ANALOG

LINKS

M.V. RAGHUNADH
Associate Professor, Dept. of ECE
NIT, Warangal 506004.

raghu@nitw.ac.in

Elements of an optical communication system

Fig. 9-1: Basic elements

and major Noise contributors in an analog link

- Advantageous to transmit information in its

- original analog format
- Ex:- - Multiplexed Microwave signals
- Hybrid fiber/coax subscriber services
- Video distribution
- Radio over Fiber

most fiber optic systems are implemented digitally

Certain applications require transmit analog signals
directly over the fiber without converting them to a
digital form.
These applications include:
- cable television (CATV) distribution
- microwave links such as connections between
remotely located antennas and base stations.

 Main parameters are--- CNR, Bandwidth, SFDR,

Signal distortion from nonlinearities
Sub Carrier Modulation (SCM)
- Baseband signals are first superimposed on
RF subcarriers
- RF subcarriers are combined using FDM in
electrical domain
- Resulting electrical signal is modulated onto
optical carrier
Ex:- 6 MHz video signals in CATV systems
RF over Fiber
- Transmitting microwave analog signals in
the range 0.3 to 300 GHz over a fiber link
for distributing broadband microwave signals
in broadband wireless communication nets

 Transmitter uses LED or Laser diode as source

Bias point is set at the midpoint of linear portion
Analog signal is sent using modulation schemes
Direct Intensity Modulation(IM)
- optical source output is modulated simply by
varying the current around the bias point in
proportion to the message signal

Sub Carrier Modulation (SCM)

- complex but more efficient method
- Superimpose baseband signal onto electrical
subcarrier (by FDM) prior to intensity
modulation of the optical source using AM,FM

 Fiber shall have flat amplitude and group delay

Response within the passband

Single Mode fiber is chosen as the model

distortion limited bandwidth is difficult to equalize
Optical amplifier enhances link noise as it adds
Amplified spontaneous emission noise (ASE)
Optical receiver impairments are APD gain noise,
and Thermal noise

Carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR)

Analog system uses a carrier-to-noise ratio analysis
instead of a signal-to-noise ratio analysis,
since the information signal normally is superimposed on
a radio-frequency (RF) carrier through an optical intensity
modulation scheme.
It is ratio of rms carrier power to the rms noise power at
the input of the RF receiver following the photodetector.
FSK- BER of 10-9 translates to a CNR of 36 (15.6 dB)
BER of 10-15 translates to a CNR of 64 (18.0 dB)
AM- BER of 10-9 translates to a CNR of 56 dB
FM- BER of 10-9 translates to a CNR of 15-18 dB

Analog Transmission System

In photonic analog transmission

system the performance of the
system is mainly determined by
signal-to-noise ratio at the output of
the receiver.
In case of amplitude modulation the
transmitted optical power P(t) is in
the form of:

Analog LED modulation

I
m
IB

P (t ) Pt [1 ms(t )]

where m is modulation index, and

s(t) is analog modulation signal.
The photocurrent at receiver can be
expressed as:

i s (t ) 0 MPr [1 ms(t )]

[7-13]

If CNRi is the CNR for an ith noise source,

the total CNR is

CARRIER POWER:
To find carrier power, first the generated analog signal.
the drive current through the optical source is the sum of
a fixed bias current and a time-varying sinusoid.
If the time-varying analog drive signal is s(t), then the
output optical power P(t) is

P(t) = Pt[1+ ms(t)]

Fig. 9-2:Laser analog modulation

HerePt isopticalpowerlevelatthebiascurrentpoint,
Modulation index m isgivenbym= (Ppeak/Pt)
Typically,m foranalogapplicationsrangefrom0.25to0.50.
Forasinusoidalreceivedsignal,thecarrierpowerCatthe
outputofreceiveris

1
C ( mM P ) 2
2

PHOTODETECTOR & AMPLIFIER NOISE

Photodiode noise is

= = 2q(Ip+ID)M2F(M)Be

CNR for the photodetector only is

CNRdet = C/

Preamplifier noise is
= =
CNR

for the preamplifier only is

CNRpreamp = C/

RELATIVE INTENSITY NOISE - RIN

In an analog system the main noise sources are
- Thermal noise,
- Shot noise in the photodetector,
- Relative intensity noise (RIN) from the laser.
RIN arises from random intensity fluctuations within a
semiconductor laser, which produce optical intensity
noise.
These fluctuations could arise from temperature
variations or from spontaneous emission contained in the
laser output.
RIN is measured in decibels per hertz with typical values
ranging from 135 to 150 dB/Hz.

