Comparison of low-cost fiber optic technologies for data transmission

Abstract

This paper rese en^^^ B com technologies for low-cost f~b e r -~~p~~c data ~r a n s m~s s~~n links. Previous authors have recognized the need for IOW-cost links. By contrast, there has been little writt.cn aaf ttac trade-of'fB in link cost/performance among t.he extant ~o~~, -e~~~~~i v e fiber-optic technologies. A key cost reducing step can be made by employing large-core fiber (LCF) to allow less-precise alignment tolerances in the optical s u b a s~e~~~~~e~ (OSA) and connectors [ 11. The fiber-optics industry has in cog^,^^^^ this and has respondcd by making includng glass and plastic step-index (SI) and graded index (GI) fibers in a range of diameters and numerical apertures. We will show, h~~e~e r~ that the fiber choice and coupling optics design are c o n s~r a~n c~~ both by transmitter and receiver coupling efficiency and link bandwidth. The particular type o f ranine the appropriate optical source wavereatly impact link cost, bandwidth, and optical budget. Along with reducing the OSA cost, LCF also lion in c~) n n e c~o r i~~t i o n cost and oK&rs a link e to m~d e~s c~e c~~u~ loss noise. This study is summarized by a comparison of component costs, link bud~r f o~,~a n c e limits of both standard and low-cost riad of ECF available to the link designer fiber-optic ~e c~~n~~o~~~e s .

Evolution of optical subassemblies in IBM data communication transceivers

“…This results, even over bends and twists of the fiber, in an effective 3-dB bandwidth of 160 MHz, supporting the Fibre Channel Standard at 266 Mb/s over distances up to 100 m [6]. Although the large-core fiber has a large numerical aperture (NA) of 0.4 and thus can transmit optical modes incident at wide angles, for short distances the bandwidth of the large-core fiber can be greatly increased by limiting the incident NA to 0.16.…”