Vidak Vujicic

Flexible terabit/s Nyquist-WDM super-channels using a gain-switched comb source

Terabit/s super-channels are likely to become the standard for next-generation optical networks and optical interconnects. A particularly promising approach exploits optical frequency combs for super-channel generation. We show that injection locking of a gain-switched laser diode can be used to generate frequency combs that are particularly well suited for terabit/s super-channel transmission. This approach stands out due to its extraordinary stability and flexibility in tuning both center wavelength and line spacing. We perform a series of transmission experiments using different comb line spacings and modulation formats. Using 9 comb lines and 16QAM signaling, an aggregate line rate (net data rate) of 1.296 Tbit/s (1.109 Tbit/s) is achieved for transmission over 150 km of standard single mode fiber (SSMF) using a spectral bandwidth of 166.5 GHz, which corresponds to a (net) spectral efficiency of 7.8 bit/s/Hz (6.7 bit/s/Hz). The line rate (net data rate) can be boosted to 2.112 Tbit/s (1.867 Tbit/s) for transmission over 300 km of SSMF by using a bandwidth of 300 GHz and QPSK modulation on the weaker carriers. For the reported net data rates and spectral efficiencies, we assume a variable overhead of either 7% or 20% for forward- error correction depending on the individual sub-channel quality after fiber transmission.

WDM-OFDM-PON Based on Compatible SSB Technique Using a Mode Locked Comb Source

We report on a wavelength division multiplexed-orthogonal frequency division multiplexed-passive optical network (WDM-OFDM-PON), for downstream transmission, based on a tunable mode locked comb source. The 12.75 Gb/s compatible single side-band (SSB) OFDM signal is used to modulate 10 comb tones separated by 10 GHz. Net spectral efficiencies of 1.12 and 1 bit/s/Hz were achieved in conjunction with the use of low complexity electronics. Transmission over 50 and 87 km of standard single mode fiber was successfully demonstrated. The incurred penalty after transmission over 50 km was at a bit error rate (BER) of 3×10-3, relative to the back-to-back case. All channels after 87 km transmission achieved performance below the 20% forward error correction (FEC) limit.

Phase noise analysis of injected gain switched comb source for coherent communications.

We present experimentally and analytically the phase noise characterization of an externally injected gain switched comb source. The results reveal the residual high frequency FM noise in the comb lines, which stays unnoticed in the optical linewidth value but leads to an increased phase-error variance. The potential impact of the residual phase noise is investigated in a 10.7 GBaud optical DQPSK system where a 2 dB power penalty is recorded at BER of 10(-9). In a 10.7 GBaud digital coherent QPSK system no penalty is observed but with 5 GBaud 16-QAM format a 3 dBpenalty exists at the FEC limit of 4.4e-3.

Quantum Dash Mode-Locked Lasers for Data Centre Applications

The authors demonstrate single-polarisation WDM transmission with capacities higher than 400 Gb/s and 1 Tb/s, and show the possibility of obtaining capacity in excess of 4 Tb/s for interconnect applications within and between data centres, based on a single laser source. Quantum Dash (Q-Dash) passively mode-locked lasers (PMLLs), with free spectral ranges of 82.8, 44.7, and 10.2 GHz, were used for the generation of a large number of carriers, enabling high data rate transmission. The terabit per second transmission using Q-Dash MLLs was demonstrated in this paper, and was enabled using intensity modulated and directly detected (IM/DD) single-side band orthogonal frequency-division multiplexed signals. The system performance was investigated for a propagation distance of 3 and 50 km of standard single mode fibre indicating the potential for interconnect applications within and between data centres. The relative intensity noise (RIN) of all Q-Dash devices was characterised, and the effect of RIN on the system performance was investigated by examining the error-vector magnitude of OFDM subcarriers over the desired frequency range.

