1.

WDM Definition:

• Wave Division Multiplexing is a technology that utilizes the properties of refracted light to both combine and
separate optical signals based on their wavelengths within the optical spectrum. WDM allows more efficient use
of existing fiber by providing multiple optical paths along a single (pair of) fiber (s).

• Different signals with specific wavelength are multiplexed into a fiber for transmission.

1 1 2 n

SDH
signal
IP 
2 ┉
packa
ATM ┋
cells
n

2. Advantages of WDM:

• Ultra high capacity

• Data transparency transmission

• Long haul transmission

• Compatible with existing optical fibers

• High performance-to-cost ratio

• High networking flexibility, economy and reliability

• Smooth expansion
3. CWDM and DWDM:

There are TWO products of WDM.

[A] CWDM (coarse wavelength division multiplexing)

[B] DWDM (dense wavelength division multiplexing)

Comparison between CWDM and DWDM:

4. DWDM System Structure:

5. DWDM System Components:

A DWDM system generally consists of five components:

 Optical Transmitters/Receivers
 Optical Multiplexer Unit / Optical De-multiplexer Unit (OMU/ODU)
 Optical Add/Drop Multiplexers (OADMs)
 Optical Amplifiers
 Transponders (Wavelength Converters).

6. Overview of DWDM Components:

A. Optical Transmitters/Receivers

1. Provide the source signals which are then multiplexed.

2. Incoming electrical data bits (0 or 1) trigger the modulation of a light stream (e.g., a flash of light = 1, the
absence of light = 0).
3. Lasers create pulses of light.
4. Each light pulse has an exact wavelength (lambda) expressed in nanometers (nm).

B. Optical Multiplexer Unit / Optical De-multiplexer Unit (OMU/ODU)

1. Multiplexer combines multiple wavelengths created by multiple transmitters onto one fiber by way of an
optical filter (Mux filter).

2. De-multiplexer separates all of the individual wavelengths of the composite signal out to individual fibers by an
optical drop filter (Demux filter)
C. Optical Add/Drop Multiplexers (OADMs)

1. OADMs is designed to "Add/Drop" optical signals of particular wavelength from an incoming composite signal.
2. Incoming composite signal divided into two components, drop and pass-through.
3. The optical signals that pass through the OADM are multiplexed with newly added signal stream.

D. Optical Amplifiers:

1. Optical amplifiers boost the amplitude or add gain to optical signals passing on a fiber by directly stimulating the
photons of the signal with extra energy.

2. Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifiers (EDFAs) are the most commonly used type of in-fiber optical amplifiers.
 E. Transponders:

1. Transponders convert optical signals from one incoming wavelength to another outgoing wavelength suitable
for DWDM applications.
2. Transponders are Optical-Electrical-Optical (O-E-O) wavelength converters. A transponder performs an O-E-O
operation to convert wavelengths of light.
3. Within the DWDM system a transponder converts the client optical signal back to an electrical signal (O-E) and
then performs either 2R (Reamplify, Reshape) or 3R (Reamplify, Reshape, and Retime) functions.

7. How DWDM System Components Work Together with DWDM Technology

As DWDM system is composed of these five components, how do they work together? The following steps give out the
answer:

A. The transponder accepts input in the form of a standard single-mode or multimode laser pulse. The input can come
from different physical media and different protocols and traffic types.

B. The wavelength of the transponder input signal is mapped to a DWDM wavelength.

C. DWDM wavelengths from the transponder are multiplexed with signals from the direct interface to form a composite
optical signal which is launched into the fiber.

