ECE5143 Optical communications
Faculty of Engineering
ECE5143 Optical communications is a level 5, 6-credit-point, postgraduate unit from the Faculty of Engineering, offered in 2024 in Semester 2 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2024
- Semester 2
- Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 4 tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2024 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before ECE5143
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After ECE5143
No unit lists ECE5143 as a prerequisite in the 2024 handbook.
Enrolment rules
You must be currently enrolled in a master’s course in engineering or related STEM and in a related discipline. The unit assumes that you have the necessary foundational knowledge.
Overview
Optical communication systems are the backbone of the internet and the connected services we rely on every day. This family of technologies powers everything from data centres training the latest AI models to the undersea cables that interconnect out planet.
This unit divides industry-standard optical systems into their key building blocks and explores how each of these blocks works so that we can maximise their performance. The components introduced as blocks include lasers and lightwave sources, optical modulators, optical fibres, optical amplifiers, filters, multiplexers, photodiodes and optical receivers. Techniques including signal processing, performance measurement and compensation are also introduced.
The utility of optical systems over the widely different scales of communication links is explored, with reference to data centres, metropolitan networks, and long-haul optical communications systems typical of an Australian commercial application.
Offerings in 2024
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Second semester | Clayton | On campus |
Assessment
- Laboratory reportsThreshold hurdle25%
- Mid-semester testThreshold hurdle10%
- Flux in workshopsThreshold hurdle5%
- Final assessmentThreshold hurdle60%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Analyse the key components of optical communication systems, including fibre, transceivers and amplifiers, to predict optical link performance metrics.
- 2
Evaluate the physical phenomena that control the performance of optical components to justify system designs and common approaches taken to optimise performance.
- 3
Use simulation tolls (digital twins) to predict the performance of high-bandwidth optical links and optimise their designs.
- 4
Appraise state-of-the-art optical technologies, techniques and algorithms to evaluate their suitability for incorporation into links for short-, medium- and long-haul applications.
- 5
Design a long-haul communication link to meet a commercial brief, leveraging signal processing techniques and industry standards.
Workload and teaching
- Workshops24 hours
- Laboratories22 hours
- Teaching approachProblem-based learning
- Teaching approachSimulation or virtual practice
- Teaching approachEnquiry-based learning
The minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of 3-6 hours of scheduled learning activities and 6-9 hours of independent study per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher-directed learning, peer-directed learning and online engagement. Independent study may include associated readings, assessment and preparation for scheduled activities.
The practical classes are an opportunity for problem-based learning, taking the concepts from the lectures and providing concrete examples of their application.
The design task in the latter weeks of the course provides a more open, enquiry-based learning approach, focused on a real-world problem of designing a long-haul optical fibre link in an Australian context. This task approximates the kind of project one might encounter working in optical communications.
Laboratory-based classes: The laboratory session allow for problem-based learning with an element of enquiry-based approaches. They allow students to work on their skills in analysis. Model systems will help students identify key problem-solving approaches to the design and implementation of optical communication systems.
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Professor Arthur Lowery
- Unit Coordinators
- Professor Arthur Lowery
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for ECE5143?
ECE5143 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is ECE5143 offered?
In 2024, ECE5143 runs in Semester 2 at Clayton.
How much work is ECE5143?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does ECE5143 have an exam?
No. ECE5143 has 4 assessment tasks and no exam.