Performance Investigation of IM/DD Compatible SSB-OFDM Systems Based on Optical Multicarrier Sources

The authors investigate and compare the performance of three different optical frequency comb sources in an intensity modulated and directly detected compatible SSB OFDM system. The influence of relative intensity noise and carrier-to-noise ratio of the different multicarrier sources, on the performance of a 12.5 Gb/s compatible SSB OFDM system, were investigated experimentally and by simulation. The results obtained show that, system performance depends significantly on the relative intensity noise and carrier-to-noise ratio levels of the specific multicarrier optical source employed. However, it is shown that optical multicarrier sources with low relative intensity noise and high carrier-to-noise ratio levels can assure very good performance in a WDM-OFDM system.

25-Gb/s OFDM 60-GHz Radio Over Fiber System Based on a Gain Switched Laser

A 25-Gb/s OFDM 60-GHz radio over fiber (RoF) transmission system employing a gain switched DFB laser for millimeter-wave generation is demonstrated. Transmission performance below the 7% FEC limit is achieved over 50 km of fiber initially by employing precompensation. This precompensation overcomes phase noise caused by the optical phase decorrelation induced by chromatic dispersion on the two optical channels separated by 60 GHz. An externally injected gain switched laser is subsequently employed to eradicate the need for the precompensation, thus reducing phase noise and increasing the tolerance to the induced time delay between the optical tones. Transmission performance below the 7% limit is achieved over 25 km of fiber with 2-m wireless transmission in this case.

Chromatic Dispersion-Induced Optical Phase Decorrelation in a 60 GHz OFDM-RoF System

We propose and demonstrate a 25-Gb/s 16-quadrature amplitude modulation orthogonal frequency division multiplexing 60-GHz radio over fiber transmission system based on a gain-switched optical comb source. The impact of the phase noise caused by the optical phase decorrelation due to the chromatic dispersion is theoretically studied and experimentally investigated by employing a high linewidth comb source and transmitting over a 50-km standard single-mode fiber reel. A time delay precompensation is deployed based on the study of phase noise in order to reduce the phase noise impact, and thereby improve system performance.

Software-defined control-plane for wavelength selective unicast and multicast of optical data in a silicon photonic platform

We demonstrate a programmable control-plane based on field programmable gate array (FPGA) with a power-efficient algorithm for optical unicast, multicast, and broadcast functionalities in a silicon photonic platform. The platform includes a silicon photonic 1×8 microring array chip which in conjunction with a fast tunable laser over the C-band is capable of delivering software controlled wavelength selective functionality on top of spatial switching. We characterize the thermo-optic response of microring resonators and extract key parameters necessary for the development of the control-plane. The performance of the proposed architecture is tested with 10 Gb/s on-off keying (OOK) optical data and error-free operation is verified for various wavelength and spatial switching scenarios. Lastly, we evaluate electrical power and energy consumption required to reconfigure the silicon photonic device for all possible wavelength operations and output ports combinations and show that unicast, multicast of two, three, four, five, six, seven, and broadcast functions are achieved with energy overheads of 0.02, 0.07, 0.18, 0.49, 0.76, 1.01, 1.3, and 1.55 pJ/bit, respectively.

100 km coherent Nyquist ultradense wavelength division multiplexed passive optical network using a tunable gain-switched comb source

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a long-reach Nyquist ultradense wavelength division multiplexed passive optical network using a tunable optical frequency comb source and a digital coherent receiver. Each of the six comb tones on a 12.5 GHz grid is modulated with a 12 Gbaud Nyquist polarization division multiplexed quadrature phase shift keyed signal which includes a 20% overhead for forward error correction. Unrepeated downlink transmission of 100 km is demonstrated at three different operating wavelengths across the C-band. A worst-case channel sensitivity of -35.3 dBm (59 photons/bit) is achieved at a bit error rate of 1.5 × 10-2, yielding a system loss budget of 35.7 dB.

Pilot-tone-aided transmission of high-order QAM for optical packet switched networks

We investigate novel pilot-aided transmission of high-order quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) modulation formats for optical packet-switched networks. The proposed modulation scheme employs a pilot tone operating at the baud rate for noncoherent reception that is highly immune to laser phase noise. The results show that the system performance equivalent to static operation is achieved 5 ns after wavelength switching of a sampled grating distributed Bragg reflector (SG-DBR) tunable laser.