D. A post-amplifier (booster amplifier) boosts the strength of the optical signal as it leaves the multiplexer.

E. An OADM is used at a remote location to drop and add bit streams of a specific wavelength.

F. Additional optical amplifiers can be used along the fiber span (in-line amplifier) as needed.

G. A pre-amplifier boosts the signal before it enters the demuliplexer.

H. The incoming signal is demultiplexed into individual DWDM wavelengths.

I. The individual DWDM lambdas are either mapped to the required output type through the transponder or they are
passed directly to client-side equipment.
8. WDM Headers:

9. WDM Boards Description:

1. Optical Transponder Unit

2. Tributary Unit and Line Unit

3. Cross-connect Unit

4. Optical Multiplexer and Demultiplexer Unit

5. Optical Add and Drop Multiplexing Unit

6. Optical Amplifier Unit

7. System Control and Communication Unit

8. Optical Supervisory Channel Unit

9. Other Units
10. Huawei Board Description:

Line Unit and Tributary Unit:

Cross-connect Unit:

1. Board Name: USXH, UXCT, SXM, SXH, XCT, TN52UXCM, XCM, UXCH, TN52XCH, TN16XCH, TN16UXCM

2. Basic function: Grooms services

3. Protection scheme: Supports cross-connection 1+1 protection

4. Switching mode: Supports manual switching and auto switching

Optical Multiplexer and Demultiplexer Unit:

Board category Board name Board description

D40 40-channel demultiplexing unit

D40V 40-channel demultiplexing unit with VOA

M40 40-channel multiplexing unit

Optical multiplexer and

M40V 40-channel multiplexing unit with VOA
Demultiplexer unit

FIU Fiber interface unit

SFIU fiber interface unit for sync timing

ITL Interleaver Board

OADM Unit:

Board category Board name Board description

Fixed OADM MR8V 8-channel optical add/drop multiplexing unit with VOA
Unit

WSM9 9-port wavelength selective switching multiplexing board

WSD9 9-port wavelength selective switching demultiplexing

board

RDU9 9-port ROADM demultiplexing board

Reconfigurable RMU9 9-Port ROADM multiplexing board

OADM Unit
WSMD2/WSMD4/WSMD9 2/4/9-Port Wavelength Selective Switching Multiplexer
and Demultiplexer Board

TM20 20-ports Tunable Multiplexing Board

TD20 20-ports Tunable Demultiplexing Board

Optical Amplifier Unit:

Board name Board description

OAU1 Optical amplifier unit

OBU1 Optical booster unit

OBU2 Optical booster unit

HBA High-power Booster Amplifier Board

DAS1 optical amplifier unit

RAU1 Backward Raman and Erbium Doped Fiber Hybrid Optical Amplifier Unit

RAU2 Backward Raman and Erbium Doped Fiber Hybrid Optical Amplifier Unit

CRPC Case-shape Raman pump amplifier unit for C-band

Optical Supervisory Channel Unit:

Board name Board description

SC1 unidirectional optical supervisory channel board

SC2 bi-directional optical supervisory channel unit

HSC1 high power unidirectional optical supervisory channel board

ST2 bidirectional optical supervisory channel and timing transmission unit

Other Units:

DCP 2-channel optical path Protection unit

Optical protection
OLP Optical line protection unit
unit
SCS Sync optical channel separator unit

MCA4/8 4/8-channel spectrum analyzer unit

Spectrum analyzer
OPM8 8-channel optical power monitor board
unit
WMU wavelength monitored unit

Variable optical VA1/4 1/4-channel variable optical attenuator unit

attenuator unit

Optical dispersion DCU dispersion compensation unit

equalizing unit TDC single-channel tunable-dispersion compensation board

Clock unit STG Centralized Clock Board

11.Coriant Board Description:

Board Name Board Description

CPA3/CPA2 1. Back panel Cross Connect Board.

2. Number [3/2] denotes the number of slot.
I02L200G 1. Line Card.
2. No. of Port: 02
3. Per Port Capacity: 200G

I20C10G 1. Client Card

2. No. of Port: 20
3. Per Port Capacity: 10G
LAMIC/LAMPBC 1. Amplifier Card
2. LAMPBC is used for medium to very long spans
3. LAMIC is used for Medium spans
CSP 1. Channel Protection Card.
2. Used for splitting the signal at transmission end.

F48MDS 1. Bidirectional filter card that performs multiplexing or demultiplexing of 48

channels.

CFS 1. Flow sensor cards are used for controlling and managing cooling system.

F09MCR96 1. F09MCR96 is a bidirectional 96 channel multi-purpose card.

