Design and Characterization of an Affordable Laser Communication System

Over the last decades, an exponential growth in communication demand has been observed. Radio Frequency (RF) band has been one of the most used bandwidths for data transmission in the world. Given the influence and the continuous growth of communication technology, the RF spectrum is overpopulated. More efficient systems are necessary to meet the communication needs of this generation. A change to optical bandwidth is the most practical alternative to deal with the congestion of radio frequency. The aim of this thesis is to present the features of Free Space Optical links with off-the-shelf components. A description of how these systems can apply to satellite communication is given. A theoretical background of the history of optical communications will be provided followed by a gander at the fundamental properties of FSO mechanisms. The thesis will conclude with a detailed description of the choice of hardware utilized, results, and future work.