UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
College of Engineering
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

EECS 118 - Spring 2004
T. K. Gustafson

Introduction to Optical Communications Systems and Networks
Course Outline


Topics to be Covered
  1. INTRODUCTORY COMMENTS
    1. Communications, electronics, and electromagnetic fields; realizing the potential of light frequencies in communications and networking to overcome channel capacity limitations.
    2. Uses and general configurations of optical communication channels and networks.
    3. Basic electromagnetic propagation parameters; wavelength, dispersion, loss, diffraction, linewidth, and coherence.
    4. Basic lens formulae - resolution and depth of focus.

  2. BASIC ISSUES IMPOSING LIMITS ON COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS
    1. Initial comments on analog and digital communications.
    2. Sampling, Shannon's Formula, channel capacity and examples.
    3. Sampling, encoding, modulation schemes, error correction, compression, and noise.
    4. The comcept of coherence, its measurement, relationship to frequency content (linewidth), and limitations it imposes on communication channel limitations.

  3. BASIC PROBABILITY CONCEPTS AND NOISE PROCESSES
    1. Importance of the signal to noise ratio.
    2. The role of probability (binomial, Poisson, and Gaussian distributions) central limit theorem examples.
    3. Thermal versus coherent radiation - the nature of photons and photon distributions.
    4. Elementary noise sources and thier importance - shot, thermal, quantum, and others.

  4. GENERAL COMMENTS ON COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS
    1. Free space versus guided wave communications, general comments on the use and types of repeaters.
    2. Comments on networks.
    3. Analog versus digital systems.
    4. Multichannel versus single channel systems - DWDM.

  5. RECEIVING DEVICES AND PREAMPLIFIERS
    1. Signal to noise ration, bit error rate calculations and sources of noise. The eye diagram.
    2. Detection (principally the APD and the pin diode).
    3. Basic principles of opto-electronic receivers.
    4. Quantum amplifiers (gain, noise, and anti-reflection coating).

  6. GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF OPTICAL FIBER COMMUNICATIONS CHANNEL
    1. Power and rise-time budget.
    2. Channel dispersion, loss and optimal wavelength for transmission.
    3. Principles of coherent optical communications systems (homodyne, heterodyne, and the balanced mixer).
    4. Modes of propagation and polarization.

  7. MODULATION, SWITCHING, AND MULTIPLEXING PRINCIPLES
    1. Direct modulation of optical sources.
    2. External modulation, couplers, and switches.
      1. Electro-optic modulation.
      2. Acousto-optic modulation.
      3. Various waveguide modulators, switches, and multiplexers.

  8. FIBER OPTIC NETWORKS
    1. General topologies.
    2. FDDI networks.
    3. Synchronous optical networks.
    4. Multiplexing.
    5. Self-Routing.

  9. RELATED TOPICS
    1. Integrated optics and optoelectronic integrated circuits.
    2. Optical signal processing and the Fourier transform properties of a lens.

Text
Rajiv Ramaswami, Kumar N. Sivarajan,  Optical Networks, A Practical Perspective, second edition, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers (2002), ISBN 1-55860-655-6.

Rajiv Ramaswami, Kumar N. Sivarajan,  Optical Networks, A Practical Perspective, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers (1998), ISBN 1-55860-733-1.
Primary Additional Reference (For a broader knowledge and on a more advanced level.)
Govind P. Agrawal,  Fiber-Optic Communications Systems, second edition, Series in Microwave and Optical Engineering, Wiley (1998), ISBN 0-471-17540-4.
Material in Lectures
Stamatios V. Kartalopoulos,  Introduction to DWDM Technology - Data in a Rainbow, IEEE Press (2000), ISBN 0-7803-5399-4.
Uyless D. Black,  Data Networks: Concepts, Theory, and Practice, Prentice Hall (1989), ISBN 0-13-198466-7.
J. Warren Blaker, Peter Schaeffer,  Optics, An Introduction for Technicians and Technologists, Prentice Hall (2000), ISBN 0-13-227794-8.
Additional References for Networking
David G. Cunningham, William G. Lane,  Gigabit Ethernet Networking, MacMillan (1999), ISBN 1-57870-062-0. (To become familiar with aspects of gigabit networks.)
Douglas E. Comer,  Computer Networks and Internets, third edition, Prentice Hall (2001), ISBN 0-13-091449-5.
References Silimar to the Text
John Gowar,  Introduction to Optical Communications Systems, International Series in Optoelectronics, Prentice Hall (1984), ISBN 0-13-638056-5. (Covers basic receivers, fibers, and photo-diodes in an excellent manner.)
William B. Jones, Jr.,  Optical Fiber Communications Systems, Oxford University Press (1995). (Many worked examples to illustrate the principles. However, this is out of print.)
John Powers,  Introduction to Fiber Optic Systems, second edition, Irwin (1997), ISBN 0-256-20414-4.
Joseph Palais,  Fiber Optic Communications, Prentice Hall (1998).
Additional References for Basic Optics
Eugene Hecht,  Optics, second edition, Addison Wesley (1987), ISBN 0-201-11609-x.
Miles V. Klein,  Optics, John Wiley and Sons (1970).
Additional Reference for Optics (On a more advanced level, including Fourier.)
Allen Nausbaum, Richard A. Phillips,  Contemporary Optics for Scientists and Engineers, Solid State Electronics Series (Nick Holonyak, Jr. Editor) Prentice Hall (1976), ISBN 0-13-170183-5.
Additional Reference for the Basics of the Electromagnetics, Optics, Material Properties, and Quantum Mechanics of Optical Devices, and Interactions (On a more advanced level.)
Amnon Yariv,  Optical Electronics in Modern Communications, Oxford Press (1996), ISBN 0-19-510626-1.
Additional References for Analog and Digital Signal Processing
I.A. Glover, P.M. Grant,  Digital Communications, Prentice Hall (1998) ISBN 0-13-565391-6. (Esp. noise factor, figure, temperature, and quantization noise. The last chapter has an excellent overview of optical transmission systems.)
Martin S. Roden,  Analog and Digital Communication Systems, fourth edition, Prentice Hall (1996), ISBN 0-13-372046-2.
Leon W. Couch, II,  Modern Communication Systems, Prentice Hall (1995) ISBN 0-02-325286-3.