Competencies are the correct combination of knowledge, skills and abilities, attitude and values; all of them are necessary to perform correctly a job. The specific competencies are acquired and developed in the module Telecommunication Systems, whereas the general and transversal competencies are developed during the whole degree of Telecommunications Engineering (Grado en Ingeniería en Tecnología de Telecomunicación).



Students of this subject will acquire the following competencies:



Specific competencies:

- Ability to select circuits, subsystems and systems for radio-frequency, microwave, broadcasting, radio link and radiodetermination (M03S4).

- Ability to select antennas, pieces of equipment and systems for transmission and guided and non-guided wave propagation by electromagnetic, radio-frequency related or optical means, as well as to manage the corresponding radio spectrum and frequency assignment (M03S5).



General and transversal competencies:

- Knowledge of the fundamental topics and technologies that allow students both to learn new methods and technologies and to adapt themselves to any new situation (G003).

- Ability to solve problems with initiative, decision making, creativity, and to communicate and transfer knowledge, skills and abilities, understanding the ethical and professional responsibility in the performance of the Technical Telecommunications Engineering (G004).

The subject is divided into two sections:

- On one hand, in the lectures + practical classroom work + seminars, contents are worked both individually by students and in groups of three or four, and they consist of 5 lessons.

- On the other, in the practical laboratory work, students work in groups of three or four, and they have to complete 8 practical tasks. Previously, one training lesson is given so that students carry out successfully their tasks.



Lectures + practical classroom work + seminars:

- Lesson 1: Introduction to optical fibers.

Critical angle and evanescent field. Optical fiber: structure, types, applications, refractive index profiles, numerical aperture and transmission capacity. Historical view.

- Lesson 2: Propagation in optical fibers.

Attenuation: intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms, transmission windows and maximum distance limited by attenuation. Dispersion: concept and effects, types of dispersion and maximum distance limited by dispersion. Cables and fibers: structure and types of cables. Connectors and splices: intrinsic and extrinsic losses, connector and splice losses.

- Lesson 3: Optical emitters.

LEDs: working principle, SLEDs, ELEDs and efficiencies. Lasers: working principle, Fabry-Perot laser, efficiencies, emission modes and lasers based on distributed mirrors. External modulators.

- Lesson 4: Optical detectors and network design.

Photodiodes: working principle, efficiencies and responsivity, spectral features and avalanche photodiodes vs PIN photodiodes. Design of an optical link taking into account the times of response of the laser, of the optical fiber and of the receiver.

- Lesson 5: Optical amplifiers and non-linear effects.

Optical amplifiers: working principle, EDFA, SOA and Raman. Non-linear effects: classification and description.



Practical laboratory work:

- Training lesson for practical laboratory work: Introduction and safety. Metrology. Study of uncertainties.

- Practical task 1: Measurement of passive devices in monomode fibers.

Measurement of bending losses. Couplers.

- Practical task 2: Measurement of the numerical aperture and other parameters of interest in multimode fibers.

Misalignment losses in fibers. Attenuation in optical fibers with connectors using different LEDs.

- Practical task 3: Measurement of active devices and WDM transmission systems.

Measurement of a semiconductor laser. Power-current curve. Transmission with wavelength division multiplexing. Measurement of the attenuation in demux filters.

- Practical task 4: Measurement of monomode fiber communications links.

Learning to use an optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR). Measurement of the attenuation and insertion losses in fiber links.

- Practical task 5: Investigation of the dispersion and the attenuation in multimode fiber optical links.

Measurement of the dispersion and the attenuation as a function of the link length.

- Practical task 6: Investigation of the eye diagram and the bit error rate in multimode fiber optical links.

Investigation of the quality factor and bit error rate as a function of the link length.

- Practical task 7: Simulation of digital transmission systems.

Simulation of digital transmission systems in medium-range distances using monomode fibers.

- Practical task 8: Design and optimization of a digital transmission optical network.

Design and optimization of a digital transmission optical network using monomode fibers.

Students of this subject work individually or in groups. The methodology is explained in more detail below:



- Cooperative masterclasses (lectures):

The theoretical basics and concepts are explained by the lecturer. In order to encourage students to participate, theoretical lectures are alternated with mathematical tasks performed in groups of three or four students. Furthermore, the lecturer assists students with the study and the reading of recommended bibliography in the hours of student work outside the classroom.



- Problem-solving activities (practical classroom work):

Problem-solving activities are carried out by the lecturer on the blackboard; these problems are related to the theory explained in the lectures (they are marked with an asterisk). Students are also encouraged to participate and discuss in class, involving question-answer type interactions, as well as problem-solving activities of a certain subsection on the blackboard by one student chosen by drawing. In such an interaction, mistakes in problem-solving activities can be as valuable as correct answers, since they make it possible to identify items that were not clear enough and correct common mistakes.



- Problem-solving task-based learning (seminars):

Students solve the remaining problems (i.e. not marked with an asterisk) in groups of three or four. Students are encouraged to prepare them beforehand (in the hours of student work outside the classroom). In addition, upon completion of each lesson, a group must give a brief presentation (of aproximately 15 minutes) about more specific aspects related to that lesson by using the material provided by the teacher. Such activities will allow the teacher to track the learning results of students.



