Long-span single-mode fiber transmission characteristics in long wavelength regions

Experimental and analytical results on high-speed optical pulse transmission characteristics for long-span single-mode fibers by using InGaAsP lasers, emitting at 1.1, 1.3, and 1.5 μm, as well as a Ge-APD are reported. At 1.1 μm, 400 Mbit/s transmission experiments were successfully carried out with 20 km repeater spacing. At 1.3 μm, where single-mode fiber dispersions approach zero, error rate characteristics showed that optical power penalties at 100 Mbits/s and 1.2 Gbits/s are negligible even after 30 and 23 km fiber transmission, respectively. It was confirmed that a 1.6 Gbit/s transmission system has 15 km repeater spacing. At 1.5 μm, where silica fibers have ultimately minimum loss, single-mode fiber transmission experiments were carried out at 100 Mbits/s with about 30 km repeater spacing. 400 Mbit/s transmission characteristics using 20 km fibers were also studied. Fiber bandwidths, measured by optical pulse broadenings after 20 km transmission, were 24, 140, and 37 GHz . km . nm at 1.1, 1.3, and 1.5 μm, respectively. Progress in lasers, fibers, and optical delay equalizers at 1.5μm will bring about large-capacity transmission systems having about 150 km repeater spacing. These results reveal fiber dispersion characteristics in the long wavelength region essential to high data rate single-mode fiber transmission system design.     

Single and multimode fiber bandwidth measurements with single and multilongitudinal mode lasers operating at 0.8-, 1.3-, and 1.5-µm wavelength

The bandwidth characteristics of single and multimode optical fibers have been investigated with single and multilongitudinal mode laser sources operating at 0.8, 1.3, and 1.5 μm. It is shown that single-mode fiber with a cutoff wavelength of 1.3 μm can support 1 Gb/s transmission over at least 7.5 km with a 0.8-μm laser source.     

Fabrication of dispersion-free VAD single-mode fibers in the 1.5-µm wavelength region

Low-loss and low-dispersion single-mode fibers in the 1.5- μm wavelength region were fabricated by the VAD method. Causes for loss increase in these fibers were investigated. By improving uniformities in the refractive index, both in core section and along the core axis, minimum loss of 0.35 dB/km at 1.55 μm was obtained. Bending loss of the 1.5-μm optimized single-mode fiber was also discussed.     

Gigabit/s optical receiver sensitivity and zero-dispersion single-mode fiber transmission at 1.55 µm

High-speed pulse response and receiver sensitivity at 1.55 μm were measured at data rates ranging from 400 Mbits/s to 2 Gbits/s, in order to elucidate characteristics of a reach-through p+nn- Ge APD. The p+nn- Ge APD receiver provided a 2 Gbit/s received optical power level of -32.0 dBm at 1.55μm and a 10^-9error rate, which was 4 dB better than the receiving level with a p+n Ge APD. Detector performance at 1.3μm was also studied for comparison with performance at 1.55μm. Single-mode fibers, which have 0.54 dB/km loss and zero dispersion at 1.55μm, and an optical transmitter-receiver, whose repeater gain is 29.2 dB, have enabled 51.5 km fiber transmission at 2 Gbits/s. The transmission system used in this study has a data rate repeater-spacing product of 103 (Gbits/s) . km at 1.55μm. Optical pulse broadening and fiber dispersion were also studied, using 1.55 and 1.3μm dispersion-free fibers. Future repeater spacing prospects for PCM-IM single-mode fiber transmission systems are discussed based on these experimental results.     

Long-wavelength optical fiber communication

Recent research on long-wavelength lightwave communication utilizing the wavelength region between 1.3 and 1.6 µm is reviewed with an eye toward future system development. The attraction of the long-wavelength region is the availability of the ultimately low-loss and wide-band features of the silica fiber, where minimum loss is 0.27 dB/km at a wavelength of 1.3 µm and 0.16 dB/km at 1.55 µm. The single-mode fiber has found its first significant applications in long-wavelength systems. The specific characteristics of lightwave components are discussed with focus on physical fundamentals. The practical performance of fibers and lightwave devices is surveyed. The dynamic properties of long-wavelength laser diodes are discussed in relation to fiber characteristics. The noise characteristics of long-wavelength detectors are considered for the purpose of specifying the repeater spacing. Some system studies are reviewed, for example, 1.3-µm-wavelength lightwave systems, which have demonstrated bandwidth-distance products of about 40 GHz ċ km. Various approaches to extend the capacity of long-wavelength lightwave transmission are given. In the future, the 1.5-µm wavelength system could operate at the lowest loss wavelength region extending from 1.5 to 1.65 µm. Much higher performance, for example, bandwidth-distance products of 185 GHz ċ km, achieved by further continuation of research and development on lightwave sources as well as fibers. Because of the author's familiarity with work in Japan, that work is emphasized and most frequently cited.     

