1550 nm Terrestrial Free-Space Optical Data-Link Operating @ 10 Gb/s, J.. J. Auborn, et. al.

High Power Optical Amplifiers Enable 1550 nm Terrestrial Free-Space Optical Data-Link Operating @ 10 Gb/s
P. F. Szajowski, G. Nykolak, J. J. Auborn, H. M. Presby, G. E. Tourgee Government Solutions Whippany, New Jersey 07981
Abstract Optical amplifiers are an enabling technology for free space laser communications. Transmission of four multiplexed 2.5 Gbps channels at 1550 nm over a 4.4 km terrestrial link is described and modeled.
INTRODUCTION

High power optical amplifiers are an enabling technology for terrestrial free-space transmission as well as fiber optic systems. Repeater distances have been extended in terrestrial and submarine fiber systems and DWDM transmission architectures have been introduced. With the advent of high power Er/Yb optical amplifiers, similar advances as seen in fiber optic transmission have been applied to optical wireless or free-space laser communications systems. Experimental transmission results for a single-channel 1550 nm free-space optical data-link operating @ 2.5 Gb/s over a 2.4 km transmission span have been reported.1 Additionally, we recently reported a fourchannel 1550 nm WDM 4.4 km free-space optical data link operating @ 10 Gb/s.2 In this paper we report details of the four channel experiment and model system optical margin and range capabilities for it as well as 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 transmission channels at 2.5 Gb/s under various visibility conditions. Modeling results, utilizing free-space optical data-link components illustrate the potential capability of multi-gigabit free-space optical datalinks utilizing high-power optical amplifiers.
EXPERIMENT

For the experiment cited in the second reference, two Er/Yb doped optical amplifiers were used to provide up to +33 dBm each of optical power to a specially designed transmitting telescope for transmission to a second remote telescope located 4.4 km away. Four 1550 nm channels were utilized in the initial link experiment. Channels 10 and 11 were 1542 and 1545 nm, respectively and were coupled to a dedicated LiNbO3 modulator through a 3 dB coupler. The two wavelengths were co-modulated with 223-1 PRBS 2.48832 Gb/s data stream generated from a high speed BERT. The co-modulated data stream was coupled to a dedicated +33 dBm amplifier, the output of which was connected to an input port of a singlemode 3 dB optical coupler. In a similar manner two additional wavelengths channels 12 and 13 were comodulated by a second LiNbO3 modulator, amplified by a second high-power optical amplifier and interfaced to the second input port of the 3 dB coupler. The output fiber of the coupler, containing all 4 data channels was connected to a 1X3 single mode coupler. The three single-mode output fibers were interfaced to each of three transmitting apertures of the telescope, each having an optical divergence angle of 0.5 milli-radians.
Ch-10 Ch-11 MM DMUX Ch-12 Ch-13

The data stream was transmitted over a horizontal 4.4 km free-space optical span link. Figure 1 illustrates details of the transmitter architecture as well as optical interconnections to the transmitting telescope.
Ch-10 Ch-11 Ch-12 Ch-13 RFin LiNbO3 LiNbO3 RFin OA OA Telescope Telescope

Figure 2 Functional Description of MM-DMUX

Figure 1 Functional description of optical transceiver

At the received end of the link a second identical telescope, utilizing a Schmidt-Cassegrain optical

0-7803-5538-5/99/$10.00 (c) 1999 IEEE

1550 nm Terrestrial Free-Space Optical Data-Link Operating @ 10 Gb/s, J.. J. Auborn, et. al. 2 design was used to focused the beam onto the core of a 62.5 m multi-mode (MM) optical fiber. Each wavelength component at the receive terminal was individually separated by passing through a multimode de-multiplexer, (MM-DMUX). Figure 2 illustrates the optical design at the receive telescope location. Each separated wavelength component was then sequentially coupled to a 2.5 Gb/s APD receiver. The extracted data stream and clock signals obtained from the receiver module were interfaced to a second high speed Bit-Error-Rate-Tester (BERT). A 2.5 Gb/s APD optical receiver, with a 2.5 Gb/s clockand-data recovery chip, (CDR) and packaged with a 50 m core multi-mode (MM) fiber pigtail was utilized for system evaluation of the data link. An optical coupling loss of ~ 2 dB was incurred due to coupling mismatch between the two dissimilar core diameters, (62.5 m to 50 m fiber).
RESULTS

-4 -6 -8 -10 -12 -24 -26 -28 -30 0 100 200 300 400 Tim e 500

Rec. Pow. (dBm)

Log(BER)

12/07/98 2:32 - 2:54 1sec

600

Figure 4 4X2.5Gb/s BER stability for the 4.4 km free-space data-link

ANALYSIS

Measured BER characteristics for the four-(4) channel WDM system is illustrated in Figure 3. As illustrated, each channel is capable of operating in an error-free condition throughout the testing period. Under maintained atmospheric conditions the system will operate error-free. Additionally, shown in Figure 4 is the long-term optical stability of a channel as well as a relative indication of the channels BER as a function of received optical power. The launched optical power was reduced in discrete increments by adjusting the biasing level of the power amplifier, as shown the optical power to obtain a 10-9 BER was ~-25 dBm for this experiment.
Log(BER)
-2 -4 -6 -8 -10 -12 -10 -15 -20 -25 -30