RIN is measured by mean square intensity

Mean square noise current is

= = RIN()2Be
The CNR due to laser amplitude fluctuations only is
CNRRIN =C/(RIN2)

RIN is - measured in dB/Hz

- defined as Noise to Signal power ratio

is average laser output intensity

RIN decreases as bias current level increases as

RIN value for a 1550 nm DFB laser is around

-152 to -158 dB.

CNR for a single channel AM system is

i s2

2
N
iN

1 / 2 ( m M P ) 2

RIN ( P ) 2 Be ( 2 q( I p I D ) M 2 F ( M ) Be ( 4k B T / Req ) Be Ft

Back reflections can increase RIN by 10-20 dB

Fig. 9-3: RIN effects

For injection current above

Threshold(>1.2), RIN for
index guided lasers lie in
Range
-140 to -150 dB/Hz.
at 100 MHz.

Optical receiver CNR

Preamplifier circuit noise dominates receiver noise

1 / 2 ( mM P ) 2
C

N
( 4k B T / Req ) Be Ft

For well designed photodiodes, bulk and surface

dark currents are smaller than the shot noise
C

shot

1 2
m P
2

2 qF ( M ) Be

If laser has large RIN then reflection noise dominates

C

refl

1
mM 2
2
RIN .Be

Fig. 9-6: CNR versus optical power level

Effects of
different
Noises on
CNR

at High received Power levels, Source noise

dominates to give constant CNR

MULTI CHANNEL AM
First analog optical link CATV distribution
CATV network deliver 80 AM VSB video channels
Each CH has 4 MHz noise bandwidth in a
6 MHz CH bandwidth with an SNR of 47 dB.
Fig.9-7 shows N CH FDM analog optical link

 Information signal on channel i amplitude

Modulates a carrier of frequency fi
RF power combiner sums/adds the N AM
Carriers to produce a composite FDM signal
The FDM signal intensity modulates a laser diode
After optical detection, a bank of BPFs separate
combined carriers back to individual channels
Individual message signals are recovered by
further AM detectors

N CH total modulation index m is related to the

per CH modulation index mi by

When N signals are frequency multiplexed and

modulate an optical source , the CNR of a single
CH is degraded by 10 log N.

INTER MODULATION PRODUCTS

When multiple carriers pass through a non linear
device like a laser diode, some undesirable signal
Frequencies may be produced in optical output
These are called intermodulation products causing
Interference for both in band and out band channels
Second and Third order IM products are significant
Third order IM distortion product frequencies are
- Triple beat IM products are . fi+fj-fk
- 2 tone 3rd order IM products are . 2fi-fj

Ex:- 50 CH CATV network of 55.25 to 375.25 MHz

- 39 second order IM tones at 54 MHz
- 786 third order IM tones at 229.5 MHz
- triple beat products are 3 dB higher than
2 tone 3rd order IM products

No. of triple beat terms

= N(N-1)(N-2)
No. of 2 tone 3rd order terms = N(N-1)

BEAT STACKING:
If signal passband has large no. of equally spaced
Carriers, several IM terms exist near same frequency
No. of 2 tone 3rd order IM products falling on
rth carrier is
D1,2 = { N-2-1/2[1-(-1)N](-1)r} 2fi-fj terms
No. of triple beat IM products falling on rth carrier is
D1,1= r/2(N-r+1)+1/4{(N-3)2-5-1/2[1-(-1)N](-1)N+r}
fi+fj-fk terms

2 tone 3rd order terms - evenly spread in pass band

Triple beat terms concentrate in passband middle

Beat stacking results in

- composite second order (CSO)
- composite triple beat (CTB)

