OPTI 487/587

7/06
 

OPTI 487/587. Fiber Optics Laboratory (3) II. (Identical with ECE 487/587.) Lecture and lab format; fiber properties and types, fiber devices, optical communications, wavelength multiplexing and demultiplexing, optical amplifiers, fiber sensors and imaging systems.  P, No specific prerequisites - some knowledge of EM and semiconductor devices will be helpful (check with instructor). Class website: ece.Arizona.edu/~ece487

 

General Description:
This course is designed to familiarize students with the physical properties of fiber-optic systems. There will typically be two lectures/week during the scheduled class meeting times, and a total of seven lab experiments. The instructor will also try to set up demonstration experiments for other topics not covered by a formal lab. The lectures should provide sufficient background material for the lab experiments as well as a good foundation in fiber systems. During the first week of classes you should form a lab group of approximately three students, and decide on a meeting time. Check with the TA about available meeting times. Each lab experiment will be set up for approximately 8 class days. This will allow some time to repeat certain parts of the lab that you are unsure of or wish to check. There will be a final exam covering both lecture and lab material.


Prerequisites: No specific prerequisites - some knowledge of EM and semiconductor devices will be helpful (check with Instructor).

*Note: For my office hours I will stay at OSC to answer questions immediately after class and then return to my office for additional questions if needed. Please e-mail me if you need to make a separate appointment time.


Course Credit:

Undergraduates                             Graduate Students

15% Homework                              15% Homework

45% Lab Reports                            45% Lab Reports

40% Final Exam                              40% Final Exam

 

General Class Policies:

University policies on withdrawals and incompletes will be followed. Please check the course schedule for important dates. Also please note University policies on academic integrity apply.

 

Lab Reports, Homework and Grading:

  • Reports should be quantitative and concise. An acceptable format for a report should include the following:

               1. Quiz (5%)

               2. Experiment Objectives — what is the purpose of the experiment,
                   what do you hope to accomplish in the lab. (5%)

               3. Experimental Setup - show a diagram of the experimental
                   arrangement. (5%)

               4. Experimental Data and Analysis — list all experimental data recorded in
                   a clear, easy to follow format. Indicate the error margin for your data
                   and possible sources of error. (35%)

               5. Answers to Experiment Questions — there are several questions posed
                   with each lab. Answer all questions in a clear manner. (45%)

               6. Discussion and Summary — Were the objectives accomplished? What
                   difficulties were experienced? How were they dealt with? Please keep
                   this quantitative and to the point. (5%)

  • Reports should be typed. Limit reports to the equivalent of five single-spaced typed pages. Longer reports are not necessary. Graphs should have the x- and y-axes clearly marked, and should show the source of the plotted data. Each person is required to turn in his/her own report. The reports are due the first Monday after the last day that a lab is held. Each lab is worth 10 points: one day late = 5 points off; two days late = no credit. See me in advance if you think you are having a scheduling problem - not after - so other arrangements can be discussed. Homework is meant to be instructive and can raise or lower your grade by one grade so it is worth doing. Homework is due in class on the date assigned. If turned in before the next class period it will only be worth half of the original value, and no credit after that. Again, if there is a problem getting an assignment in on time, please see the instructor before it is due. Feel free to discuss information on the labs and homework among fellow students, but please do your write-ups and the details of your assignments on your own. The final exam is meant to test your overall understanding of the material covered in the experiments and in lecture. If you find discrepancies in the grading of your assignments please bring them to my attention within two weeks of their return. It is difficult for me or the TA to evaluate discrepancies long after the assignment was turned in.

  • It is my intent to make this course a positive learning experience. Fiber optics is a rapidly growing technology with many applications. Hopefully at the end of this semester you will have acquired some valuable skills in this field.

Distinction Between Undergraduate and Graduate Student Requirements:

Graduate students will be expected to answer all questions on homework assignments and lab handouts. Undergraduates need only answer designated sections. Graduate students and undergraduate students will also have their grades computed separately.

 

Course Content:

  1. Review of beam propagation characteristics in optical waveguides and fiber optic characteristics

  2. Gaussian Beam propagation and transformation through optical systems

  3. Summary of beam propagation characteristics in cylindrical waveguides; even/odd modes; symmetric/asymmetric waveguides

  4. Summary of beam propagation characteristics in cylindrical waveguides; cut-off conditions; relative propagation constant; mode approximation for MM fibers; TE, TM, HE, EH, LP modes

  5. Power distributions in fiber core/cladding

  6. Fiber properties; intro to dispersion; attenuation, OTDR measurements

  7. Fiber coupling: fiber-fiber alignment; source fiber coupling, overlap integrals

  8. Analysis and use of GRIN lenses in fiber optic systems

  9. Properties of polarization preserving fibers

  10. Detector characteristics

  11. Receivers and noise

  12. Laser diodes; threshold conditions; modes; modulation; noise characteristics

  13. Optical transmitters: basic circuits, noise

  14. System Analysis: Power budgets; rise time budgets

  15. WDM systems: crosstalk, channel separation, arrayed waveguide gratings

  16. Fiber Bragg gratings, AWGs, Optical circulators analysis and applications

  17. Digital Systems: SNR, BER, jitter, skew, evaluation using eye diagrams

  18. Fiber amplifiers - Er doped fiber, Raman Amplifiers, Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers

  19. Fiber optics sensors; intensity, interferometric, rotational

  20. Optical coherence tomography systems

  21. Fiber image guides, transmission of images through optical fibers

Laboratory Experiments:

  1. Basic fiber measurements: fiber preparation, NA measurements, and coupling

  2. Single mode fiber coupling and mode distributions

  3. Fiber Couplers

  4. Laser diodes and fiber Bragg gratings

  5. Wavelength multiplexing and de-multiplexing

  6. Digital System Evaluation and Eye Diagram and Er Doped fiber amplifiers

  7. Optical communication system simulator - system design and analysis

  8. OCT fiber interferometer

Text: Notes will be posted on the class website (ece.arizona.edu/~ece487)

Required text: G. Keiser, "Optical Fiber Communications", 3rd Ed., McGraw-Hill, 2000

 

The following textbooks are recommended:

  • C.R. Pollock, "Fundamentals of Optoelectronics", Irwin 1995

  • Ghatak and K. Thyagharajan, "Introduction to Fiber Optics", Cambridge Univ. Press, 1998

  • A. Yariv, "Optical Electronics in Modern COmmunications", 5th Ed., Oxford, 1997

  • G.P. Agrawal, "Fiber Optic Communication Systems", 3rd Ed., Wiley Inter-Science, 2002