Model Question Paper-1

Module 1

Q1. a) Explain with necessary diagram the different type of fiber structure.

Ans: Basic Optical Fiber Structures

1. The Core:

▪ It is the inner most part of optical fiber.

▪ The core is the light-transmitting portion of the fiber.
▪ The core is usually made of glass or plastic.
▪ It has higher refractive index than cladding.
2. The Cladding:

▪ The cladding surrounds the core part.

▪ The cladding usually is made of the same material as the core.
▪ It has a slightly lower refractive index than core.
3. The Coating (Buffer Coating):
▪ The coating usually consists of one or more coats of a plastic material.
▪ Its purpose is to protect the core and cladding from damage or physical environment.
▪ Sometimes metallic sheaths are added to the coating for further physical protection.
Q1. b) In a step index fiber if refractive index of core is 1.4 with Numerical aperture (NA) is 1.3, v=65,
operating at 750nm. Calculate core size and cladding index.

Ans: core size =2a we have V=2πa/λ NA 2a = Vλ/πNA will get core size 2a
Cladding index n2: NA = √2𝛥 find Δ now use it to find n2 n2 = n1(1-Δ)

Q1. c) What are the advantages, disadvantages and applications of optical fiber as compared to copper
cable.
Ans: Advantages:
1. Greater bandwidth
Copper cables were originally designed for voice transmission and have a limited bandwidth. Fiber optic cables
provide more bandwidth for carrying more data than copper cables of the same diameter. Within the fiber cable
family, singlemode fiber delivers up to twice the throughput of multimode fiber.
2. Faster speeds
Fiber optic cables have a core that carries light to transmit data. This allows fiber optic cables to carry signals at
speeds that are only about 31 percent slower than the speed of light—faster than Cat5 or Cat6 copper cables.
There is also less signal degradation with fiber cables.
3. Longer distances
Fiber optic cables can carry signals much farther than the typical 328-foot limitation for copper cables. For
example, some 10 Gbps singlemode fiber cables can carry signals almost 25 miles. The actual distance depends
on the type of cable, the wavelength and the network.
4. Better reliability
Fiber is immune to temperature changes, severe weather and moisture, all of which can hamper the connectivity
of copper cable. Plus, fiber does not carry electric current, so it’s not bothered by electromagnetic interference
(EMI) that can interrupt data transmission. It also does not present a fire hazard like old or worn copper cables
can.
5. Thinner and sturdier
Compared to copper cables, fiber optic cables are thinner and lighter in weight. Fiber can withstand more pull
pressure than copper and is less prone to damage and breakage.
6. More flexibility for the future
Media converters make it possible to incorporate fiber into existing networks. The converters extend UTP
Ethernet connections over fiber optic cable. Modular patch panel solutions integrate equipment with 10 Gb, 40
Gb and 100/120 Gb speeds to meet current needs and provide flexibility for future needs. The panels in these
solutions accommodate a variety of cassettes for different types of fiber patch cables.
7. Lower total cost of ownership
Although some fiber optic cables may have a higher initial cost than copper, the durability and reliability of fiber
can make the total cost of ownership (TCO) lower. And, costs continue to decrease for fiber optic cables and
related components as technology advances.
Disadvantages:
1.Low Tensile Strength
The material of the fiber core is fiberglass, whereas the material of copper cable is copper. Fiberglass is more
fragile than copper, hence the tensile strength of the fiber is lower than copper cable. Copper cable's high tensile
strength is helpful in preventing cable stretching and breaking and thereby also helpful in preventing system
failures.
2.Complex Fusion Process
The loss of fiber is associated with the fiber fusion process. Two fiber cores must be accurately connected. Since
the fiber core is very thin and the melting point of quartz is high, it must be equipped with professional and
fusion devices and technology.
Applications: Communication, Networking, Medical, Internet, Broadcasting, Cable TV etc.

Q2.a) Explain Intermodal dispersion for multimode step index fiber?

Ans:
Q2. b) Explain the three different mechanism that causes absorption of optical energy in optical fiber?

Ans: Absorption is caused by three different mechanisms:

1) Absorption by atomic defects in glass composition.

2) Extrinsic absorption by impurity atoms in glass mats.
3) Intrinsic absorption by basic constituent atom of fiber.
1. Absorption by atomic defects
Atomic defects are imperfections in the atomic structure of the fiber material.
Examples: Missing molecules, High density clusters of atom groups, Oxygen defects in the glass
structure.
• Absorption losses arising from these defects are negligible compared with intrinsic and impurity
absorption.
• Can be significant if the fiber is exposed to ionization radiations. radiation in nuclear reactor, medical
therapies, space missions etc.
• The radiation damages the internal structure of fiber. The damages are proportional to the intensity of
ionizing particles. This results in increasing attenuation due to atomic defects and absorbing optical
energy.
• total dose a material receives is expressed as rad(Si).this is the unit for measuring radiation absorbed in
bulk silicon.

