Optical receiver

Optical receiver is an important component of a fiber optic communication system. The possibility of change of size and shape of optical pulses due to optical losses and dispersion is a cause of concern during light transmission in optic fiber communication system. This concern resulted in the design of optical repeaters. An optical repeater can successfully restore periodically the stream of optical pulses to their original size and shape. This device has to be mounted in regular intervals along the optical fiber network. The distance between the two repeaters is dependent on the amount of attenuation, dispersion and other losses that occur in the network. The basic function of the repeater is amplification of the signal. This amplification allows the modulated light energy to remain above the critical level. The basic components of an optical repeater system are receiver, transmitter and an amplifier. After decoding the signal, the receiver triggers the transmitter. The transmitter produces a signal with superior strength and purity. Amplifier performs the task of amplification and reshaping of pulses.