DWDM Introduction

and
DWDM Components

N. MARY, SDE (Tx)

RTTC, HYDERABAD
 Achieving Higher Bandwidth

Install New Fiber Expensive

Invest in new TDM Very Expensive
technologies to achieve
higher Bandwidth

Deploy DWDM System Economical

 Why DWDM Networking?

• Fibre Exhaust : Unlimited bandwidth on a fibre

pair
• Bit Rate Transparency
• Format/Protocol Transparency : IP, ATM etc.
• Efficient use.
• Minimal Capital Expenditure : Capacity
Expansions Demand
• Simpler Operations.
 Economics of WDM

• Saving of regeneration costs:

One optical amplifier can amplify many channels,
regeneration cost per channel drastically reduced
• Saving of fibers/fiber shortage
Cost effective compared to laying new fibers
• Introduction of a new network layer:
additional planning possibilities by passing of traffic
on nodes reduces node costs
 Advantages
Capacity up-gradation: Capacity of the DWDM systems can be up-
graded easily by deploying higher channel capacity systems without
laying of new fibers.
• Bit Rate Transparency: Different wave lengths from different
systems can be transmitted simultaneously and independently over
the same fiber.
• Economical: One optical amplifier is used for amplification of all
the channels. Hence, per channel cost is drastically reduced as
compared to providing regenerator for individual channels in SDH
network.
• Extremely high transport capacity at low cost
• Multiple use of optical amplifiers yielding decreased
investments and maintenance costs.
 SDH NE Regenerators SDH NE

Fig.3. Situation without WDM

SDH NE SDH NE

Optical Terminal Optical Terminal

MUX MUX
Optical Amplifier

Fig.4 Situation without WDM

 Advantages

• Quick Deployment: DWDM Systems can be deployed

using existing fibers.

• Wave length Routing: By using wave length sensitive

optical routing devices, it is possible to route any wave
length to any station.

• Wave length Switching: Wave length Switching can be

accomplished by using optical Add/Drop Multiplexers,
Optical cross connect, Wave length converters.
 DWDM Limitations

 DWDM transmission is analog.

 The in line amplifiers are also analog.
This implies that the signal to noise ratio worsens
with distance.
 To keep the BER within limits. The signals are
required to be 3r processed in electrical domain.
 Fiber dispersion is another limitation.
 DWDM

• DWDM is a technology in which a number of optical

wave lengths are combined and then transmitted in a

single fiber.

• Single fiber is for transmitting more than one optical

signal simultaneously.
DWDM Basics

SINGLE FIBRE

SDH OPTICAL SIGNALS

 BLOCK SCHEMATIC

OPTICAL Tx Rx
SIGNALS. 1 MUX DEMUX
STM-1 2
STM-4 W OFA W
.
STM-16 .
D D
.
ATM .
M M
IP 16

TRANSPONDERS
BLOCK SCHEMATIC
The Following Steps Describes The Above System :
1. The Transponder accepts input in the form of
standard single mode or multimode laser. The input
can from different physical media , different protocols
and traffic types.
2. The wave length of each input signal is mapped to a
DWDM wave length.
3. DWDM wave lengths from the transponder are
multiplexed in to a single optical signal and launched
in to the fiber.
4. A post-amplifier boosts the strength of the optical
signal as it leaves the system.
5. Optical amplifiers are used along the fiber span as
needed.
6. A Pre-amplifier boosts the optical signal before it
enters the end system.
7. The incoming signal is de-multiplexed into individual
DWDM wave lengths.
8. The individual DWDM wave lengths are mapped to
the required output type and sent out through the
transponder.
 DWDM Components

• Transponder
• Multiplexers (Combiner)
• De-multiplexers (Splitter)
• Optical Fiber Amplifier (OFA)
• Optical Add Drop Multiplexer (OADM)
• Optical cross connector (OXC)
• Optical supervisory channel (OSC)
 Transponder
• Transmit Transponder : The function of Transmit
transponder is to convert the incoming optical signal into
pre-defined optical wave length.

• The transponder first converts the optical signal to an

electrical signal and performs Re-shaping, Re-timing and
Re-transmitting functions or (3R Functions).

• The electrical signal is then used to drive the LASER,

which generates the optical wave length as per ITU Grid.