2. Extrinsic absorption by impurity atoms

Extrinsic absorption occurs due to electronic transitions between the energy level and because of charge
transitions from one ion to another.
The dominant absorption factor in silica fibers is the presence of minute quantities of impurities in the
fiber material. These impurities include
 • OH- (water) ions dissolved in the glass.
• Transition metal ions, such as iron, copper, chromium and vanadium
• These losses can be up to 1 to 10 dB/km. The effect of metallic impurities can be reduced by
glass refining techniques.
3. Intrinsic absorption by the basic constituent atoms
Intrinsic absorption is associated with the basic fiber material (e.g pure SiO 2).
Intrinsic absorption results from:
1. Electronic absorption bands in the ultraviolet region
2. Atomic vibration bands in the near infrared region
Electronic absorption (EA) occurs when a photon interacts with an electron in the valance band and
excites it to a higher energy level.
The electronic absorption is associated with the band gap of the material.
The infrared absorption is associated with the vibration frequency of chemical bond between the atoms
of which the fiber is composed.

Module 2

Q3. b) With a neat diagram, explain the working of an edge emitting LED. Also mention its special
features and usage.
Ans:

In order to reduce the losses caused by absorption in the active layer and to make the beam more directional, the
light is collected from the edge of the LED. Such a device is known as edge emitting LED or ELED.
It consists of an active junction region which is the source of incoherent light and two guiding layers. The
refractive index of guiding layers is lower than active region but higher than outer surrounding material. Thus a
waveguide channel is form and optical radiation is directed into the fiber. Fig. 3.1.4 shows structure of LED.

Edge emitter’s emission pattern is more concentrated (directional) providing improved coupling efficiency. The
beam is Lambartian in the plane parallel to the junction but diverges more slowly in the plane perpendicular to
the junction. In this plane, the beam divergence is limited. In the parallel plane, there is no beam confinement and
the radiation is Lambartian. To maximize the useful output power, a reflector may be placed at the end of the
diode opposite the emitting edge.

Features of ELED:
• Linear relationship between optical output and current.

• Spectral width is 25 to 400 nm for λ = 0.8 – 0.9 μm.

• Modulation bandwidth is much large.

• Not affected by catastrophic gradation mechanisms hence are more reliable.

• ELEDs have better coupling efficiency than surface emitter.

• ELEDs are temperature sensitive.

Usage :
1. LEDs are suited for short range narrow and medium bandwidth links.
2. Suitable for digital systems up to 140 Mb/sec.
3. Long distance analog links

Q3.c) Explain the operation of DFB and DBR LASER.

Ans: In DFB laster the lasing action is obtained by
periodic variations of refractive index along the
longitudinal dimension of the diode. Fig. 3.1.11
shows the structure of DFB laser diode
Lasing conditions and resonant Frequencies
The electromagnetic wave propagating in
longitudinal direction is expressed as –
E(z, t) = I(z) ej(ω t-β z)
where,
I(z) is optical field intensity.
is optical radian frequency.
β is propagation constant.
The fundamental expression for lasing in Fabry-
Perot cavity is – where, is optical field confinement factor or the fraction of optical power in the active layer. α is
effective absorption coefficient of material.
g is gain coefficient.
h v is photon energy.
z is distance traverses along the lasing cavity.
The condition of lasing threshold is given as –
For amplitude : I (2L) = I (0)
For phase : e-j2β L = 1
Optical gain at threshold = Total loss in the cavity.
i.e. Γ gth = αt
Now the lasing expression is reduced to
where,
Αend is mirror loss in lasing cavity. An important condition for lasing to occur is that gain, g ≥ g th i.e. threshold
gain.DBR Explanation at pg no 181 & 182 of text book.

Q4. a) Write a shot note on Avalanche photodiode.

Ans: All detectors require a certain minimum current to operate reliably. The current requirement translates into
a minimum power requirement through Pin=IpRPin=IpR.
  Detectors with a large responsivity R are preferred since they require less optical power.
 The responsivity of p–i–n photodiodes is limited while Avalanche photodiode (APDs) can have much
larger values of R.

