Hybrid POF/VLC Links Based on a Single LED for Indoor Communications

Abstract

A hybrid fiber/wireless link based on a single visible LED and free of opto-electronic intermediate conversion stages has been demonstrated for indoor communications. This paper shows the main guidelines for proper coupling in fiber/air/detector interfaces. Experimental demonstration has validated the design results with very good agreement between geometrical optics simulation and received optical power measurements. Different signal bandwidths and modulation formats, i.e., QPSK, 16-QAM, and 64-QAM, have been transmitted over 1.5 m polymer optical fiber (POF) and 1.5 m free-space optics (FSO). Throughputs up to 294 Mb/s using a 64-QAM signal have been demonstrated using a commercial LED, which paves the way for massive deployment in industrial applications.