Interplay of design parameters and fabrication conditions on the performance of monomode fibers made by MCVD

An apparently undocumented loss mechanism in monomode fibers with germanium doped cores is demonstrated. This loss increases as the fiber drawing temperature and/or the germanium concentration increases. By consideration of this mechanism in the fiber design and fabrication, losses lower than previously reported have been achieved both in fiber with low germanium concentration (0.38 dB/km at 1.3 μm) and in higher doped, dispersion shifted fiber (0.37 dB/km at 1.55μm). The constraints on fiber design as a consequence of this loss mechanism are discussed.     

Dispersion and bandwidth spectra in single-mode fibers

Bandwidth spectra of single-mode fibers are calculated from experimentally obtained chromatic-dispersion-versus-wavelength curves. Results include second-order effects on bandwidth which depend on the curvature of the dispersion curves. Examples illustrate how bandwidth spectra change as a function of source power spectra. They also show how small changes in fiber dimensions and refractive-index differences can cause significant bandwidth changes at 1.3 μm wavelength.     

A review of single-mode fibers with modified dispersion characteristics

Standard first-generation single-mode fibers are optimized for operation at a wavelength of 1.3 μm, where they exhibit zero dispersion. By modifying the fiber design it is possible to shift the zero dispersion wavelength to 1.55 μm, where the lowest losses occur in silica-based fibers. Advanced fiber structures can also be designed such that relatively flat dispersion spectra can be achieved over a wide range of wavelengths. In this paper, the theoretical and practical attempts to develop advanced fiber designs have been reviewed.     

A universal fiber-optic (UFO) measurement system based on a near-IR fiber Raman laser

A universal fiber-optic measurement system, which is useful for measuring loss and dispersion in the1.06-1.6 mum wavelength region, is described. The source is a silica fiber Raman laser pumped by a mode-locked andQ-switched Nd:YAG laser at 1.06 μm. Subnanosecond multiple-Stokes pulses in the1.1-1.6 mum wavelength region are generated in a low-loss single-mode silica fiber. The use of this near-infrared fiber Raman laser for characterizing various transmission properties of single and multimode test fibers is demonstrated. Loss spectra, intramodal dispersion, and intermodal dispersion data are obtained in the wavelength region of minimum loss and minimum material dispersion for silica fibers.     

Design and performance of ultra-low-loss single-mode fiber cable in 1.5-µm wavelength region

The structural optimization of single-mode fiber for use in the 1.5-μm wavelength region is made with the aim of minimizing the total transmission-line loss over a repeater section. For example, the optimum ranges of the mode-field radius w0and effective cutoff wavelength λceare determined as 5.5 μmleq w_{0} leq 6.5 mum and 1.35μmleq lambda_{ce} leq 1.53 mum for high bit-rate transmission systems with a repeater spacing of 80 km. Based upon the design, ultra-low-loss single-mode fiber cables are fabricated. The average loss of 108 fibers in the cables is 0.19 dB/km at 1.55 μm. The total loss of a 216-km-long fiber link containing 107 splice points was 46.3 dB. Good loss stability at high temperatures as well as during the cable manufacturing processes, are achieved by the appropriate choices of coating materials and optimized fiber parameters.     

