Fiber optical system operating wavelengths

A wide range of the optical system operating wavelengths can provide a very high capacity for the optical transmission system. The optical fiber type, source characteristics, system attenuation rang and dispersion of the optical path decide the operating wavelength range.

Singlemode fiber system spectral bands in ITU-T Recommendations:

1) “Original” O-band, 1260nm to 1360nm
Cable cut-off wavelength decide the lower limited wavelength is 1260nm. The upper linit 1 360 nm was chosen as to the rising edge of the “water” attenuation band peaked at 1 383 nm

2) “Extended” E-band, 1 360 nm to 1 460 nm.
Recommendation ITU-T G.652 also includes fibres with a low water attenuation peak, which
allows the utilization of the band above 1 360. The effects of a small water peak are negligible
at wavelengths beyond about 1 460 nm;

3) “Conventional” C-band, 1 530 nm to 1 565 nm.
Initially, erbium-doped fibre amplifiers (EDFAs) had useful gain bands beginning at about
1 530 nm and ending at about 1 565 nm. This gain band had become known as the “C-band”;

4) “Short wavelength” S-band, 1 460 nm to 1 530 nm.
The lower limit of this band is taken to be the upper limit of the E-band. The upper limit is
taken to be the lower limit of the C-band. EDFAs have become available with relatively flatter
and wider gains and application of EDFAs to this band is possible at least in a part of the band.
Some wavelengths of this band may also be utilized for pumping of optical fibre amplifiers,
both of the active-ion type and the Raman type;

5) “Long wavelength” L-band, 1 565 nm to 1 625 nm.
For the longest wavelengths above the C-band, fibre cable performance over a range of
temperatures is adequate up to 1 625 nm for current fibre types;

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