All-fibre DFB laser sources as highly reliable transmitters for high speed WDM systems

Abstract

WDM transmission systems have received growing attention over the last few years because of their obvious advantages when upgrading existing systems to operate at higher data-rates. Operating at bit-rates of 10 Gbit/s and above requires compensation of the chromatic dispersion suffered in the existing fibres. Dispersion compensation with single channel chirped fibre gratings has been demonstrated on numerous occasions. Transmitting multiple WDM-channels the relative channel spacings are of great importance. The periodic spectral response and identical multiple channel characteristics of the recently developed sinc-sampled grating makes it a very attractive WDM device. DFB fibre lasers exhibit ideal source characteristics being an inherently fibre compatible device. The operating wavelengths can readily be manufactured with high accuracy to achieve a constant frequency separation using current grating writing techniques. They can also be designed to lase in a single polarisation whilst single-sided lasing output by offsetting the phase-shift from the centre position increases the potential further.
In this paper we combine the devices and demonstrate an all-fibre WDM transmission system comprising 4 high power DFB fibre lasers operating with single sided and single polarisation outputs. The lasers are demonstrated to be reliable signal sources in a 4x10 Gbit/s, 100 GHz channel spacing WDM transmission experiment over 200 km of standard fibre with robust dispersion compensation performed by a single 4 channel 100 GHz spacing chirped sinc-sampled fibre Bragg grating.

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ORCID for M.N. Zervas: orcid.org/0000-0002-0651-4059

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