Design and investigation of symmetric bidirectional VCSEL laser incorporated extensive reach OWC system using considering channel impairments for beyond 5G application.

Optical wireless communication (OWC) is recognized as a promising technology for future fifth generation (5G) networks. However, limited research efforts have been dedicated to the development of symmetric and bidirectional OWC systems using vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs). In this study, we design and investigate a bidirectional 4 × 10 Gbps VCSEL-incorporated OWC system with an extensive reach, taking into account channel impairments. VCSELs offer high operating power and high reliability, making them suitable for this application. Simulation analyses have been conducted to evaluate the system performance in both the downlink and uplink directions, considering various factors such as noise, geometric losses, and attenuation losses. The results indicate that a maximum OWC range of over 130 km in the downlink direction and 128 km in the uplink direction can be achieved with a link loss of 0.001 dB. The system can tolerate a maximum link attenuation of 2.25 dB/km in the downlink direction and 2.2 dB/km in the uplink direction while maintaining a bit error rate (BER) within the acceptable limit of 10^-9. Additionally, the system demonstrates robust performance at a maximum operating temperature of 348 K for VCSELs over a 10 km range at a data rate of 40/40 Gbps. The results further indicate that the maximum values of signal, noise, gain, noise figure, and optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) are − 69.68 dBm, − 87.65 dBm, − 21.14 dB, 21.14 dB, and 82.13 dB, respectively, at a total input power of − 69.61 dBm. Comparative analysis with existing studies highlights the superiority of this work over previous efforts, demonstrating significant improvements in system performance and range. This research underscores the potential of bidirectional OWC systems using VCSELs for enhancing future 5G networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]