2. It has a WSS module, a 1:9 splitter/combiner and a 1:5 splitter/combiner.

MCP4 1. Channel power monitoring cards

CCEP/CCSP 1. CCEP is a NE and shelf controller card [Perform major management tasks]
2. CCSP is a Shelf controller card [Example: fan, power and card presence
supervision]
12. EDFA:

Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifier (EDFA) is an optical amplifier used in the C-band and L-band, where the loss of telecom
optical fibers becomes lowest in the entire optical telecommunication wavelength bands.

EDFA is now most commonly used to compensate the loss of an optical fiber in long-distance optical communication.
Another important characteristic is that EDFA can amplify multiple optical signals simultaneously, and thus can be easily
combined with WDM technology.

Figure: Optical telecommunication optical bands

(EDFA operates in the C- and L-band)

EDFAs are used as a booster, inline, and pre-amplifier in an optical transmission line, as schematically shown in Figure 2.
The booster amplifier is placed just after the transmitter to increase the optical power launched to the transmission line.
The inline amplifiers are placed in the transmission line, compensating the attenuation induced by the optical fiber. The
pre-amplifier is placed just before the receiver, such that sufficient optical power is launched to the receiver.

Fig: Booster, inline, and pre-amplifier EDFAs used in optical transmission line
Internal configuration:

Figure: Common configuration of EDFA

a. The input signal is combined with the pump light by a WDM coupler and launched to the EDF.
b. Isolators are placed both at the input and output, in order to stabilize signal amplification by eliminating
unwanted back reflection from the output port, as well as to prevent the amplifier from operating as a laser.

Working principle

When an EDFA is pumped at 1480 nm, Er ion doped in the fiber absorbs the pump light and is excited to an excited state
(Excited state 1). When sufficient pump power is launched to the fiber and population inversion is created between the
ground state and Excited state 1, amplification by stimulated emission takes place at around 1550 nm. When an EDFA is
pumped at 980 nm, Er ion absorbs the pump light and is excited to another excited state (Excited state 2). The lifetime of
the excited state 2 is relatively short, and as a result, the Er ion is immediately relaxed to the Excited state 1 by radiating
heat (i.e. no photon emission). This relaxation process creates a population inversion between the ground level and
Excited state 1, and amplification takes place at around 1550 nm.
13.ROADM:

A reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer (ROADM) is a device that can add, block, pass or redirect modulated
infrared (IR) and visible light beams of various wavelengths in a fiber optic network. ROADMs are used in systems that
employ wavelength division multiplexing.

ROADM Types:
14. About Light:

 The light in WDM systems is in the near-infrared region and is invisible.

 The wavelengths range from 1260 nm to 1611 nm.
Colored Light & Grey Light

The light in WDM systems is carried over different wavelengths compliant with specific

Standards. To distinguish wavelengths in different systems, the wavelengths in WDM

Systems are called colored light whereas the wavelengths in common optical systems

are called grey light.

15. Optical fiber:

Optical fibers are one of the most widely used form of optical waveguide.

MM Fiber:

A fiber that has a core diameter greatly exceeding optical wavelengths and permits tens and even hundreds of
transmission modes is called MM fiber.

Figure: MM Fiber

SM Fiber:

A fiber that has a core diameter in the same order of magnitude as optical wavelengths and permits only one
transmission mode (basic mode) is called SM fiber.

Figure: MM Fiber
SM and MM Optical Modules:

 SM and MM optical modules must be used together with SM and MM fibers respectively.
 The working bands are 850 nm for MM optical modules and 1310 nm and 1550 nm for SM optical modules.

Transmission Modes

The WDM system supports signal transmission in two modes.

 single-fiber unidirectional
 single-fiber bidirectional.

 Single-fiber Unidirectional:

In this mode, the WDM system transmits multi-wavelength optical signals in receive and transmit directions
through separate fibers.

Fig: single-fiber unidirectional

 Single-fiber bidirectional:

In this mode, multi-wavelength optical signals are transmitted through only one fiber in both receive and
transmit directions.

Fig: single-fiber bidirectional

Optical Module Types:

The following are the major optical module types used by WDM equipment.

 eSFP: The Enhanced Small Form Factor Pluggable (eSFP) module is a type of low-speed optical module that
provides the supervisory function. The rate of such modules is generally less than 5 Gbit/s.

