Optical receiver design criteria also include optimization of the bandwidth and the dynamic range apart from optimizing receiver sensitivity. A receiver with the ability to operate over a wide range of optical power levels can operate efficiently in short as well as long-distance. In an optical transmission system, one essential parameter in determining the system power budget is the optical receiver sensitivity, which is defined as the minimum average optical power for a given bit error rate (BER). A 3-dB increase in receiver sensitivity can be traded for a 3-dB reduction in optical transmit power, a 41% increase in free-space communication. This Tutorial Text provides an overview of design principles for receivers used in optical communication systems, intended for practicing engineers. The communication of fiber-optic digital data transmission & reception can be done using plastic fiber cable. The performance of a fiber optic receiver depends on the type of detector used. As the name indicates the Preamplifier is the first stage of amplification following the optical.
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