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Next Generation Optical Fibers: Challenges and Opportunities

Claudio Mazzali
Corning Incorporated
One Riverfront Plaza, 14832 - Corning, NY
Phone 1 (607) 974-4000 - email. mazzalic@,&corning.com
ABSTRACT
The dynamic interaction between network topologies, optical transmission systems and optical fiber designs has
fuelled an impressive evolution of the optical communications industry. In this work we will reflect briefly on
the evolution of telecommunications systems in order to identify the fundamental triggers. An understanding of
these triggers can potentially enable early prediction of the next wave of optical fiber innovations and their
respective impact back into systems and networks.
Key words: Optical fibers, Optical Systems Evolution, Optical Networks.
1. OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS INTERPLAY BETWEEN SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY
Similar to the semiconductor industry, the optical communications industry has experienced a remarkably rapid
development during the last few decades. In both industries there have been periods where distinctly different
sectors have driven growth and innovation. The optical communication industry is probably one of the great
examples of a cyclical feedback driven innovation process among science, industry and society
A unique feature of the optical communications industry is that it was the industry that initially set the targets
for cost effective performance and consequently drove science and development efforts in the required direction.
That happened when a major network operator defined 20 dB/km as the fiber attenuation required to make
optical fiber a cost effective alternative to copper cable based telecommunication systems. From that initial
example, our industry has been following a similar path where often network operator requirements drive
technology developments. However, sometimes those developments go beyond expectation and start driving
network evolution. This self-imposed technology evolution cycle has driven a rapid development of
telecommunications systems and has changed our society and the way we deal with information today. Look
around at your connections to information and different media today and you will certainly realize the
importance of the performance enabled by optical transmission systems.
Another interesting characteristic of the telecommunications industry is the rapid pace at which technology is
transferred from the laboratory into commercially available products. Unlike other industry sectors, the optical
communication community works in close collaboration with the academic world and swiftly converts research
achievements to market solutions . On average there is only a period of 2 to 3 years from the establishment of
a new technology in the scientific community to its debut as a commercially available solution.
In the passive optical layer, of which the main subject of this paper (optical fiber) is a key component, we also
see a dynamic correlation between network evolution, system evolution and fiber evolution, and this can be used
as a timeline to guide us through past, present and what we expect for the future.

2. SYSTEM AND FIBER EVOLUTION

The correlation between the evolution of transmission systems and fiber attributes is natural and well known.
Figure 1 summarizes the dynamic evolution of fiber and transmission systems over the last 25 years. A key
feature of this cycle is the fact that the driver for evolution was not always on the same side, but instead
alternated between fiber capabilities and system (or component) performance. For example the development of
EDFAs (Erbium doped fiber amplifiers) enabling WDM (wavelength division multiplexing) systems and

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Figure 1. Optical Networks Systems and Fiber Evolution Dynamics.

1-4244-1249-8/07/$25.00 (C2007 IEEE

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consequently led to the need for NZDSF (non zero dispersion shifted fibers). On the other hand, a reduction of
water peak attenuation in optical fibers opened the doors for CWDM (coarse wavelength division multiplexing)
systems with more channels. Innovation trigger examples like these are to be found along the entire timeline in
Figure 1, and similar triggers will drive next wave of evolutions moving forward.
In order to predict short term trends it is useful to look at innovation the direction adopted by the optical
communications research and development community as a whole. Figure 2 shows the evolution of capacity and
spectral efficiency as cited in post-deadline papers at both ECOC and OFC over the last 10 years.