• The output from all the transponders is fed to the

combiner in order to combine all optical channels in optical
domain.
 Transponder
• Receive Transponder :
• Individual wave lengths are first split from the combined
optical signal with help of splitter and then fed to individual
receive transponders.
• The receive transponder converts the optical signal to
electrical , does 3R functions and finally convert the signal
back into optical
 OPTIONAL
REGENERATOR

Electrical
O/E REGENERATION
E/O

TRANSPONDER / TRANSLATOR /
WAVELENGTH CONVERTOR
Signal Direction : ITU -GRID
• DWDM sending a large number of closely spaced optical
signals over a single fiber. Standards developed by the ITU
(International Telecommunications Union) define the exact
optical wavelength used for DWDM applications.

• The center of the DWDM band lies at 193.1 THz and centre
wave length of 1552.52nm with standard channel spacing of
200 GHz and 100 GHz.

• The closest “Standard" spacing (100 GHz) allows

transmission of 45 channels on one fiber.

45 channel system spaced at 100 GHz would cover :

• Optical span of 35 nm
• Wide bandwidth
• Gain-flattened in EDFA
Channel Spacing and Optical Wave Length :

• 200 GHz = 1.6 nm

• 100 GHz = 0.8 nm

• 50 GHz = 0.4 nm

When spacing the wave lengths more closely, typically

at 50 GHz : Double the no. of channels, because of

closure spacing, the more channel cross talk results.

 0.4 nm
50 GHz

1510.0 nm 1528.77nm 1560.61 nm

198.6THz 196.10THz 192.1 THz
1480.0 nm
202.6THz
Fig.2. Wavelength Plan for 50 GHz Grid
 ITU-T BAND ALLOCATION

Optical
C BAND L BAND
Supervisory
channel BLUE RED
BAND BAND

1500 1520 1530 1542 1547 1560 1620

• CONVENTIONAL BAND = 1530 TO 1565 NM

• LONG BAND = 1565 TO 1620 NM
• ERBIUM DOPED FIBRE AMPLIFIERS SUITABLE FOR
‘C’ BAND.
• GAIN IN RED BAND FLATTEST FOR EDFA.
• ADDITIONALLY TO THE C–BAND AND THE L–BAND
WILL BE USED IN THE FUTURE.
 ITU –T G.692 Frequency Grid
Nominal Central  Nominal Central  Nominal Central 
Central  (nm) Central  (nm) Central  (nm)
(THz) (THz) (THz)

196.1 1528.77 194.7 1539.77 193.3 1550.92

196.0 1529.55 194.6 1540.56 193.2 1551.72
195.9 1530.33 194.5 1541.35 193.1 1552.52
195.8 1531.12 194.4 1542.14 193.0 1553.33
195.7 1531.90 194.3 1542.92 192.9 1554.13
195.6 1532.68 194.2 1543.73 192.8 1554.94
195.5 1533.47 194.1 1544.53 192.7 1555.75
195.4 1534.25 194.0 1545.32 192.6 1556.55
195.3 1535.04 193.9 1546.12 192.5 1557.36
195.2 1535.82 193.8 1546.92 192.4 1558.17
195.1 1536.61 193.7 1547.72 192.3 1558.98
195.0 1537.40 193.6 1548.51 192.2 1559.79
194.9 1538.19 193.5 1549.32 192.1 1560.61
194.8 1539.77 193.4 1550.12
 Optical Amplifier

The optical amplifier is used to amplify all the wave

lengths at once and boost the signal power after
multiplexing and before de-multiplexing.

The fiber optic amplifier component of the DWDM

system provides a cost efficient method of taking in and
amplifying optical signals without converting them into
electrical signals.

DWDM amplifies a broad range of wavelengths in the

1550 nm region.
Requirements of an Optical Ideal Amplifier:
 Provide high gain

 Have wide spectral band width

 Provide uniform gain
 Allow Bi-directional amplification
 Add minimum noise and Low cost
 Have low insertion loss
 No cross talk and no interference between
components
 Good conversion efficiency
AMPLIFIER Types

Types of OFAs:

Semiconductor Optical amplifiers (SOA)

Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier (EDFA)

Praseodymium Doped Fiber Amplifier (PDFA)

