EE 421 (was EE 412): Fiber Optic Communication Systems

Designation:

Senior/Grad-level technical elective for Electrical Engineering students

Catalog Data:

Operational principles of optical components, including sources, fibers and detectors, and the whole systems in optical fiber communications. Prerequisite: EE 320, EE 350, ESC 314 or EE 397E/EE 340

Prerequisites by topic:

1. Proficiency in the basic geometric optics, reflection, refraction, and interference (EE 320);
2. Proficiency in basic electromagnetic wave theories, digital and analogue signal sampling (EE 350);
3. Familiarity with basic working principle of semiconductor p-n junctions, forward and inverse bias, and light emitting process (EE 340/EE397E or E SC 314)

Topics:

1. General aspects of fiber optic communications (4 classes)
2. Light propagation in optical waveguides (6 classes)
3. Dispersion and losses in optical fibers (7 classes)
4. Critical optical components in fiber-optic communications
5. light source, detectors and modulation (11 classes)
6. passive components (5 classes)
7. WDM and optic network techniques (7 classes)
8. Midterm 1 and Midterm 2 reviews (2 classes)

Class/laboratory schedule:

Three 50-minute lectures per week.

Computer Usage:

Spreadsheet software Microsoft excel and MathCAD is required for homework. Computer internet access is essential for accessing class schedule, lecture notes, homework assignment, solutions, and additional course materials.

Contribution to meeting the professional component:

This course provides an introductory to senior students on fiber optic communication. It is a general education component that provides the students with in-depth technical knowledge in the area of fiber optic communication and complements the technical contents of the curriculum. This course enables students to gain theoretical and practical background in both physics and chemistry of the components in fiber optic communication.

Relationship to program outcome:

1. Graduates will have in-depth technical knowledge in one or more areas of specialization. [Ref: Outcome O.3.1.]
2. Graduates will understand fundamental electricity and magnetism (E&M) concepts and be able to use them in applications. [Ref: Outcome O.2.4.]
3. Graduates will have a theoretical and practical background in both physics and chemistry. [Ref: Outcome O.1.2.]
4. Graduates will have knowledge of digital systems (digital communications). [Ref: Outcome O.2.5.]