OptiSystem Simulation Guide
Digital Optical Fiber Link — Q.2 (7 km, 20 Mbit/s, RZ Code)
System Parameters Summary
Parameter Value
Link Length 7 km
Bit Rate 20 Mbit/s (RZ Code)
Wavelength 0.85 µm (850 nm)
Source LED — 100 µW launched power
Fiber Type Graded-Index, 50 µm core diameter
Attenuation 2.6 dB/km
Splice Loss 0.5 dB/splice (every 1 km)
Connector Loss (Rx) 1.5 dB
Receiver Sensitivity −41 dBm
Safety Margin 6 dB
Detector p-i-n Photodiode
Dispersion Penalty None (graded-index, no equalization needed)
Pre-Simulation Power Budget Calculation
Perform this calculation before building the simulation to verify expected results.
Item Calculation Loss (dB)
Launched Power (LED) 100 µW = −10 dBm —
Fiber Attenuation 2.6 dB/km × 7 km 18.2 dB
Splice Losses 6 splices × 0.5 dB 3.0 dB
Connector Loss (Rx) Fixed 1.5 dB
Safety Margin Required 6.0 dB
Total Loss 28.7 dB
Received Power −10 dBm − 28.7 dB −38.7 dBm
Required Sensitivity Given −41.0 dBm
Excess Margin ✓ −41.0 − (−38.7) +2.3 dB (VIABLE)
■ System is VIABLE — 2.3 dB of spare margin above required sensitivity.
Step-by-Step OptiSystem Simulation
STEP 1 — Launch OptiSystem & Create New Project
• Open OptiSystem and go to File → New
• Open Edit → Project Properties and configure:
• Bit rate: 20 × 106 bit/s
• Sequence length: 128 bits
• Samples per bit: 64
• Time window: auto-calculated
STEP 2 — Build the Layout
From the Component Library, drag components onto the canvas in this order:
[PRBS Generator] → [RZ Pulse Gen] → [LED] → [Fiber ×7] → [Connector] → [PIN Diode] → [
BER Analyzer]
STEP 3 — Configure the Transmitter
3a. Pseudo-Random Bit Sequence (PRBS) Generator
• Library: Transmitters → Digital Generators
• Bit rate: 20 × 106 b/s
3b. RZ Pulse Generator
• Library: Transmitters → Pulse Generators
• Duty cycle: 0.5 (50%)
3c. LED Optical Source
Property Value
Wavelength 850 nm (0.85 µm)
Output Power −10 dBm (100 µW)
Linewidth ~35–50 nm (typical LED)
Component Optical Transmitter or LED
Library Transmitters → Optical Sources
STEP 4 — Configure the Optical Fiber
Use Multimode Optical Fiber (Graded-Index) from Optical Fibers library. Use 7 separate 1 km blocks so
splice attenuators can be inserted between each segment.
Property Value
Length per block 1 km
Number of blocks 7
Attenuation 2.6 dB/km
Profile Graded-Index
Core Diameter 50 µm
Reference Wavelength 850 nm
Dispersion 0 (no dispersion penalty)
STEP 5 — Add Splice Losses
• Library: Passives → Optical Attenuators
• Place 6 attenuators between the 7 fiber sections
• Set each to: 0.5 dB insertion loss
STEP 6 — Add Receiver-End Connector Loss
• Add one more Optical Attenuator after the last fiber section
• Set loss to: 1.5 dB
STEP 7 — Configure the Receiver
7a. PIN Photodiode
Property Value
Responsivity ~0.5–0.6 A/W at 850 nm
Dark Current ~1 nA
Bandwidth ≥ 20 MHz
Library Receivers → Photodetectors
7b. Electrical Filter
• Library: Receivers → Electrical Filters
• Use: Bessel Filter or Low Pass Gaussian Filter
• Cutoff frequency: 0.7 × Bit Rate = 14 MHz
7c. BER Analyzer
• Library: Visualizers → Electrical
• Also add an Optical Power Meter just before the photodiode to verify received power
STEP 8 — Add Optical Power Meters for Monitoring
Place Optical Power Meters at these checkpoints:
• After LED → should read −10 dBm
• After all fiber + splices → should read ~−31.7 dBm
• After final connector → should read ~−33.2 dBm
• Compare with required −41 dBm — confirms positive margin
STEP 9 — Run the Simulation
• Click Calculate (F5) or the Run button
• Open the BER Analyzer — check eye diagram (should be open) and BER value (target: ≤ 10−10)
• Open Optical Power Meters to verify power budget matches manual calculation
STEP 10 — Verify System Viability
Checkpoint Expected Value
Power after LED −10 dBm
After 7 km fiber attenuation (2.6×7) −28.2 dBm
After 6 splices (6×0.5) −31.2 dBm
After receiver connector (1.5 dB) −32.7 dBm
With safety margin (6 dB) −38.7 dBm
Receiver sensitivity required −41.0 dBm
Excess margin — SYSTEM VIABLE ✓ +2.3 dB
System Layout Diagram
Arrange the following component chain on the OptiSystem canvas:
[PRBS Gen] → [RZ Pulse Gen] → [LED @ −10 dBm, 850 nm]
↓
[Fiber 1 km] → [Splice 0.5 dB]
[Fiber 1 km] → [Splice 0.5 dB]
[Fiber 1 km] → [Splice 0.5 dB]
[Fiber 1 km] → [Splice 0.5 dB]
[Fiber 1 km] → [Splice 0.5 dB]
[Fiber 1 km] → [Splice 0.5 dB]
[Fiber 1 km]
↓
[Connector 1.5 dB]
↓
[PIN Photodiode] → [LPF 14 MHz] → [BER Analyzer]
↑
[Power Meter @ ~−32.7 dBm]
Important Tips & Notes
■ Set fiber dispersion to 0 — the problem states no dispersion-equalization penalty.
■ Use Multimode Fiber model — graded-index 50 µm with LED source is a multimode system.
■ If no direct LED component exists, use Optical Transmitter with ~40 nm linewidth to simulate LED.
■ Save frequently using File → Save to avoid losing your layout.
■ Run a parameter sweep on fiber length to see how margin changes beyond 7 km.
Optical Fiber Communications — Q.2 Simulation Guide | OptiSystem (Optiwave)