• Chinese Optics Letters
  • Vol. 17, Issue 10, 100009 (2019)
Giulio Cossu*
Author Affiliations
  • Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, TeCIP Institute, 56124 Pisa, Italy
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    DOI: 10.3788/COL201917.100009 Cite this Article Set citation alerts
    Giulio Cossu, "Recent achievements on underwater optical wireless communication [Invited]," Chin. Opt. Lett. 17, 100009 (2019) Copy Citation Text show less
    Radio frequency attenuation in water[79" target="_self" style="display: inline;">–9].
    Fig. 1. Radio frequency attenuation in water[79" target="_self" style="display: inline;">–9].
    Attenuation curve at different wavelengths[10].
    Fig. 2. Attenuation curve at different wavelengths[10].
    Underwater wireless communication scenario.
    Fig. 3. Underwater wireless communication scenario.
    Attenuation curve in the visible region, at increasing water turbidity[10].
    Fig. 4. Attenuation curve in the visible region, at increasing water turbidity[10].
    Simulated received optical power as a function of the link distance at different values of water turbidity. Straight gray line indicates the receiver sensitivity.
    Fig. 5. Simulated received optical power as a function of the link distance at different values of water turbidity. Straight gray line indicates the receiver sensitivity.
    Examples of two experimental setups for underwater demonstrations in the laboratory environment[28,34].
    Fig. 6. Examples of two experimental setups for underwater demonstrations in the laboratory environment[28,34].
    (a) Picture of the WHOI optical modem; (b) test node with an optical modem installed on top[23].
    Fig. 7. (a) Picture of the WHOI optical modem; (b) test node with an optical modem installed on top[23].
    Experimental setup of the sea-trial measurements (left); scheme of the UOWC modem (right)[36].
    Fig. 8. Experimental setup of the sea-trial measurements (left); scheme of the UOWC modem (right)[36].
    (a) Scheme of the UOWC modem and (b) picture of one of them. The three layers contain a monitor PD, the LEDs, and the receiver[34]. (c) Experimental setup of the sea-trial measurements.
    Fig. 9. (a) Scheme of the UOWC modem and (b) picture of one of them. The three layers contain a monitor PD, the LEDs, and the receiver[34]. (c) Experimental setup of the sea-trial measurements.
    ParameterAcousticRF WavesOptical Waves
    Link range<25km<10km1–100 m
    Data rate<12kbit/sFew Mbit/s1–1000 Mbit/s
    Attenuation0.1–4 dB/km10–180 dB/m0.4–11 dB/m
    LatencyHighLowLow
    CostHighHighLow
    SizeHighHighLow
    Table 1. Comparison of the Three UWC Technologies
    Water Typesa(λ)b(λ)k(λ)
    Pure sea0.050.010.06
    Clear ocean0.110.040.15
    Coastal ocean0.20.20.4
    Turbid harbor0.31.92.2
    Table 2. Typical Absorption and Scattering Coefficients[12]
    ParameterLEDLD
    Optical power1 W10–1000 mW
    Optical bandwidth20–50 nm1–2 nm
    Electrical bandwidth10–15 MHz0.6–1 GHz
    Beam emission angle120°20°
    Thermal managementMildly neededStrongly needed
    CostLowHigh
    Table 3. Comparison Between Optical Sources for UOWC
    YearBit Rate (Mbit/s)Distance (m)WaterOptical Sourceλ (nm)TestModulation FormatRef.
    20151070CleanLEDN.A.OceanOOK-NRZ[23]
    2015200.3CleanLaserRedWater tankOOK-NRZ[34]
    201514504.8CleanLD405Water tankOFDM[40]
    201523007CleanLD520Water tankOOK-NRZ[41]
    201548005.4CleanLD450Water tankOFDM[27]
    2016150020CleanLD450Water tankOOK-NRZ[42]
    20162005.4CleanμLED440Water tankOOK-NRZ[43]
    20161254.8TurbidLaser515HarborOOK-NRZ[36]
    20173N.A.N.A.LEDN.A.Water tankN.A.[44]
    2018270034.5CleanLD520Water tankOOK-NRZ[45]
    20181010TurbidLED470HarborManchester[35]
    201897002.3CleanLDRGBWater tankOOK-NRZ[46]
    201930,00012.5CleanLD487Water tankPAM4[30]
    201930001.2CleanLEDBlueWater tankOFDM[28]
    2019500100CleanLD520Water tankOOK-NRZ[47]
    20193014.7CleanLD450Water tankOOK-NRZ[48]
    2019503CleanLD450Water tank16-QAM[49]
    Table 4. Noticeable Experimental Results for UOWC Systems from 2015