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Figure 2. Evolution ofSpectral Efficiency and Capacity on OFC and ECOC Postdeadline Papers.
Not surprisingly, research efforts around the globe are always targeting more total capacity as well as more
efficient utilization of fiber spectrum. Also clear is the peak of 2001/2002 when the industry was going through
its phase of "irrational exuberance". After the "bubble burst" in the period from 2003 to 2005 the relentless
growth of bandwidth demand did not falter but it is clear from Figure 2 that the results cited in the post-deadline
papers were not as impressive from a capacity and spectral efficiency perspective These results however were
focused on improving economic efficiency rather than pure record breaking. This re-alignment of development
focus by the technical community was directly in line with the requirements of the carriers at the time who
needed to reduce capital expenditure and operating costs in order to survive in the new cash-starved world of
telecommunications whilst providing sufficient bandwidth for the increasing levels of traffic on their networks.
The latter is an example of how technology evolution is intrinsically connected to the industry environment,
sometimes in a not so obvious way.
Following the same line of thought, it would be prudent to use past observations and learnings to help predict,
or at least define boundaries for future developments. The best way to start defining those boundaries is by
selecting topics which number of options are already limited. For example, about ten years ago there was
a heated debate about whether EDFAs or Raman amplifiers would dominate. Today each technology has found
its own application space with EDFAs as the standard solution, and Raman providing for more specialty cases
like long spans where EDFAs alone are insufficient.. The adoption of EDFAs as the standard amplification
solution had an impact on fiber evolution by re-enforcing the need for majority of systems to operate mostly at C
and L bands. At the turn of the millennium, the strong debate was focused on how best to achieve the capacity
and the spectral efficiency presented in Figure 2; via higher data rates or a higher number of channels (tighter
channel spacing). Although today there is no announced consensus in the industry, an observation of trends on
Figure 3 indicates that higher data rate systems are winning the battle while at the same time the maximum

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Figure 3. Evolution of Channel Count and Bit Rate on OFC and ECOC Postdeadline Papers.
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number of channels has probably leveled out at around 100 channels. This is not a fundamental limitation as
Figure 3 shows that 400 channels are possible. However, to exceed 100 channels drives the system beyond the
point of maximum efficiency when cost, inter-channel impairments, and system protection are also taken into
account. By contrast, data rates grew steadily from 2003 to 2005, and today's experiments are being performed
at rates well above commercially available systems, while number of channels stabilized at a number that can
already be found on actual products today.
From the perspective of optical fiber development the previous analysis shows that short term challenges will
be more related to higher data rate system than large number of channels (or tighter channel spacing).
Let us consider the evolution of two major parameters of optical fibers, attenuation and dispersion at 1550nm
as shown in Figure 4, in relation to system requirements and industry dynamics... The attenuation chart shows
conventional fibers as well as PBGF (photonic band gap fibers) and PCF (photonic crystal fibers). The
dispersion chart identifies different ITU-T standards with their respective adoption timeline according to author's
understanding and observations'.

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Figure 4. Evolution ofOptical Fibers Attenuation and Dispersion at 1550 nm.

There is a fundamental difference between the charts on figure 4. The attenuation chart describes the evolution
of an attribute based on technological achievements, the target of which is very clear; lower attenuation is always
better. Although the challenges to reduce attenuation are significant, all efforts are directed to the same goal. .

On the other hand the second chart describes different dispersion approaches as defined by different ITU-T
standards and their equivalent adoption timeline. Although alteration of fiber dispersion attributes is non trivial,
it is certainly much more manageable than reducing attenuation. However the lack of a clear target for optimum
dispersion creates oscillations in dispersion technology adoption. After several years and five different standard
classifications, we are reaching a phase where two standards (G.652/4 and G.655) are becoming the two most
adopted scenarios, each one with its specific advantages for different applications. Even a trial for consolidation
with an intermediate value (G.656) has proved unsuccessful since this fiber actually compromises performance
when compared with the other two dispersion profiles in most applications and can not bring any consolidated
value due to the already established footprint of the other fibers. In addition to that, this lack of a clear target and
consensus on fiber dispersion has forced the systems to be more robust with respect to this attribute, culminating
in the development of very efficient dispersion tolerant techniques like EDC (electronic dispersion
compensation) and AMF (advanced modulation formats).
Further consolidation of the dominance of G.652 fibers (in parallel with G.655 fibers) is the recent launch of
new ultra low loss G.652 fibers for long haul and terrestrial networks with 1550nm attenuation at around 0.17
dB/km. This dramatic attenuation improvement from the typical 0.2 dB/km fibers translates into 3 dB OSNR
advantage in 100km spans this providing significant benefits to high data rate and long distance networks,
independent of the system it is utilized, and becoming a truly synergetic evolution to systems (electronics)

