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Optical Fiber
Naveed Abbas
Roll # TC-41
M.Engg. Telecommunication
NED University of Engineering and Technology

What is Optical Fiber?

AnOptical fiber is a flexible, transparent fiber made of high quality glass

(silica) or plastic, slightly thicker than a human hair.

Functions as a waveguide or light pipe that transmits light between two

ends of the fiber

Optical fibers are widely used infiber-optic communications, which

permits transmission over longer distances and at
higherbandwidths(data rates) than other forms of communication

Fibers are used instead ofmetalwires because signals travel along them
with less lossand are also safe toelectromagnetic interference.

Total internal reflection

Fiber optic communication works on the principal of total internal

reflection

The phenomenon in which light ray, after a particular critical angle ,

refelects back into the same medium as of incident ray

Uses of optical fiber

Optical fiber can be used as a medium for telecommunication

andcomputer networkingbecause it is flexible and can be bundled as
cables.

It is especially advantageous for long-distance communications, because

light propagates through the fiber with little attenuation compared to
electrical cables.

In June 2013, researchers demonstrated transmission of 400 Gbit/s over

a single channel.

Benefits of Optical Fiber

Much higher bandwidths than conventional copper cables

Fiber is also immune to electrical interference; there is no cross-talk

between signals in different cables, and no pickup of environmental
noise.

Fiber cables do not conduct electricity, which makes fiber a good

solution for protecting communications equipment inhigh
voltageenvironments, such aspower generationfacilities, or metal
communication structures prone tolightningstrikes.

They can also be used in environments where explosive fumes are

present, without danger of ignition.

Modes of propagation

Single mode there is only one path for light to take down the
cable

Cladding

Multimode if there is more than one pathCladding

Structure of single-mode
fiber
1. Core: 8m diameter
2. Cladding: 125m dia.
3. Buffer: 250m dia.
4. Jacket: 400m dia.

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Loss in Optical Fiber

Losses vary greatly depending upon
the type of fiber

Plastic fiber may have losses of several

hundred dB per kilometer
Graded-index multimode glass fiber has a
loss of about 24 dB
per kilometer
Single-mode fiber has a loss of 0.4 dB/km
or less

Fiber Connectors

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Did you know?

A small optical fiber can carry more data than a large copper cable.

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System
Transceiver

Fiber Optic Cable

Transceiver

Electrical
Connector

Optical
Port

Optical
Connector

Optical
Connector

Optical
Port

Electrical
Connector

A failure anywhere along this link will cause the entire link to fail

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Optical Fiber in Sea

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Thank You