 Advantages of Erbium doped fiber amplifier
(EDFA)
• Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers operate at 1550 nm wavelengths
that reduce fiber loss and minimize dispersion effects.
• EDFAs are ability to amplify multiple wavelength channels
without crosstalk penalty.
• Highly efficient
• Low in noise
• Low cost
• Flat gain
• Wide bandwidth
• Polarization independency.
EDFA : PRINCIPLE
EDFAs are widely used in DWDM Systems.
• Erbium is a rare earth element, when excited( in a
length of fiber whose core is doped with Erbium ions :
Er 3+ ), it emits light around 1550 nm.
• 1550 nm wave length is suitable for DWDM operation.
• This low loss wavelength of optical fibers used in DWDM
systems
• A weak signal enters the erbium doped fiber, in to which
light at 980 nm or 1480 nm is injected using a pump
laser.
• The injected light stimulates the erbium atoms to
release the 1550 nm light.
• This process continues down the fiber, the
signal grows stronger.
• The pump power is usually injected from the same
direction as that of the signal flow. This is known as
co-directional pumping.
• It is also possible to inject the pump power in opposite
direction of the signal flow, which is known as counter
directional pumping.
• It is also possible to use dual pump scheme, which
results doubling of gain of the amplifier.
• The counter directional pumping allows higher gain
where as co-directional pumping gives better noise
performance.
• The pumping is done at 980 nm is preferred, because
it produces less noise as compared to pumping at
1480 nm.
• The noise is also amplified along with the signal. The
effect of noise is cumulative and can not be filtered
out.
• EDFA is a low noise amplifier.
• Isolators are put at input/output of amplifier to prevent
reflections into the amplifier.
• Do not effect from dispersion and attenuation by using
EDFA.
EDFAs classification :
1. For long haul application (LH)
2. Medium long haul (MLH)
3. Very long haul application (VLH)
4. Ultra long haul application (ULH)
• Long haul application amplifiers are deployed after every 80 km
of section length and max. permissible loss in one section is 22
db and loss per km is 0.28 dB/Km.
• The max. length of the route signal is required to be
regenerated is 640 km with max. 8 sections (7 line amplifiers).
• Very long haul application amplifiers are deployed after

120 km of section length and max. permissible fiber loss in

a section is 33 db. It supports max. three sections (two line

amplifiers required for regeneration of the signal).

• Ultra long haul application line amplifiers are not used

and the max. permissible loss in a section is 44 db and it

can cover up to 160 km.

• Long haul and very long haul type of systems are

planned in telecom network.

 OPTICAL AMPLIFIER

Pump
(980 or 1480 nm at 3 W)

Coupler
EDFA
Weak signal in Amplified signal out

Fiber Isolation Fiber isolation Fiber

Isolator :
• Isolator is a non-reciprocal device that allows light to

pass along a fiber in one direction and offers very high

attenuation in opposite direction.

• Isolators are put at input/output of amplifier to prevent

unwanted reflections into the amplifier.

CIRCULATOR :
• Circulators are micro optic devices having
number of ports.
• Low loss – 0.5 to 1.5 dB.
• Light entering at any particular port travels
around the circulator and exits at the next port.
• There is a symmetric operation around the circle.
CIRCULATOR
 D M

COUPLER

CIRCULATOR USED FOR CONSTRUCTING

OPTICAL ADM
 Multiplexers and De-multiplexers
DWDM systems send signals from several sources
through a single fiber.
The multiplexer takes optical wave lengths from multiple
fibers and converges them into one beam.
DWDM Multiplexers are passive devices (i.e they do not
require electrical input)
At the receiving end the De-multiplexer separates the
single beam into its wave length components and
coupling them into individual fibers.
De-multiplexing must be done before the light is detected,
because photo detectors are broad band devices that can
not detect a single wave length.

For Unidirectional system, there is multiplexer at the

sending end and de-multiplexer at the receiving end.

For Bi-directional system, two systems required at each

end and two separate fibers needed.

These devices (MUX / DEMUX) is to minimize crosstalk

and maximize channel separation and interference.
 Techniques for Multiplexing and
De-multiplexing

PRISM REFRACTION DE-MULTIPLEXING

A simple form of multiplexing and de-multiplexing of
light can be done using a prism.
Fig.
Parallel beam of polychromatic light falls on prism
surface, each component wave length is refracted
differently. This is called “rainbow” effect.
Using a lens these wave lengths can be focused on
to a individual fibers.
Fig: PRISM REFRACTION DE-MULTIPLEXING
Wave guide grating diffraction

Another technology is based on principle of diffraction

When polychromatic light source falls on a diffraction

grating, each wave length is diffracted at a different
angle.

Using a lens, these wave lengths can be focused on

to individual fibers.
Fig: WAVE GUIDE GRATING DIFFRACTION
Arrayed wave-guide grating :

• Arrayed wave-guide grating is also based on

diffraction principle.

• AWG device also called optical wave guide router or

wave guide grating router.

