Roland Ryf

Mode-Division Multiplexing Over 96 km of Few-Mode Fiber Using Coherent 6

We report simultaneous transmission of six spatial and polarization modes, each carrying 40 Gb/s quadrature-phase-shift-keyed channels over 96 km of a low-differential group delay few-mode fiber. The channels are successfully recovered by offline DSP based on coherent detection and multiple-input multiple-output processing. A penalty of <;1.2 dB is achieved by using 6 × 6 feed-forward equalizers with 120 taps each. The 6 × 6 impulse-response matrix fully characterizing the few-mode fiber is presented, revealing the coupling characteristics between the modes. The results are obtained using mode multiplexers based on phase plates with a mode selectivity of >;28 dB.

\,\times\,

Mode-division multiplexing over 33-km few-mode fiber is investigated. It is shown that 6×6 MIMO processing can be used to almost completely compensate for crosstalk and intersymbol interference due to mode coupling in a system that transmits uncorrelated 28-GBaud QPSK signals on the six spatial and polarization modes supported by a novel few-mode fiber.

6 MIMO Processing

We demonstrate the transmission of 6 independent, spatially- and polarization multiplexed 28-Gb/s QPSK signals over 10 km of three-mode fiber using mode-selective excitation and full coherent 6 × 6 MIMO processing.

6×56-Gb/s mode-division multiplexed transmission over 33-km few-mode fiber enabled by 6×6 MIMO equalization

We demonstrate a 3x1 fiber-based photonic lantern spatial-multiplexer with mode-selectivity greater than 6 dB and transmission loss of less than 0.3 dB. The total insertion loss of the mode-selective multiplexers when coupled to a graded-index few-mode fiber was < 2 dB. These mode multiplexers showed mode-dependent loss below 0.5 dB. To our knowledge these are the lowest insertion and mode-dependent loss devices, which are also fully compatible with conventional few-mode fiber technology and broadband operation.

Space-division multiplexing over 10 km of three-mode fiber using coherent 6 × 6 MIMO processing

Optical fibers have often been considered to offer effectively infinite capacity to support the rapid traffic growth essential to our information society. However, as demand has grown and technology has developed, we have begun to realize that there is a fundamental limit to fiber capacity of ~ 100 Tb/s per fiber for systems based on conventional single-core single-mode optical fiber as the transmission medium. This limit arises from the interplay of a number of factors including the Shannon limit, optical fiber nonlinearities, the fiber fuse effect, as well as optical amplifier bandwidth. This article reviews the most recent research efforts around the globe launched over the past few years with a view to overcome these limitations and substantially increase capacity by exploring the last degree of freedom available: the spatial domain. Central to this effort has been the development of brand new fibers for space-division multiplexing and mode-division multiplexing.

Mode-selective photonic lanterns for space-division multiplexing.

This paper describes Si-micromachined two-axis beam-steering micromirrors and their performance in 256 /spl times/ 256- and 1024 /spl times/ 1024-port large optical cross-connects (OXCs). The high-reflectivity wavelength-independent mirrors are electrostatically actuated; capable of large, continuous, controlled, dc tilt in any direction at moderate actuation voltages; and allow setting times of a few milliseconds. Packaged two-dimensional (2-D) arrays containing independently addressable identical 256 and 1296 mirrors are used to build fully functional bitrate and wavelength-independent single-stage, low-insertion-loss, single-mode fiber OXC fabrics.

Enhancing optical communications with brand new fibers

We introduce a general concept for the design of all-optical wavelength converters with pulse reformatting functionality. The novel wavelength converters are based on a single semiconductor optical amplifier followed by an optical filter. A microelectromechanical system-based realization is shown and simultaneous 40 Gb/s wavelength conversion, switching and signal format conversion is demonstrated. The new pulse reformatting optical filter device outperforms current schemes with respect to input-power requirements, input-power dynamic range and signal quality.

Beam-steering micromirrors for large optical cross-connects

We demonstrate the characterization of optical sources with high sensitivity, high temporal resolution, and phase sensitivity using linear optical sampling. Eye diagrams and constellation diagrams are reconstructed using the interference of the source under test with a train of sampling pulses. This concept is implemented using a waveguide optical hybrid, which splits and recombines the sources and adjusts the phase between the recombined signals to provide optimal detection. This diagnostic is used to characterize on-off keyed (OOK) waveforms at rates up to 640 Gb/s and various phase-shift keyed (PSK) signals at 10 and 40 Gb/s.

All-optical wavelength conversion using a pulse reformatting optical filter

Low differential group delay (DGD) between the modes of a graded-index few-mode fiber is obtained by combining segments with DGD of opposite sign. Transmission of mode-multiplexed 6×20-GBd QPSK over a record distance of 1200 km is demonstrated.

Measurement of eye diagrams and constellation diagrams of optical sources using linear optics and waveguide technology

This work presents a high-resolution (13.2 GHz) channel-blocking optical filter, suitable for use as a reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM), which seamlessly supports data rates from 2.5 to 160 Gb/s. The filter consists of a linear array of 64 MEMS micromirrors and a high-dispersion echelle grating. The demonstrated device had an insertion loss of 9 dB, a loss ripple of 1.2 dB, and a group delay ripple of 15 ps. Data transmission through the device with various mixed data rate scenarios ranging from 2.5 to 160 Gb/s showed negligible penalty, except at 40 Gb/s where a maximum penalty of 1.5 dB was observed due to a phase coherence with the blocker filter ripple.