 SFP+/XFP: In most cases, 10 G Small Form Factor Pluggable (XFP) modules are preferentially used to receive 10G
services. Nevertheless, the size of XFP modules is large. To resolve the density issue, Enhanced 8.5G and 10G
Small Form Factor Pluggable (SFP+) modules are developed, which can be used to transmit 8G fiber channel (FC)
services and 10G Ethernet services.

 CFP: The Centum Form Factor Pluggable (CFP) module is a type of 40G/100G pluggable optical module that
features high-rate and multi-wavelength transmission, and large size.

 CXP: The 120 Gb/s eXtended-capability Form Factor Pluggable (CXP) module is a type of 12-channel pluggable
optical module. The modules are mainly used for interconnecting WDM equipment or interconnecting WDM
equipment with supercomputers.

Fig: eSFP, SFP+, XFP, CFP4, CXP

Optical Fiber Connectors:

• LC/PC connector (plug-in square fiber connector/protruding polished)

• FC/PC connector (round fiber connector/protruding polished)

• SC/PC connector (square fiber connector/protruding polished)

• LSH/APC connector (connector with a dust-proof cover/protruding polished at an

8-degree angle)
Fiber-Optic Characteristics:

Fiber-optic characteristics can be classified as linear and nonlinear. Nonlinear characteristics are influenced by
parameters, such as bit rates, channel spacing, and power levels.

 Linear Characteristics:

Linear characteristics include Attenuation, Dispersion and optical Signal-to-Noise Ratio (OSNR).

• Attenuation: Degradation of the light signal with respect to the time while passing down in the fiber is
called attenuation. With the passage of distance, the signal gets weaker and at some point, it becomes
too weak, and the receiver can not distinguish between the actual signal and the noise. It is expressed
as dB/km (per km loss).

• Dispersion: Widening of the Signal with respect to the time is known as dispersion, there are three major
types of dispersion in optical fiber.

a) Chromatic Dispersion b) Modal Dispersion c) Polarization Mode Dispersion

a) Chromatic Dispersion: A form of dispersion where optical pulses are spread because different wavelengths are
transmitted at different speeds in optical fibers and the periods for different wavelengths to traverse the same
distance are different.

Dispersion compensation modules (DCM) is used for compensating the chromatic dispersion.

b) Modal Dispersion: A form of dispersion where optical pulses are spread because the light travels down the fiber
in a different path at different modes and these modes reaches the receiver at a different time. Modal
dispersion occurs only in multimode fiber and not in Single mode as there is only one mode in it.
c) Polarization Mode Dispersion: A form of dispersion where optical pulses are spread because optical signals in
different phase status are transmitted at different speeds due to the random birefringence of optical fibers.

 Optical Signal-to-Noise Ratio (OSNR): Optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) is used to quantify the degree of
optical noise interference on optical signals. It is the ratio of service signal power to noise power within a valid
bandwidth.
OSNR(dB)= 10lg(Pi/Ni)+10lg(Bm/Br)

OSNR is measured in decibels. The higher the bit rate, the higher the OSNR ratio required. For OC-192
transmissions, the OSNR should be at least 27 to 31 dB compared to 18 to 21 dB for OC-48.
  Nonlinear Characteristics:

The fiber nonlinear effect is proportional to the optical power density of signals, and significantly affects the
signal phase, pulse shape, and optical power evolution.

Non-linear effects cannot be eliminated or compensated for. So they should be restricted as much as possible!

SPM:
SPM is phase modulation of light caused by an instant change in the light intensity to gradually broaden the
signal spectrum.

XPM:
XPM is a nonlinear optical effect where one wavelength of light can affect the phase of another wavelength of
light through the optical Kerr effect.

FWM:
FWM is an intermodulation phenomenon in nonlinear optics, whereby interactions between two or three
wavelengths produce another two new wavelengths.

SRS&SBS:
Both SRS and SBS indicate that energy exchanging occurs between lightwave and photon, causing the light
wave to be scattered to different wavelengths.