Radio Frequency over Fiber (RFoF) is a critical component in industries such as aerospace, radar, broadcasting, satellite and GPS communications, along with weight-sensitive environments such as the space or undersea industries. With RF over fiber, radio communication is consistent and reliable.
Certain use cases require the addition of delays to the fiber line to achieve synchronized timing of signals from multiple points to a final location.
Why are optical time Delays required for RFoF?
As RFoF deployments and architectures grow in complexity, the need to ensure synchronized data packets becomes more important. A deployed RFoF environment may include multiple RFoF modules, each with fiber connections, likely of different distances, destined to the same endpoint application. While the time difference may be measured in microseconds, those differences can have a significant impact on how the data is assembled and processed at the endpoint. The addition of delays helps coordinate the data flows. Network designers must account for these differences and build in delays.
Satellite, Broadcasting, Radar & GPS Applications
Industries that use satellites, perform broadcasting, or leverage radar and other RFoF technologies have seen significant speed increases along with the addition of satellites, dishes, and other devices that improve the quality and detail of the signal. It is common to have a network that includes multiple satellite dishes, all receiving inputs, that must all transmit to a single command station or broadcast point but are positioned at variable physical distances from the broadcast point. Adding optical time delays provides an efficient approach for equalizing the signal timing across the multiple transmission fibers.
Another example is a data center with microwave, satellite, or GPS technology receiving signals from multiple dishes at the facility. The signals must arrive simultaneously so that the related devices and software can better interpret and communicate the data.
M2 Optics - Customized Optical Time Delays for RFoF
M2 Optics, partnering with RFoF experts like Summit Communications, can deliver complete RFoF systems that include customized, precise optical time delays to meet any application needs. Whether standard delay lines are required, or specialized dispersion-compensated delays for high-bandwidth testing procedures, M2 offers a range of rack-mount and portable solutions providing the industry's most efficient setups. The two most common applications M2 can help you address are:
Installing Optical Delays in the Network for Signal Timing & Sync
As noted earlier in this article, signal timing is critical in a system with multiple fiber links/paths, including these RFoF applications. In a network that has several remote satellite dishes or radar antennas with multiple fibers connecting back to the operations center (that are likely not all the same distance), M2’s precise optical time delays can be utilized to equalize those paths for signal timing purposes.
Simulating Optical Delays in the Test Lab
In a laboratory environment, delay lines from M2 Optics are highly useful for multiple testing applications. Fiber spans should be accurately replicated when designing a new RFoF network, including certifying RFoF devices before deployment, and when intending to install delay lines into a proposed system. M2 Optics offers a complete portfolio of optical time delay platforms proven to add value.
Whether in production or the fiber lab, M2 Optics provides solutions to optimize your RFoF deployment.
