| Instructor: | Steve Blair (MEB 4514, 5-6157) |
| Office Hours: | MF 2:30-3:30 |
| Prerequisites: | ECE 5410 or equivalent preferred |
| Class Time: | MWF 12:55-1:45 PM |
| Location: | WEB 1248 |
| Text book: | Joseph C. Palais, Fiber Optic Communications, Fifth Ed. |
| References: | S. O. Kasap, Optoelectronics and Photonics |
| B. E. A. Saleh and M. C. Teich, Fundamentals of Photonics | |
| D. Marcuse, Theory of Dielectric Optical Waveguides | |
| G. Keiser, Optical Fiber Communications | |
| R. Ramaswami and K. N. Sivarajan, Optical Newtorks | |
| Homework: | Homework and solutions will be posted. |
| Labs: | A schedule will be arranged for two to three labs |
| Exams: | Two exams during the semester and a final exam. |
| Grading: | 10% Homework |
| 30% Laboratory | |
| 40% Midterm Exams | |
| 20% Final Exam |
This is an introductory course in fiber optic communications systems. Beginning with a broad overview of this rapidly-growing field, wave propagation in optical fiber is studied, including fiber transverse modes, optical phase and group velocity, attenuation, chromatic and modal dispersion, and the increasingly important nonlinear effects. The main optical source is the semiconductor laser. The transient behavior of these lasers is studied for direct current modulation. High-speed (> 2.5 Gb/s) external electro-optic modulation is also discussed, in addition to optical amplifiers and noise sources. Optical detectors such as the PIN and avalanch photo-diodes are covered, along with detector responsivity, bandwidth, and noise. Finally, complete fiber communications system are studied: direct detection single and multi-channel systems. Systems issues such as attenuation limitations, signal dependent noise, additive noise, quantum noise, bit error rate, and dispersion and nonlinearity limitations are also covered.