By

Demissie Jobir Gelmecha (PhD.) 1

02/20/25
Chapter 3: Optical Sources
3.1 Introduction to Optical
Sources
• Emission of light, (in the form of a photon) can take place either
spontaneously or it can be stimulated by the presence of another photon of
the right energy level.
• For spontaneous or stimulated emission to occur, energy must be supplied to
boost the electron from its low energy state to a higher energy state.
• The energy can come from many sources: Heat (Incandescent light), Electrical
Discharge, Electrical Current (LED, LD), Bioluminescence.
• The light source must generate adequate power to send the signal through
the fiber, but not so much power that it causes non-linear effects or
distortion in the fiber or receiver.
• Optical Source find applications in the area of medical, automotive, analytical
equipment, communications and industry.
• Optical Source are:
• Tungsten, Deuterium, Mercury, Hollow Cathode Lamp
• Optical Source specifically suited to FO systems are:
Light Emitting Diode and Laser Diode
3.2 Optical Source Requirement for Fiber Optics
• Physical dimensions to suit the optical fiber
• Narrow radiation pattern (beam width)
• Linearity (output light power proportional to driving current)
• Fast response time
• Adequate output power into the fiber
• Narrow spectral width (line width)
• Stability and efficiency
• Reliability and cost
3.3 Diode
• A diode is the simplest sort of semiconductor device, consists of N-type and P-
type semiconductor, having electrodes on each end.
• This arrangement conducts electricity in one direction only
• At the junction, free electrons from the N-type material fill holes from the P-
type material. This creates an insulating layer in the middle of the diode called
the depletion zone.
•
 When the negative end of the circuit is hooked up to
the N-type layer and the positive end is hooked up to P-
type layer, electrons and holes start moving and the
depletion zone disappears
Diode
 When the positive end of the circuit is hooked up to the
N-type layer and the negative end is hooked up to the P-
type layer, free electrons collect on one end of the
diode and holes collect on the other. The depletion zone
gets bigger.
3.4 Light Emitting Diode (LED)
 A light emitting diode is a forward biased semiconductor diode in which
recombination at the junction produces light.
 Light emitting diodes are not lasers. They produce light spontaneously, in
every direction like light bulbs.
3.4.1 Working Principle of LEDs
• The band-gap difference between the energy levels and hence the
amount of energy released and the emitted wavelength-depends on
the composition of the semiconductor.
3.4.2 Applications of LEDs
• Status indicators on all sorts of equipment
• Traffic lights and signals
• Toys and recreational sporting goods, such as the Flashlight
• Light bars on emergency vehicles.
• Elevator Push Button Lighting
• Thin, lightweight message displays at airports and railway stations
and as destination displays for trains, buses, trams and ferries.
• Remote controls, such as for TVs and VCRs, often use infrared LEDs.
• In optical fiber and Free Space Optics communications.
• Movement sensors, for example in optical computer mice.
3.4.3 Advantages &
Disadvantages of LEDs
• Produce more light per Watt than do incandescent bulbs.

• Can emit light of an intended color without the use of color filters that
traditional lighting methods require..

• The solid package of an LED can be designed to focus its light.

• Are built inside solid cases that protect them, making them extremely
durable.

• Can be very small and are easily populated onto printed circuit boards.

• Are currently more expensive, than more conventional lighting

technologies.

• Require complex power supply setups to be efficiently driven.

3.5 Concept of Laser
Lasers are devices that produce intense beams of light which are monochromatic,
coherent, and highly collimated.
Laser ： Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation
Unique properties of laser:

1. High monochromaticity, 2. High coherence,

3. High directionality and 4. High brightness.
Or
• Identical energy Identical wavelength Narrow linewidth
• Identical phase Coherence
• Identical direction Narrow beam width and
• Identical polarization
[Link] monochromaticity,
• The light waves from laser contain only one wavelength or color so it is known
as monochromatic light.
• The light emitted from a laser is monochromatic, that is, it is of one
color/wavelength. In contrast, ordinary white light is a combination of many
colors (or wavelengths) of light.

2. High coherence,
• The light waves of laser light have only one wavelength. Hence, all the photons
emitted by laser light are in phase. Thus, laser light is coherent.
• The light from a laser is said to be coherent, which means that the wavelengths
of the laser light are in phase in space and time. Ordinary light can be a mixture
of many wavelengths.
3. High directionality,
The laser beam is very narrow and can be concentrated on a very
small area. This makes laser light highly directional.

Lasers emit light that is highly directional, that is, laser light is emitted
as a relatively narrow beam in a specific direction. Ordinary light, such
as from a light bulb, is emitted in many directions away from the source.

4. High brightness.
The laser light spreads in a small region of space. Hence, all the
energy is concentrated on a narrow region. Therefore, laser light has
greater intensity than the ordinary light.
These four properties of laser light are what can make it more
hazardous than ordinary light. Laser light can deposit a lot of energy
within a small area.
Nearly monochromatic light Monochromacity
Example:
He-Ne Laser
λ0 = 632.5 nm • Comparison of the wavelengths of
Δλ = 0.2 nm red and blue light
Diode Laser
λ0 = 900 nm
Δλ = 10 nm
 Directionality

Conventional light source Divergence angle (θd)

Beam divergence: θd= β λ /D
β ~ 1 = f(type of light amplitude distribution, definition of beam
diameter)
λ = wavelength
D = beam diameter
 Coherence

Incoherent light waves Coherent light waves

Incandescent vs. Laser
Light

1. Many wavelengths 1. Monochromatic

2. Multidirectional 2. Directional
3. Incoherent 3. Coherent
20
(1) Concept of spontaneous emission
• Let us now assume that the atom is initially in level 2.