Fig. 9-8: Predicted CSO for 60 CATV channels

Effect of CSO is most significant at the edges of

passband

Fig. 9-9: Predicted CTB for 60 CATV channels

Effect of CTB is most significant at the center of

passband

MULTI CHANNEL FM
Multichannel AM needs min. of 40 dB CNR
for each CH, but needs only 4 MHz bandwidth
Multichannel FM needs more bandwidth(30 MHz),
but yields SNR improvement over the CNR.
SNRout of FM detector >> input CNR of FM detector
SNR improvement is

Total SNR improvement is in range of 36-44 dB

Fig. 9-10: RIN versus optical modulation index

For 5% index, AM system with RIN of -140 dB/Hz

can barely meet CATV reception.
FM laser system with RIN of -120 dB/Hz can easily
Meet CATV reception

Fig. 9-11: Power budget vs optical modulation index

For a 5% index, power margin for

AM system ---- 10 dB
FM system ---- 20 dB

SUB CARIER MULTIPLEXING

Capability of multiplexing both multichannel analog
Signals and the digital signals within same system

Sub Carrier Multiplexing

Unmodulated (main) carrier
f2

f2
f1

f1

f0

Frequency

Sub-carriers

Each modulating RF carrier will look like a subcarrier

Unmodulated optical signal is the main carrier
Frequency division multiplexed (FDM) multi
channel systems also called as SCM

Sub Carrier Multiplexing

Ability to both analog and digitally
modulated sub-carriers
Each RF carrier may carry voice, data, HD
video or digital audio
They may be modulated on RF carriers
using different techniques
Performance analysis is not
straightforward

CATV Distribution
50-88 MHz and 120-550 MHz spectrum is
allocated for CATV
Either AM or FM technique for RF Optical
conversion
AM: Simple implementation, but SNR > 40 dB for
each channel, high linearity required
FM: The information is frequency modulated on
RF before intensity modulating the laser, better
SNR and less linearity requirement

Subcarrier Multiplexing (SCM)

Major disadv. of
OTDM is chromatic dispersion
WDM requires selective filters and precise
transmitters
SCM Data to be transmitted (which is already
electrically
multiplexed)
undergoes
further
multiplexing in RF domain prior to being
transmitted over a single wavelength
Adv. is the availability of microwave
components
Application is analogue cable TV (CATV)

RF OVER FIBER
RF signals range from - UHF band (0.3-3 GHz)
- SHF band (3.0-30 GHz)
- EHF band (30-300 GHz)
They use Coax cable or wireless radio links to
transport microwave signals
High speed optical fiber links have many
advantages to transport microwave signals in their
Original analog form
These are called RF over fiber systems

Ex:- Radio over fiber(ROF) systems interconnect

antenna base stations with the central
controller office
Basic elements of a generic RF Over Fiber link

3 major modules of RFOF link:

1. Optical to RF Converter (RX)
- converts optical signal into RF signal
2. RF to Optical Converter (TX)
- converts RF signal into optical light signal
3. Optical Fiber jois the two converter modules
Performance parameters:
- gain, noise figure, spur free dynamic range

Link Gain, g:
ratio of RF power out Pout generated in photodetector
Load resistror to the RF power input Pin to laser TX.
For direct modulated link
g

Pout

Pin

S
R
T
2

LF

FD

load
M

Gain values g< 1 represent a link loss

Major contributors to gain:
- modulator slope efficiency SM
- photodetector responsivity

NOISE FIGURE
A measure of SNR degradation between input and
Output of the link.

is total output noise power in bandwidth B

Nout is noise power per unit bandwidth

At the link output, noise powers are:

Nout,RIN = IP2(RIN)
Nout,shot = 2qIP
Nout,thermal = 4kBT/Rload

SPUR FREE DYBAMIC RANGE (SFDR)

Dynamic range of analog link:
- Amplitude related to the fundamental and
harmonic and IM distortion components
Consider 2 equal power signals at fundamental
Frequencies f1 and f2.
These 2 tones produce
- 2nd order modu;ation products . 2f1, 2f2, f1+f2
- 2 tone 3rd order IM products . 2f1f2, 2f2f1
3rd order IM products are dangerous as they fall in system
bandwidth and can not be removed

SFDR specifies the relationship between the amplitude of

the fundamental frequency being generated and the
amplitude of the most prominent harmonic.

