Transcript FiberOptics

Fiber Optics
Tara Fruecht
COSC 352
Fall 2006
Overview
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Fiber optics 101
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19th Century Fiber Optics
20th Century Fiber Optics
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Parts of a cable
How they work
Laser technology
Advantages/Disadvantages
Uses
Fiber optics?
Fiber Optic Cable
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Buffer Coating
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Cladding
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Protective cover
Reflects light
back into core
Core
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Very thin glass or
plastic fiber in
middle of cable
How do fiber optics work?
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Cladding does
not absorb light
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Reflects
More clear the
glass is, further
light can travel
Nineteenth Century
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1870: John Tyndall
Internal reflection
Transmission of light
Nineteenth Century Cont’d
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1880: William Wheeling
Piping Light: Mirrored
pipes
Provide light to many
rooms
Ineffective
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1880: Alexander Graham
Bell
Optical Voice
Transmission: Photophone
Free space light to carry
human voice 200 meters
Used mirrors
No wires needed to
connect
transmitter/receiver
Twentieth Century
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1950’s: Fiber Scope
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Image transmitting device
Created by Brian O’Brien (also gave fiber optics it’s name
in 1956)
First all glass fiber used
Issues with all glass fibers?
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Loss of light
Limits transmission distances
Laser Technology
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Able to generate large amounts of light
useful for fiber optics
Originally open air transmission
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Ineffective due to environmental conditions
Purified glass to make fiber optics possible
Semiconductor lasers are most used in
fiber optics today
Advantages
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Flexible
Lightweight
Low power
Less loss of signal
Less long term
expenses
Carry lots of data
No electromagnetic
interference
Disadvantages
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High cost at first
Difficult to splice
Can’t carry power to
operate other devices
Cable can be
damaged with higher
optical powers
Other uses
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Networking
Telecommunication
Direct sunlight
Endoscopes
Lighting
Cable TV
Audio applications
References
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http://www.fiber-optics.info/fiberhistory.htm#Figure_1
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www.howstuffworks.com
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/fiberoptic4.htm
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