Bidirectional multimode-fiber communication links using dual-purpose vertical-cavity devices

Jonathan D. Ingham, Richard V. Penty, Ian H. White

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

26 Citations (SciVal)

Abstract

This paper describes the development of novel multimode-fiber (MMF) communication links that achieve half-duplex bidirectional transmission over a single fiber through the use of 850-nm dual-purpose GaAs vertical-cavity optoelectronic devices. The dual-purpose devices are fabricated by focused-ion-beam micromachining (FIBM) of standard vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) and are able to be switched between operation as either efficient laser sources or as resonant-cavity-enhanced avalanche photodetectors. An avalanche multiplication factor of 10 is achieved at a reverse-bias voltage of 12.3 V. A 1.25-Gb/s half-duplex bidirectional data communication link is demonstrated and shown to allow error-free transmission of binary data over 500 m of standard 50-μm-core-diameter MMF. Receiver sensitivities for transceivers based upon these devices are predicted for the first time to be comparable with conventional data communication transceivers. Furthermore, a half-duplex analog bidirectional system is constructed, which permits the transmission of advanced RF modulation formats over MMF. Link characterization by error-vector magnitude (EVM) is described. The dual-purpose vertical-cavity devices are employed for bidirectional transmission of 32-symbol quadrature-amplitude-modulated (32-QAM) signals on a carrier frequency of 2 GHz, relevant to many current wireless local-area network and cellular standards. EVM as low as 1.3% rms is observed for a 600-m link of 62.5-μm-core-diameter MMF.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1283-1294
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of Lightwave Technology
Volume24
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2006

Funding

Manuscript received July 26, 2005; revised October 13, 2005. This work was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, U.K. The authors are with the Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1PZ, U.K. (e-mail: [email protected]; rvp11@ cam.ac.uk; [email protected]). Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/JLT.2005.863254

Keywords

  • Bidirectional communication
  • Multimode fiber (MMF)
  • Optical fiber LAN
  • Photodiodes
  • Radio over fiber
  • Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs)

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

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