• AWG consists of an array of curved channel wave

guide with a fixed difference in the path length

between adjacent channels.

• Wave guides are connected to cavities at the

input and output.

• When the light enters the input cavity, it is

diffracted and enters the wave-guide array.

• Thus the optical length difference of each wave-

guide introduces phase delays in the output

cavity, where an array of fibers are coupled.

 ARRAYED WAVEGUIDE GRATING

ARRAYED
INPUT
WAVEGUIDES WAVEGUIDES OUTPUT
WAVEGUIDES

INPUT OUTPUT
COUPLER COUPLER
Multi Layer Interference Filters :

• Also called thin film filters

• Consisting of thin films in the optical path, wave

length can be de-multiplexed.

• The property of each filter that it transmits one wave

length while reflecting others.

• By cascading these devices, many wave lengths can

be de-multiplexed.
• Filters offers good stability and reduce channel

interference at low cost but with high insertion loss.

• Filters are temperature sensitive.

• They designed to perform multiplexing and

de-multiplexing operations simultaneously.

 THIN FILM FILTERS

1, 2,,… 8 Fiber

Lens Lens 1
Fiber
Lens 3
Lens 5
Lens
Lens 7
2 Lens
4
Lens Narrowband filter
6
Lens Glass substrate
8 Fiber
 Add/drop multiplexer (OADM)

OADM can remove or insert one or more wave

lengths.
Rather than combining or separating all the wave
lengths, the OADM can remove some while passing
the others.
OADM only can do optical wave lengths are added
and dropped but no conversion of the signal from
optical to electrical.
 Wayside Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer

TM TM
1 WDM WDM
MUX DEMUX
2 O O
A A
 15


16
  5-8
1-4
OADM
OPTICAL CROSS CONNECT :

• OXC can take four input fibers each carrying four wave
lengths and rearrange the 16 wave lengths on to the four
output fibers.

• A wave length can arrive on one fiber and leave on

another fiber.

• A wave length can also change by a transponder in

OXC will shuffle one of the arrived wave lengths and
transmits another wave length to an available channel.
 OPTICAL CROSSCONNECT

T
T
T
INPUT FIBRE

SWITCH T
LINKS

MATRIX T
T
T
T

WAVELENGTH
TRIBUTARY ADAPTATION
LINKS
 MEMS (Micro-electro-mechanical-systems)

 In a MEMS optical switch, a micro-mirror is used to

reflect a light beam. The direction in which the light
beam is reflected can be changed by rotating the
mirror to different angles, allowing the input light to
be connected to any output port.

 This type of optical switch has been realized for the

first time through the fusion of various techniques
such as micro-machining techniques for fabricating
the mirror, optical design techniques for achieving
low-loss optical connections, and control techniques
for positioning the mirror accurately.
Micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS):

1. Configurable
2. Reconfigurable
MEMS
Micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS):
• Compact and low-cost.
• Applied to wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM)
networks.
• Several network elements, including switches, filters,
and modulators.
• For future WDM networks with enormous transmission
capacity,
• Optical switching for optical-layer cross connect. focusing
on the Free-space MEMS optical switch have
demonstrated, and its progress in implementing important
network functions.
• The free-space approach has high interconnection
flexibility.
• Free-space micro-machined optical switches utilizing
free-rotating hinged micro-mirrors.
• Free-rotating hinged micro-mirror, fabricated by surface-
• Micro-machining.
• The design allows effective translation-to-rotation
conversion, and has achieved less than 1-ms switching
times.
• In addition to good optical quality in terms of low loss.
 NMS FOR DWDM SYSTEMS

• NMS IN CONVENTIONAL SDH SYSTEMS:

– TIME SLOTS

• DWDM – NO TIME SLOTS

– WAVELENGTH SLOTS
– ONE WAVELENGTH IS DEDICATED FOR N.M.S.
• OPTICAL SUPERVISORY CHANNEL
 Optical Supervisory Channel
(OSC)
Line Terminal Equipment In-line Amplifier Line Terminal Equipment

1 1
Tx 1 Rx
2 2
Tx 2 Rx
3 3

DATA OUT
Tx 3 Rx
DATA IN

4 4
Tx 4 Rx
5 5
Tx 5 Rx
6 6
Tx 6 Rx
7  + supervisory 7
Tx 7 Rx
8 8
Tx 8 Rx
Tx sup Rx Tx Rx sup
System Control System Control
Processor OSC Processor

Network Management Network Management

Thank You