Jose Chesnoy

Introduction to submarine fiber communication

Publisher Summary This chapter provides a detailed view of the evolution that led to the optical submarine communication systems, the theoretical and practical background of the design rules of optical submarine systems, and the technology needed. The roots of optical communication systems are two major inventions: the laser (1960) and the optical fiber concept (1964-1966). These two inventions play about the same role for optics. The technology then evolved through several steps: single-mode fiber; second, and then third windows (1300 and 1500nm), where the attenuation of silica fibers is optimum (0.2 dB/km at 1500nm); optical amplification by rare earth to replace electronic regeneration; and finally wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) to carry multiple wavelengths (presently more than 100), each carrying a different data stream on a single-mode fiber.