3. LOOKING FORWARD
By understanding past trends in the evolution of optical telecommunications systems and networks, it is possible
to visualize future fiber development scenarios and their respective impact back to systems and network
evolution. Looking forward we see several trends with potential to create new challenges and opportunities for
the next generation of optical fibers. Without wanting to oversimplify the analysis, we can probably categorize
the most significant trends as follows:

'
Some liberty has been used on this chart in order to simplify representation of product adoption and equivalent standards, without rigorous
connection with the actual dates of standards adoption/obsolescence.
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Faster:
1. Data rates . 40Gb/s to 100 Gb/s - starting from long-haul and migrating quickly to regional and metro
networks.
Farther:
2. Transparent Optical Networks - Mainly driven by ROADMS (reconfigurable optical add-drop
multiplexers) and WSS (Wavelength selective switches).
3. Convergence between long-haul, regional and metro networks on a single platform.
Closer:
4. Fiber penetration into access and beyond - Fiber to the X becoming a reality worldwide.
5. Optical In-Home Networking / Optical Automotive Networks.
6. Convergence Fiber-Wireless - Radio over Fiber systems shrinking the copper layer between optical and
wireless communications.
Recent developments in silicon photonics could also be considered but it is expected that this technology will
have minimal impact on fiber design in the short term. However the lowering of the cost of OE and EO
conversion that silicon photonics enables will have a considerable positive impact on fiber application spaces
making optical transmission even more appealing in different applications.
The trends listed in relation to the goals of "faster" and "farther" are more related to transport networks where
creating a better transmission media, not by itself, but in synergy with electronics and systems is the key target.
By "better transmission media" we mean optical fibers that provide improvements on fundamental attributes
liked attenuation and PMD, without creating any other complexity for expansion of networks already deployed.
The "greenfield" scenario where fibers can be totally re-designed to enable maximum optimization is always in
conflict with the equally important requirement of compatibility with installed plant, and the compromise
between improvements and compatibility will be viewed as one of the main challenges in this arena during the
next few years.
The trends listed in relation to the goal of "closer" will create different types of challenges (and opportunities).
The optical communication industry is certainly in the middle of significant transition, where fibers are starting
to be viewed as cost effective transport medium not only for very long distances, but now also short links in
access networks. In the last few years, innovations on deployment techniques and optical solutions have already
made fiber-to-the-home a reality. Here the industry has a clear goal and all development efforts are focused on
improving attributes like handling, bending loss, connectivity and installation techniques in order to make the
installation of optical fibers as simple as or even simpler than copper wiring. The direct and driven focus on
these issues is indirectly opening the doors for other applications like optical in-home networking and optical
automotive cable harnesses.
Finally, with the capacity and performance of optical fibers on one side, and the advantages of mobility
provided by wireless on the other side, we see the space for fixed wire-line copper based networks shrinking
continuously. This trend will drive a requirement for technology convergence between optical and radio based
systems, like radio over fiber for example. Curiously this convergence is bringing back challenges from the
analog world and requires design innovation attention to be focused on other fiber attributes. As a consequence,
fibers with higher SBS (stimulated Brillouin Scattering) are now available that increasing the operational optical
power range and providing more flexibility for designers defining the future networks, particularly those
networks (like radio over fiber) that have an analog carrier element.
Among all faces of network evolution, the challenges and opportunities that will be presented by fiber
penetrating deeper into new application spaces will certainly be the most important ones during the next wave of
our industry.