3rd order IM product (IMD3) falls at a frequency 2f 2f1, very close to a weakest Operating Channel CH3.
Parameter P is the power difference between the
strongest and weakest operating channels
CNRmin is the minimum requierd CNR for the
weakest signal
In fig. the IMD3 power is equal to the noise floor
Thus, SFDR=

PCH1- PIMD3 > CNRmin+P

SFDR is measured in units of dB.Hz2/3

SFDR is defined as ratio between the powers of

Fundamental carrier and the 3rd order IM (IMD3),
at a power level where IMD3=Noise floor
SFDR is the usable dynamic range before the
spurious noise interferes with and distorts the
fundamental signal
Thus, SFDR

> CNRmin+P

Direct modulated microwave links have typical

SFDR of 125 dB.Hz2/3 at 1 GHz.

RADIO OVER FIBER

Important application of RF over fiber technology is
Broadband Wireless Access Networks(BWAN)
BWANs interconnect the Base Stations(BS) with
The central controlling office(Switch)
Integration of the optical fiber networks & wireless
networks are called as the radio-over-fiber (RoF)
networks
In RoF networks, radiofrequencies (RFs) are carried
over optical fiber links to support various wireless
applications

Transmission range around a BS is called a

- Microcell with diameter less than a1 Km.
- Picocell/Hotspot with radii from 5 to 50 m.
Base stations are connected the microcell control
Station (CS) in the central office using optical
WDM links
Each BS may use a separate unique wavelength

 Fiber-optic microcellular radio

Beside increased capacity, microcells also reduce
power consumption & size of handset devices
Distributed antenna system connected to base station
via optical fibers avoids base station antenna with
high-power radiation => fiber optic microcellular radio
system
Radio signals in each microcell are transmitted &
received to & from mobile users by using a separate
small canister attached to base station via optical
fiber
Each canister is equipped with optical-to-RF & RFto-optical converters, laser, and optical receiver
Subcarrier multiplexed radio signals directly
modulate laser

 Fiber-optic microcellular radio

 Remote Modulation

 Radio-over-SMF networks
RoF networks support various digital formats and
wireless standards in cost-effective manner
Experimental demo of RoF network was able to
simultaneously transmit following four wireless
standards in downstream direction using a single
antenna
WCDMA
IEEE 802.11 WLAN
PHS
GSM
Electroabsorption modulator (EAM) based method
combines several radio signals onto common singlemode fiber (SMF) => Radio-over-SMF networks

 Radio-over-SMF networks

 Radio-over-MMF networks
Many buildings have multimode fiber (MMF) cables
rather than SMF links => radio-over-MMF networks
Cost-effective MMF-based networks can be realized
by deploying low-cost vertical-cavity surfaceemitting lasers (VCSELs) operating in 850-nm
transmission window
Experimental demonstration of indoor radio-overMMF networks using different kinds of MMF in
conjunction with commercial off-the-shelf (COTS)
components for in-building coverage of following four
wireless standards
GSM
UMTS
IEEE 802.11 WLAN

 WDM RoF networks

WDM RoF networks not only increase capacity but also
increases number of base stations serviced by a single central
station
Experimental demo of WDM RoF ring network
WDM fiber loop connects multiple remote nodes with central
office
Each remote node deploys array of tunable FBGs
A remote node is able to locally drop one or more wavelengths by
tuning its FBGs accordingly
Several so-called radio access units (RAUs) are attached to each
remote node
Each RAU may serve one or more mobile users
ROADMs used at remote nodes allow add-drop wavelengths to be
dynamically assigned to remote nodes & attached RAUs in
response to given traffic loads

 RoF & FTTH networks

Future multiservice access networks can be realized by

integrating RoF systems with existing optical access networks,
(e.g., FTTH networks)
To achieve this, both wireless RF & wired-line (FTTH)
baseband signals should be simultaneously modulated &
transmitted on a single wavelength over a single fiber

 RoF & rail track networks

THANK
YOU