Fiber-Optic Communications

This course offers an introduction to fiber-optic communication systems while developing practical tools to understand and design these systems. Instruction presents a broad range of topics in optical communications with emphasis on providing a practical perspective of these systems. Physical understanding of the components, along with the analytical tools learned during the course, prepares students for designing both analog and digital optical links. Students learn design trade-offs in the practical implementation of these systems. The course covers propagation in single and multimode fibers, intermodal dispersion in multimode fibers, chromatic and waveguide dispersion in fibers, polarization-mode dispersion and dispersion compensation techniques. Additional topics include optical transmitters, such as LEDs, DFB lasers, and VCSELs and analysis of semiconductor lasers with an emphasis on such characteristics as the modulation bandwidth, chirping, RIN noise and phase noise. Students also gain an understanding of optical detectors (PIN, APD) and optical modulators based on electro-optic and electro-absorption effects; optical amplifiers, such as EDFAs and semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs); design of analog and digital optical links; DWDM systems; CATV systems; submarine fiber systems; applications of nonlinearities in optical fibers and optical switches. The instructor in this course demonstrates the use of Matlab and other software tools for analysis, simulation, and problem solving. These tools are provided as part of the course fee as an option for student use and will not be part of the course grading criteria.