FIBRE OPTICS

BY : JIGNASHA
PATEL
INTRODUCTION
• From time to time scientists have tried to
design and improve communication system by
which messages are sent over long distance.
• The communication system consists of three
parts : (i) transmitter, (ii) transmission channel
(may be either a guided transmission line such
a wire or waveguide) and (iii) receiver.
• Using a transmission line, the signal gets
progressively attenuated and distorted.
• So the improvement in the communication
process would mean motivation to improve the
transmission fidelity and at the same time to
improve the data rate of transmission.
• With the development of lasers, reliable and
powerful coherent radiation became available.
• So, it was natural to use this light for
communication purposes.
• There are two reasons for this :
(i) higher frequency, (ii) more information
carrying capacity compared to conventional
radio and micro-wave carriers.
• We also know that light waves can not travel
far in open atmosphere as the energy gets
very rapidly dissipated.
• Hence, some kind of guiding channel is
needed just like for guiding electric current a
conducting path, like a metal wire, is needed.
• Optical fibre provides the necessary wave
guide for light.
“Fibre optics is a technology in
which signals are converted from
electrical into optical signals,
transmitted through a thin glass
fibre and reconverted into
electrical signals.”
• Optical fibre is cylindrical wave guide system
through which the optical wave can
propagate.
• The principle by which light wave travel
through the fibre is “Total Internal Reflection”
without loss of incident intensity.
TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION
• If a ray of light is incident at an angle ‘i’ in
denser medium (R.I. n1), the refracted rays
will bend away from the normal in rarer
medium (R.I. n2) and Snell’s law is written as
sin i n 2
 ...........(1)
sin r n1

• If a ray of light is incident at an angle say ic

when the angle of refraction r=90˚ then
 n2
sin ic 
n1  (sin r sin 90 1 ) ......
(2) ic
and angle is known as critical angle.
• The value of the critical angle depends upon
the refractive index of the denser medium.
• Now if the light
i  icin denser medium is incident
at an angle then light will be reflected
back into the denser medium.
• This phenomenon is called total internal
reflection, which is used in optical fiber
communication.
Refraction & Total Internal Reflection

i  ic

i ic i  ic
PRINCIPLE OF OPTICAL FIBRE
(Propagation Mechanism)
 Definition : An optical fibre is a cylindrical wave
guide made of transparent dielectric, (glass or
clear plastics), which guides light waves along
its length by total internal reflection.
• It is as thin as human hair, approximately 70 μm
or 0.003 inch diameter. (Note that a thin strand
of a metal is called a wire and a thin strand of
dielectric materials is called a fibre).
Principle : The propagation of light in an
optical fibre from one of its ends to the other
end is based on the principle of total internal
reflection.
• When light enters one end of the fibre, it
undergoes successive total internal reflections
from sidewalls and travels down the length of
the fibre along a zigzag path, as shown in fig.1

Fig.1
• A small fraction of light may escape through
sidewalls but major fraction emerges out from
the exit end of the fibre, as illustrated in fig.1.
• Light can travel through fibre even if it is bent.
STRUCTURE OF OPTICAL FIBRES
• Optical fibre is a structure that can guide a beam
of light from one place to another. Hence it is
called optical wave guide.
• The optical fibre consists of two layers :
- the core and
- the cladding
• A practical optical fibre is cylindrical in shape
(fig.a) and has in general three coaxial regions
(fig.b).
a) The core : It is the inner cylindrical region of an
optical fibre. It is made up of some optically pure
transparent material like glass, quartz, plastic,
etc. The diameter of the core is of the order of
8.5 μm to 62.5 μm.
b) The cladding : It is the outer coaxial cylindrical
jacket of the optical fibre. It is made of some
transparent material having refractive index
slightly lower than that of the core material. The
diameter of the cladding is of the order of 125
 (b)
(a)

