Background
Optical links provide the backbone of the
telecommunication industry throughout much of the world
today.
Lasers, modulators, optical fiber, and detectors are the basic
components that comprise current optical links.
Objectives
Design a free-space opto-electronic communication link
using a laser,
acousto-optic modulator, and opto-electronic detector. The
communication link should transmit an acoustic signal from a CD player
to a speaker on the other end of the room using either amplitude or
frequency modulation with an RF carrier frequency of 80 MHz, and an
optical carrier at 532 nm. Use optical heterodyne detection
to
demodulate the transmitted waveform from the optical carrier to an
intermediate frequency of 80 MHz, and design a receiver that will
convert the RF signal back to baseband. After appropriate
signal
conditioning, use the amplified baseband acoustic signal to drive a
stereo speaker.
