Transmission media
Electrical and optical link performances comparison

Advances in microelectronics have significantly increased the computing power of processors. However, this computing power is useless if it is not fed with sufficient information; the transmission medium has therefore become the determining factor in the performance of today's electronic systems. The study of this medium is therefore crucial to understanding and developing high-performance systems. Whether transmission is via copper, free space, or glass, the intrinsic characteristics of the propagation medium, which will limit the performance of the link, must be taken into account.

In these three cases, the parameters to be taken into account when comparing electrical and optical connections are:

• mitigation;

• bandwidth;

• operating temperature;...