• Since E2 > E1, the atom will tend to decay to level 1. The corresponding energy
difference, E2-E1, must therefore be released by the atom. When this energy is
delivered in the form of a photon (electromagnetic wave), the process will be called
spontaneous (or radiative) emission.

• The frequency ν0 of the radiated wave is then given by the well known expression
• Spontaneous emission is therefore characterized by the emission of a photon of
energy
• hν0=E2-E1, when the atom decays from level 2 to level 1.
(2) non-Radiative decay
 The decay can also occur in a nonradiative way. In this case the energy

difference E2 -E1 is delivered in some form of energy other than

electromagnetic wave radiation (e.g. it may go into kinetic or internal energy
of the surrounding atoms or molecules).
 This phenomenon is called non-radiative decay.
(3) Characteristics of spontaneous
emission
① The atoms emits an electromagnetic wave that has no definite phase relation
with that emitted by another atom.

② The wave can be emitted in any direction and random phase. The light is said
to be incoherent.

• Ordinary light source (thermal light source): spontaneous emission, fluorescent

light
3.5.3 Stimulated Emission
(1) Concept of stimulated emission

• If an electron is in energy state E2, and its decay path is to E1, but, before it has a
chance to spontaneously decay, a photon happens to pass by whose energy is
approximately E2-E1, there is a probability that the passing photon will cause the
electron to decay in such a manner that a photon is emitted at exactly the same
wavelength, in exactly the same direction, and with exactly the same phase as
the passing photon. This process is called “stimulated emission.”
(2) Characteristics
① Since the process is forced by the incident e.m. wave, the emission of any
atom adds in phase to that of the incoming wave and along the same direction.
② The incident photon and the emitted photon have the same frequency, same
phase, same direction and same polarization. They are said to be coherent.
• Laser ： Light Amplification
by Stimulated Emission
of Radiation
3.5.3 Absorption
(1) Concept of absorption
The atom is initially lying in level 1. photon of
frequency ν=ν0 is incident on the material. In this case
there is a finite probability that the atom will be raised
to level 2. The energy difference E2-E1 required by the
atom to undergo the transition is obtained from the
energy of the incident photon.
3.6 Injection Laser Diode (ILD)
3.7 Lasers Diode
 LASER is an acronym for “Light Amplification by the Stimulated
Emission of Radiation”.
 Coherent light and Narrow beam width
 Lasers can produce high output power.
 Because laser light is Coherent, a high percentage (50% to 80%)
can be coupled into the fiber.
 Laser diodes generate coherent, intense light of a very narrow bandwidth

 A laser diode has an emission linewidth of about 2 nm, compared to 50 nm

for a common LED
 Laser diodes are constructed much like LEDs but operate at higher current
levels
3.7.1 Structure of Laser Diode
• A diode laser must contain at least three layers- a p-type, a n-type and a
separate active layer ( either n or p-type) which emits the light.

• A high-performance diode lasers usually contain more layers.

• The boundaries between the active layer and the surrounding layers are very
important in determining efficiency of a diode laser.
• Layers of different materials help confining light more efficiently in the active
layer.
3.7.2 Homostructure and Heterostructure
lasers diode
• Heterojunction
• Heterojunction is the advanced junction design to reduce
diffraction loss in the optical cavity.
• This is accomplished by modification in the material to control the
index of refraction of the cavity and the width of the junction.
• The index of refraction of the material depends upon the impurity
used and the doping level.
• The Heterojunction region is actually lightly doped with p-type
material and has the highest index of refraction.
• The n-type material and the more heavily doped p-type material
both have lower indices of refraction.
• This produces a light pipe effect that helps to confine the light to
the active junction region. In the homojunction, however, this
index difference is low and much light is lost.
• Double or single hetero-structure junction with better light output .
3.7.3 Operating Wavelengths
• The wavelengths of diode Ga(1-x)AlxAs on GaAs for 780-850 nm
laser depends on In0.73Ga0.27As0.58P0.42 on InP for 1310 nm
In0.58Ga0.42As0.9P0.1 on InP for1550 nm
composition of the junction
layers, like those of LEDs.

• The primary composition

used in diode laser light
source for fiber optics are
variations on the standard III-
V semiconductor compounds
that can be fabricated on
substrates of Ga-As or In-P.
3.7.4 Output Spectrum
• Diode laser have much narrower spectral width than LEDs, allowing
the use of diode lasers to carry high-speed signals through fibre with
low dispersion at the laser wavelength.

• The line-width of 1 to 3 nm is large enough to cause dispersion in

single-mode fibre.

• The wavelengths that are amplified are those for which the round-
trip distance between the mirrors is an integral number of
wavelengths.

2D =N

where 2D is the round trip distance and N is an integer.

3. 8 Fiber Lasers
• All lasers work by amplifying stimulated emission, but they do so in
different ways.

• One family consists of glasses or crystals doped with small

quantities of elements that can be excited by light from an external
source, then stimulated to emit light at a longer wavelength.

• If laser material is made in the form of a fibre, with core doped with
the light –amplifying impurity, this doped fibre can serve as a laser
(putting mirrors on both ends) or as an amplifier.

• One example is an Erbium-fibre laser

Basic operation of fiber laser

•Light from an external diode laser emitting at 980 or 1480 nm excites

erbium atoms in the fiber.

•When a weak signal at 1550 nm enters the fiber, those light waves
can stimulate the erbium atoms to release their stored energy as
additional 1550 nm light waves.

•The process continues as the signal passes through the fiber,

building a stronger and stronger signal (Amplifier).

•Putting mirrors on both ends of an erbium-doped fiber makes a fiber

laser.
Thank You