Chapters authored
High-Speed Optical In-House Networks Using Polymeric Fibers
Data communication over polymer optical fibers (POF) is a good alternative method for local area networks to use an optical medium to transmit data in short-range environments like cars or copper in-house networks on the basis of IEEE 802.3. Many companies offer transceivers for the area of Ethernet networks in the visible wavelength range. In the first part of the chapter, a system comparison of manufacturers with interoperability check is presented. Here, the real transfer rates within a manufacturer and between all manufacturers are measured as a cross-check. In the second part of the chapter, the limitation of bandwidth due to the use of only one wavelength channel is discussed. Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) is a promising candidate to significantly increase bandwidth in POF to more than 40 Gbit/s. Here, the problems in the development and manufacture of a demultiplexer (DEMUX) for WDM over POF as well as the results of the optical separation of four wavelength channels are described. At least, the possible extension of a WDM grid of ITU G.694.2 is discussed, which seems to be a hopeful candidate to introduce a standardized WDM grid for POF in the visible range to reach data rates of 40 Gbit/s up to 50 m POF.
Part of the book: Broadband Communications Networks
Optoelectronic Key Elements for Polymeric Fiber Transmission Systems
In short-range communication 1 mm PMMA SI-POF established itself as a reasonable alternative to the traditional data communication media such as glass fibers, copper cables, and wireless systems. Due to multiple advantages such as a large core diameter, tolerance to fiber facet damages, and low installation costs, the SI-POF is already applied in industrial automation, automotive industry, and in-house/office networks. To experimentally demonstrate the feasibility and potential of a high-speed POF WDM concept, a four-channel data transmission setup was realized. A four-legged multiplexing POF bundle was developed to combine the signals from four visible laser diodes onto SI-POF link. For the separation of wavelength channels, the interference filter-based demultiplexer with two-stage configuration was used. It was shown that POF WDM with lower channel rates and simple transmission technique (NRZ + FFE) could provide aggregate bit rates comparable to those achieved with the single-wavelength systems that used advanced modulation formats (DMT or PAM + DFE) and required significant signal processing. In addition, the 50 m SI-POF link at an aggregate bit rate of 7.8 Gb/s was demonstrated over 50 m SI-POF, respectively, at the BER = 10–3.
Part of the book: Optical Fiber Applications