Working of APD
➢ APD is similar to PIN diode the exception is the addition of high intensity electric field region.
➢ In this region primary electron hole pairs are generated by the incident photons which are able to absorb
enough kinetic energy from strong electric field to collide with the atoms present in this region, thus generating
more electron hole pairs.
➢ The physical phenomenon behind the internal current gain is known as the impact ionization.
➢ This impact ionization leads to avalanche breakdown in ordinary reverse bias. It requires very high reverse
bias voltage in order that the new carriers created by impact ionization can themselves produce additional
carriers by same mechanism.
➢ This process of generating more than one electron hole pair from incident photon through ionization process is
referred to as the avalanche effect.
➢ Thus the avalanche multiplication results in amplification of photodiode current.
➢ Multiplication factor: Multiplication factor M is a measure of internal gain provided by APD. It is defined as
the ratio of total multiplied output current to the primary un multiplied current.

M=IIpM=IIp
Where I the Total multiplied output current
IpIp is the primary un multiplied current
Multiplication depends on physical and operational characteristics of photo detector device. Operational
characteristics include the width of avalanche region, the strength of electric field and type of semiconductor
material employed.

Q4.b) With the schematic representation and energy band diagram. Explain the working of the PIN photodiode.
Ans: A simple way to increase the depletion-region width is to insert a layer of undoped (or lightly doped)
semiconductor material between the p–n junction.
➢ Since the middle layer consists of nearly intrinsic material, such a structure is referred to as the p–i–n
photodiode.

➢ When photon enters photodetector, the low band gap absorption layer absorbs the photon, and an electron-hole
pair is generated. This electron hole pair is called photocarrier.
➢ These photocarriers, under the influence of a strong electric field generated by a reverse bias potential
difference across the device as shown in figure produce photocurrent proportional to number of incident photons.

Physical Principles of Photodiodes

The Pin Photodetector
• The device structure consists of p and n semiconductorregions separated by a very lightly n-doped intrinsic (i)
region.
• In normal operation a reverse-bias voltage is applied across the device so that no free electrons or holes exist in
the intrinsic region.
• Incident photon having energy greater than or equal to the band gap energy of the semiconductor material, give
up its energy and excite an electron from the valence band to the conduction band

Pin Photodetector
the high electric field present in the depletion region causes photogenerated carriers to separate and be collected
across the reverse – biased junction. This gives rise to a current flow in an external circuit, known as
photocurrent.
Q4. c) Example 6.7 of text book chapter 6
Module 3
1. Explain the evolution of wireless network. Topic: 1.4
2. What is the different basic propagation mechanisms used in wireless communication? Explain them briefly.
Topic: 2.4
3. Define fading. Explain different types of fading in mobile radio channel. Topic: 2.5
4. Explain cell structure in case of wireless communication. Which type of shapes are most preferred in cell
structure and why? Topic: 4.2
5. Explain Frequency reuse in detail. Topic: 4.3
6. A geographical service area of a cellular system is 4200km2. A total of 1001 radio channels are available for
handling traffic for the area of a cell is 12km2
a) How many times would the cluster of size 7 have to be replicated in order to cover the entire service area?
Calculate the number of channel per cell and the system capacity.
b) If the cluster size is reduced from 7 to 4 , then dose it result into increase in system capacity Example:4.6
Module 4
1. What do mean by multiple access. State the different types of multiple access scheme. Topic: 8.1
2. Explain FDMA with neat diagram Topic: 8.2
3. Discuss TDMA systems. Mention some salient features of TDMA Topic: 8.3 concept & 8.3.1
4. Mention and Explain different components of cellular PSTN Network Topic: 9.2.1
5. Explain the operation of cellular communication system Topic: 9.3
Module 5
1. Explain GSM architecture in detail. Mention some salient features of GSM. Topic: 11.1
2. Discuss GSM signaling protocol in details. Topic: 11.2
3. Define physical and logical channel. Explain different channel used in GSM. Topic: 11.4
4. Define Handoff. Discuss different types of handoff in GSM. Topic: 11.9
5. Explain GSM frame structure with neat diagram Topic: 11.5
6. What are the different services and features offered by GSM Topic: 11.10

Note: Diagrams are very important, but in the diagrams the naming of the
diagram blocks or words are missing identify them in the text while preparing
the concept and replace in the diagram (example: M ile = Mobile; S in=
Station) if you read the concepts you can get the names for missing words.

Prepare IA question papers also.

Module 1 & 2: refer previous year QP mainly problems.
Module 3, 4 & 5: refer available material with you specially diagrams are
important if possible check with understable problems in module 3 only.