High-speed optical pulse transmission at 1.29-µm wavelength using low-loss single-mode fibers

Optical-fiber transmission experiments in the 1.3-μm wavelength region are reported. GaInAsP/InP double-heterostructure semiconductor laser emitting at 1.293 μm is modulated directly in nonreturn-to-zero (NRZ) codes at digit rates tanging from 100 Mbit/s to 1.2 Gbit/s. Its output is transmitted through low-loss GeO2-doped single-mode silica fibers in 11-km lengths. Transmitted optical signals are detected by a high-speed Ge avalanche photodiode. Overall loss of the 11-km optical fibers, including 11 splices, is 15.5 dB at 1.3 μm. Average received optical power levels necessary for 10^-9error rate are -39.9 dBm at 100 Mbit/s and -29.1 dBm at 1.2 Gbit/s. In the present system configuration, the repeater spacing is limited by loss rather than dispersion. It seems feasible that a more than 30 km repeater spacing at 100 Mbit/s and a more than 20 km even at 1.2 Gbit/s can be realized with low-loss silica fiber cables, whose loss is less than 1 dB/km. Distinctive features and problems associated with this experimental system and constituent devices are discussed.     

Chalcogenide glass fibers for mid-infrared transmission

Chalcogenide glass fibers for mid-infrared transmission have been fabricated in As-S, As-Ge-Se, and Ge-S glass systems using high purity materials. The preparation of unclad, Teflon FEP clad, and chalcogenide glass clad fibers and their transmission loss characteristics are reported. It is found that appropriate glass compositions for drawing low-loss fibers are limited to the narrow ranges in the glass-forming regions. The minimum losses obtained are 35 dB/km at 2.44μm for As40S60unclad fiber, 182 dB/km at 2.12 μm for As38Ge5Se57unclad fiber, and 148 dB/km at 1.68 μm for Ge20S80unclad fiber. It is shown that hydrogen impurity absorptions and short-wavelength weak absorption tails seriously enhance loss in the fibers. It is also suggested that ultralow loss cannot be achieved due to the existence of the weak absorption tail. However, it is expected that the chalcogenide glass fibers can be used in short fiber-length applications such as in the remote monitoring and delivery of CO laser radiation. This is due to their wide operating wavelength ranges of0.9-6mum for As-S,1.3-9mum for As-Ge-Se, and0.8-5mum for Ge-S, in which losses can be reduced to below 1 dB/m.     

Transmission characteristics of long spliced graded-index optical fibers at 1.27µm

Transmission characteristics of graded-index fibers at 1.27 μm are investigated. Bandwidth measurements are made in the frequency domain by using a CW GaInAsP laser diode modulated by a sinusoidal signal. For a germanium pbosphosilicate fiber, the optimum index profile at 1.27 μm is determined as 1.98. It is shown that optimum profile at 0.83 μm is 2.08 and there exists a large profile dispersion effect: for example, the experimental maximum 3-dB bandwidth at 1.27 μm decreases to one-third at 0.83 μm. Length dependence of bandwidth is investigated for 48 km long spliced graded-index fibers at 1.27 μm. It is verified that using a simplified transmission model in which mode conversion is assumed at splicing points, the bandwidths of long spliced fibers are predicted with satisfactory accuracy in terms of unit fiber transfer functions.     

Transmission characteristics of a single-mode fiber in the 1.3-µm wavelength region

Transmission characteristics of 1.3-μm-band single-mode optical fibers were studied experimentally and theoretically. OH-ion content dependence of optical loss in the 1.3-μm region was investigated on single-mode fibers fabricated by the VAD method. The optical loss was evaluated for OH-ion content by calculating correlation factors between the optical loss and 1.39-μm OH-peak absorption loss. It was clarified that the optical loss calculated by correlation factors agreed approximately with the loss given by Lorentzian absorption in case of 0.0253-μm absorption half width, Next, the relationship between chromatic dispersion and fiber parameters was studied for step-index single-mode fibers. It was found that the zero-dispersion wavelength and the incline at the wavelength was expressed as simple functions of effective cutoff wavelength and relative index difference. Experimentally obtained zero-dispersion wavelengths on single-mode fibers fabricated by the VAD method were found to be in excellent agreement with the calculated values.     

Polarization dispersion measurement in long single-mode fibers with zero dispersion wavelength at 1.5 µm

Polarization dispersion in 1 km long single-mode fibers is measured by observing the wavelength dependence of fiber birefringence. A typical measured value is 0.24 ps/km at the 1.2 μm wavelength. The measured wavelength dependence of polarization dispersion is explained well by a theory taking into account elliptical core deformation. Fitted core ellipticity values for the two test fibers are 0.012 and 0.003.     