Ch # 10

Ch # 11

Ch # 12

Ch # 13

Rec. Opt. Pow. (dBm)

As a laser beam propagates through the atmosphere it experiences deterioration and deformation of its wave-front. These degradation modes are caused from small scale, randomly localized changes in the atmospheric index of refraction, resulting in beam wander and distortion of the wave-front and scintillation effects.3,4 For this model, we assume an optical receiver sensitivity of 33 dBm for a 10-9 BER. In addition, total losses associated with optical mis-pointing, and coupling are minimized, and we allocate 1 dB for these inherent optical losses. To minimize optical spreading losses, an aperture beam divergence of 50 micro-radians is assumed for each of four transmitting apertures, as well as implementation of optical auto-tracking, to maintain proper beam alignment. The optical loss associated with the MM-DMUX component is assumed to be 2 dB. It is further assumed that the optical power for each individual wavelength is inversely proportional to the number of transmitted wavelengths, i.e. 1000, 500, 250 125, 62.5 and 31.25 mW for each of the 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 DWDM channels respectively. Scintillation effects are strongly dependent upon the concurrent visibility at the link sites, which also vary with link range. Figures 5, 6, and 7 illustrate available optical link margin (dB) versus link range for 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 - 1550 nm DWDM optical channels, for visibility conditions of 2, 8, and 12 km respectively. Figure 5 shows examples of available optical margin under 2 km visibility conditions. As seen in this figure link closure and optical margin is available for up to and including 32 optical channels, with 10 dB of optical margin available for a 32 channel system operating over a 3.5 km span. By way of comparison, 10 dB of optical margin is available for a 32 channel system having a link span

200

400 Time (sec.)

600

800

Figure 3 4X2.5Gb/s BER performance for the 4.4 km free-space data-link

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1550 nm Terrestrial Free-Space Optical Data-Link Operating @ 10 Gb/s, J.. J. Auborn, et. al. 3 of approximately 7 km under 12 km visibility conditions. Under system operation, channel capacity can be varied to accommodate link availability under varying atmospheric conditions. We have illustrated through analysis that DWDM 1550 nm optical architectural designs can be supported only with high-power optical amplifiers. By incorporating high-power optical amplifiers in a free-space optical architecture it is possible to sustain a large number, NX2.5 Gb/s, of DWDM channels while maintaining link closure with appropriate optical margin available to compensate for atmospheric and scintillation effects. REFERENCES 1. P.F. Szajowski, G. Nykolak, J.J Auborn, H.M. Presby, G.E. Tourgee, E. Korevaar, J. Schuster and I. I. Kim, 2..4 km Free-Space Optical Communication 1550 nm Transmission Link Operating at 2.5 Gb/s - Experimental Results SPIE Photonics East 1998 2. J. J Auborn, G. Nykolak, H.M. Presby, P.F. Szajowski , G.E. Tourgee, 4x2.5 Gb/s 4.4 km WDM Free-Space Link at 1550 nm, Post Deadline Paper Optical Fiber Conference, OFC Feb. 1999 3. I. I. Kim, et. al., Measurement of scintillation and link margin for the Terra-linkTM laser communications system, Wireless Technologies and Systems: Millimeter-Wave and Optical, Proc. SPIE, Vol. 3232, 1997 4. I. I. Kim, et. al., Scintillation reduction using multiple transmitters, Free-Space Laser Communications Technologies IX, Proc. SPIE Vol. 2990, 1997.

L in k M a rg in vs . L in k R a n g e 2 k m V is ib ilit y
60 55

O p t ic a l M a rg in (d B )

50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1_CH 2_CH 4_CH 8_CH 16_CH 32_CH

L in k R a n g e (k m )

10

Figure 5

Optical Margin @ 2 km visibility

L in k M a rg in vs . L in k R a n g e 8 k m V is ib ilit y

60 55

O p t ic a l M a rg in (d B )

50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1_C H 2_C H 4_C H 8_C H 16_C H 32_C H

L in k R a n g e (k m )

10

Figure 6

Optical Margin @ 8 km visibility

L in k M a rg in vs . L in k R a n g e 1 2 k m V is ib ilit y

60 55

O p t ic a l M a rg in (d B )

50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

1_CH 2_CH 4_CH 8_CH 16_CH 32_CH

L in k R a n g e (k m )

10

Figure 7
CONCLUSIONS

Optical Margin @ 12 km visibility

Data supporting successful closure of a 4.4 km freespace optical data link, operating at 2.5 Gb/s utilizing high-power optical amplifiers has been presented. Data demonstrates an error-free communications data-link operating at 2.5 Gb/s. We have illustrated that such systems can operate with respectable operational availability if appropriate optical margin is allocated for scintillation and atmospheric effects.

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0-7803-5538-5/99/$10.00 (c) 1999 IEEE