam of light. transmit l% of the light in them over a distanceof I kilometer (km). lt is important to note that at that time the light energy which was transmittedwould be down to l% of its initial va-lueafter only 20 meters in the best existing fibers and that no materials expert was on record predicting that the required highquality transmissioncould be achieved. Many researchgroups began to activelypursue this s possibility,however. ln 1970,Corning GlassWorks investi- E gated high-silicaglasses for fibers and was the first to report a I transmissiongreater than l% over a distanceof I km. This group later increasedthe transmissionto greater than 40"/" = over I km. Today,transmissions in the range of 95-96%over I km are beingachieved. For comparison,if oceanwater had c an opticaltransmission of. -79"/o througheach km of depth, .U' one could seeto the bottom of the world'sdeepest oceans .9 E with the naked eye. The progressin high-transmissionfibers (t) is tracedin Fig.O.3. The achievementof low-losstransmission, along with the additionaladvantages of largeinformation carrying capacity,immunity from electromagneticinterference, and smallsize and weight,has created a new technology.Optical 0.01 1966 Figure 0.3. Progress in optical fiber transmission. The last two data points represent results near the theoreti- cal limits at 0.85 and 1.55 lm. 3 - F L fiber hasbecome the medium of choicefor communications - applications.For example,the TAf8 (Tians-AtlanticTele- phone #8)system, scheduled for completionin 1988,will a be a 6500-kmall-fiber link which will bring trans-Atlantictel- ephonecapacity to the equivalentof 20,000voice channels. I Comparethis with TATI, completedin 1955,which carried 50 voice channelsover coaxialcable. Also, Pacific Bell