- Practical task-based learning (practical laboratory work):

Students perform experimental measurements and simulations in groups of three or four (there are 8 practical tasks). Previously, students can read the manuals thoroughly and prepare each practical task in the hours of student work outside the classroom. Afterwards, in the practical laboratory work, each group performs the experimental measurements or the simulations, and the results are recorded, processed and documented in a report. The lecturer assists each group both with their measuring and with the development of the report in order to improve successive practical tasks and reports. Assistance from lecturer takes place in the hours of face-to-face teaching of the subject, as well as in office hours.



Note: should the health conditions prevent any face-to-face teaching and/or assessment, such activity will move online, and students will be kept informed in a timely manner.

To pass the subject it is required to get at least a 50% pass mark on:

- the lectures + practical classroom work + seminars

and on

- the practical laboratory work.



Assessment of the lectures + practical classroom work + seminars:

- For continuous assessment:

* Two questionnaires in the eGela virtual platform (8% of the total grade).

* A series of problems (7% of the total grade).

* A brief presentation (5% of the total grade).

* A written exam in the official examination date of the final assessment test (20% of the total grade).

- For final assessment (for students that requested to be graded by final assessment):

* A questionnaire and a written exam in the official examination date of the final assessment test (40% of the total grade).



Assessment of the practical laboratory work:

- For continuous assessment:

* Eight reports of the experimental measurements and simulations processed correctly (60% of the total grade).

- For final assessment (for students that requested to be graded by final assessment):

* A practical exam after the written exam in the official examination date of the final assessment test (60% of the total grade).



Withdrawal from continuous assessment:

- Students have the right to be graded by final assessment: they must present a written request to do this, within 9 weeks, starting from the beginning of the four-month period.



Withdrawal from a call:

- For continuous assessment: students may withdraw from the ordinary exam call one month before the end of the teaching period. To do this, they must present a written request to this end. Otherwise, non-attendance at the exam call in the official examination date of the final assessment test will result in a failing grade (NOT PASS will be applied).

- For final assessment (for students that requested to be graded by final assessment): non-attendance at the exam call in the official examination date of the final assessment test will result in a withdrawal (NOT PRESENTED will be applied).

Lecture materials and notes are available in the eGela virtual platform:
- PowerPoint slides used in the lectures.
- Questions from the exercises worked on in the practical classroom work and in the seminars.
- Manuals and reports of the practical laboratory work.

Information about the use of materials, media and resources:
- During teaching activities (continuous assessment):
* Students are permitted to use books or course notes as well as electronic or computer systems or devices. Should these systems or devices have access to the Internet, any search for other than instructional materials will be prohibited. In any case, no telephone systems, devices or any other type of help are permitted.
- In the final assessment test (both continuous assessment and final assessment):
* Students are only permitted to use calculators. Neither books or course notes nor telephone, electronic or computer systems or devices nor any other type of help are permitted.

Basic bibliography

G. Aldabaldetreku, G. Durana, Sistemas de comunicaciones ópticas. Euskal Herriko Unibertsitateko Argitalpen Zerbitzua / Servicio Editorial de la Universidad del País Vasco, 2020.

J. Capmany, F. J. Fraile-Peláez, J. Martí, Fundamentos de comunicaciones ópticas. Síntesis, 2001.

G. Durana, G. Aldabaldetreku, Fundamentos de campos electromagnéticos para Ingeniería. Euskal Herriko Unibertsitateko Argitalpen Zerbitzua / Servicio Editorial de la Universidad del País Vasco, 2017.

A. K. Ghatak, K. Thyagarajan, An Introduction to fiber optics. Cambridge University Press, 1998.

W. B. Jones, Introduction to optical fiber communication systems. Oxford University Press, 1988.

J. C. Palais, Fiber optic communications. Prentice Hall, 2004.

J. M. Senior, Optical fiber communications: principles and practice. Prentice-Hall, 1985.

A. W. Snyder, J. D. Love, Optical waveguide theory. Chapman and Hall, 1983.

J. R. Taylor, An Introduction to Error Analysis: The Study of Uncertainties in Physical Measurements, University Science Books, 1997.

K. Thyagarajan, A. K. Ghatak, Fiber optic essentials. John Wiley and Sons, 2007.

In-depth bibliography

G. P. Agrawal, Fiber-optic communication systems. John Wiley and Sons, 2002.
M. Born, E. Wolf, Principles of optics. Pergamon Press, 1990.
J. Capmany, D. Pastor, B. Ortega, Problemas de Comunicaciones Ópticas, Tomo 1: dispositivos, Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 1998.
J. W. Goodman, Statistical optics. John Wiley and Sons, 1985.
E. Hecht, Optica. Addison Wesley, 2002.
H. Hughes, Telecommunications cables. John Wiley and Sons, 1997.
H. C. van de Hulst, Light scattering by small particles. Dover Publications, 1981.
J. D. Jackson, Classical electrodynamics. John Wiley and Sons, 1999.
G. Keiser, Optical fiber communications. McGraw-Hill, 1991.
M. G. Kuzyk, Polymer fiber optics: materials, physics, and applications. Taylor and Francis, 2007.
J. Powers, An introduction to fiber optic systems. McGraw-Hill, 2002.
B. E. A. Saleh, M. C. Teich, Fundamentals of photonics. John Wiley and Sons, 2007.

Journals

Revista Española de Física: www.revistadefisica.es/index.php/ref/index
Revista Española de Metrología: www.e-medida.es