Abstract:
We present a novel dispersion equalizer design for the compensation of chromatic dispersion and chromatic dispersion slope in WDM systems. The device is based on a cascad...Show MoreMetadata
Abstract:
We present a novel dispersion equalizer design for the compensation of chromatic dispersion and chromatic dispersion slope in WDM systems. The device is based on a cascade of complex quasi-periodic chirped fiber Bragg gratings. We show that the use of a low chirp results in the distribution of the resonating cavities along the optical fiber length, which allows reconfiguration of the spectral characteristics by the application of a temperature profile. This paper exposes in detail the numerical techniques used in the optimization of the fiber Bragg grating filters taking into account fabrication imperfections. We present a specific design for a 32-channel dispersion equalizer for 10 Gbit/s and a 50-GHz channel spacing. We examine the spectral characterization of a device fabricated using a phase-apodized mask for various settings of the chromatic dispersion profile. We demonstrate a tuning range of plusmn800 ps/nm over a bandwidth of 30 GHz. On average, the standard deviation of the phase ripple was below 0.1 rad. Finally, we evaluate the performance of this device by bit error rate measurements.
Published in: Journal of Lightwave Technology ( Volume: 26, Issue: 16, August 2008)