Side view and cross sectional view of a

typical optical fibre
• The cladding of refractive index & the core of
the refractive index are choosen in a such a way
that the critical angle of incidence is small.
• The outermost region is called the sheath or a
protective buffer coating.
• It is a plastic coating given to the cladding for
extra protection. This coating is applied during
the manufacturing process to provide physical
and environmental protection for the fibre.
• The buffer is elastic in nature and prevents
abrasions. The coating can vary in size from 250
μm or 900 μm.
• To sum up
- Core is the inner light-carrying
member. - Cladding is the middle layer,
which serves to confine the light
core. - Buffer coating surrounds the
cladding, which protects the fibre from
physical damage and environmental
effects.
What are Fiber Optics?
• Single-mode fibers have small cores (about 3.5 x
10-4 inches or 9 microns in diameter) and transmit
infrared laser light (wavelength = 1,300 to 1,550
nanometers).
• Multi-mode fibers have larger cores (about 2.5 x
10-3 inches or 62.5 microns in diameter) and
transmit infrared light (wavelength = 850 to 1,300
nm) from light-emitting diodes (LEDs).
• Some optical fibers can be made from plastic.
These fibers have a large core (0.04 inches or 1 mm
diameter) and transmit visible red light
(wavelength = 650 nm) from LEDs.
Fiber Optic Cables

SOURCE: SURFNET.NL
The necessity of cladding
• The actual fibre is very thin and light entering
a bare fibre will travel along the fibre through
repeated total internal reflections at the glass-
air boundary.
• However, bare fibres are used only in certain
applications.
• For use in communications and some other
applications, the optical fibre is provided with
a cladding.
• The cladding maintains uniform size of the
fibre, protects the walls of the fibre from
chipping, and reduce the size of the cone of
the light that will be trapped in the fibre.
 It is necessary that the diameter of an optical
fibre remains constant throughout its length
and is surrounded by the same medium. Any
change in the thickness of the fibre or the
medium outside the fibre (when the fibre gets
wet due to moisture etc) will cause loss of
light energy through the walls of the fibre.
 A very large number of reflections occur
through the fibre and it is necessary that the
condition for total internal reflection must be
accurately met over the entire length of the
fibre. If the surface of the glass fibre becomes
scratched or chipped, the normal to the edge
will no longer be uniform. As a result, the light
travelling through the fibre will get scattered
and escapes from the fibre. This also causes
loss of light energy.
 The cladding causes a reduction in the size of
the cone of light that can be trapped in the
fibre. Light entering the fibre at larger angles
will strike the fibre walls at smaller angles
(higher modes) and ultimately travel a longer
distance.
 Again in a bundle of fibres, the cladding also
prevents leakage of light from one fibre to
another.
USES OF OPTICAL FIBRE
• A single optical fibre can transmit light energy
very efficiently. But in order to transmit an image
of an object we need assembly or bundle of fine
glass fibres or plastic fibres because each fibre
transmits rays from a very small region of the
object.
• The quality of the image depends upon the
diameter of the fibre. It can be as small as 10-6 m.
• A bundle may consists of thousand of individual
fibres.
• Application of fibre optics in medicine are wide
ranging. With the help of fibre optics it is possible to
study the interior parts of the human body which
can not be viewed directly.
• It is also useful in the study of tissues & blood
vessels far below the skin. For this purpose, a
bundle of fibre is enclosed in a hypodermic needle.
This flexible bundles used in medicine are called
“Endoscopes” which is employed to make
observations of a place that can be approached only
along a curved path.
• Endoscopy is used for viewing the human lungs,
stomach, intestine etc.
• In communication, optical fibres are used to make
• Fiber optics is use in many industries, the
specific features of fiber optic systems improve
maintenance, the ease of manufacture, safety,
aesthetics, and product differentiation, as well
as general performance.
• Telecommunication is the major user of this
technology.
• Computer industries and users use fiber optics
in LAN (Local Area Network) connections & in
all signal transforming units.
• Railways.
ADVANTAGE OF OPTICAL FIBRE
• For under water communication it is very
useful.
• Glass fibres have no fire risk & there are no
short circuit problems.
• High capacity - 1 laser beam can carry upto
1,00,000 telephone conversation or 100
different colour TV programmes.
• High security against tapping.
• Ability to accept and transport light without
loss of intensity.
OTHER ADVANTAGES
• Thinner
• Higher carrying capacity
• Less signal degradation
• Light signal
• Low power
• Flexible
• Non-flammable
• Lightweight
DISADVANTAGES
• Manufacturing and handling are more
difficult.
• The fibre is costlier
• Launching of light into fibre is difficult
• Coupling is difficult
Disadvantage of fibre optics over copper
wire cable
• Optical fiber is more expensive per meter than
copper
• Optical fiber can not be join together as easily
as copper cable. It requires training and
expensive splicing and measurement
equipment.