The Design and Fabrication of Monomode Optical Fiber

The design of monomode fibers is discussed in the context of optimizing fiber loss and dispersion simultaneously, with reference to the materials choices and limitations to preform and fiber fabrication by the MCVD technique. Two classes of monomode structure-matched cladding and depressed cladding-are considered. Ultralow attenuation has been achieved reproducibly in both classes of fiber. The control of fiber geometry and dispersion is also discussed. Matched cladding fiber suitable for systems operating at both 1.3 and 1.55 µm has been studied and mean losses of 0.45 dB/km at 1.3 µm and 0.28 dB/km at 1.55 µm have been achieved for a total of 130 km. The behavior of depressed cladding fiber is compared with predictions from the theory of propagation in W fibers. Depressed cladding fiber with stable guidance has been demonstrated with attenuation of 0.37 dB/km at 1.3 µm and 0.21 dB/km at 1.55 µm.     

Gigabit/s Optical Receiver Sensitivity and Zero-Dispersion Single-Mode Fiber Transmission at 1.55 µm

High-speed pulse response and receiver sensitivity at 1.55 µm were measured at data rates ranging from 400 Mbits/s to 2 Gbits/s, in order to elucidate characteristics of a reach-through p/sup +/nn/sup -/ Ge APD. The p/sup +/nn/sup -/ Ge APD receiver provided a 2 Gbit/s received optical power level of -32.0 dBm at 1.55 µm and a 10/sup -9/ error rate, which was 4 dB better than the receiving level with a p/sup +/n Ge APD. Detector performance at 1.3 µm was also studied for comparison with performance at 1.55 um. Single-mode fibers, which have 0.54 dB/km loss and zero dispersion at 1.55 µm, and an optical transmitter-receiver, whose repeater gain is 29.2 dB, have enabled 51.5 km fiber transmission at 2 Gbits/s. The transmission system used in this study has a data rate repeater-spacing product of 103 (Gbits/s) /spl dot/ km at 1.55 µm. Optical pulse broadening and fiber dispersion were also studied, using 1.55 and 1.3 µm dispersion free fibers. Future repeater spacing prospects for PCM-IM single-mode fiber transmission systems are discussed based on these experimental results.     

Antimony oxide-doped silica fibers fabricated by the VAD method

This paper presents a study of antimony oxide as an alternative dopant material for silica optical fibers using the VAD method. It takes a detailed look at fabrication processes and their conditions for graded-index multimode fibers having a 1.0-percent relative refractive index difference. Results reveal a minimum loss value and a residual OH ion content of 7.0 dB/km at 1.65μm and 50 ppb. Furthermore, measurements are made for fundamental properties, such as loss reliability, refractive index dispersion, and transmission loss below the 1.0-μm wavelength due to Sb⁴⁺centers. Finally, the paper discusses the advantages and suitable applications for antimony oxide-doped silica fibers.     

Transmission characteristics and reliability of pure-silica-core single-mode fibers

Transmission characteristics and reliability for pure-silica-core single-mode fiber with matched cladding are presented. On account of the "pure" silica core, without any additives, the fiber features the low attenuation and improved chemical stability under the existence of hydrogen and γ-ray radiation. High mechanical reliability and good splicing behavior of the fibers were also confirmed. More than 2000 km of pure-silica-core fiber have been fabricated, exhibiting median attenuation of 0.35 dB/km at 1.3 μm and 0.21 dB/ km at 1.55 μm. The achieved minimum attenuation was 0.154 dB/km at1.55-1.56 mum, which is the lowest attenuation ever reported.     

Repeater spacing of 280 Mbit/s single-mode fiber-optic transmission system using 1.55 µm laser diode source

This paper describes an attainable repeater spacing for a high bit-rate single-mode fiber-optic transmission in the 1.55 μm wavelength region where laser mode partition noise comes to be significant. An expression for evaluating mode partition noise is given as the form involving the influence of laser spectral fluctuations under high bit-rate modulation, together with the intersymbol interference and the equalized pulse shape in tile optical receiver. After the validity of its numerical results is confirmed experimentally, the resulting evaluation of laser mode partition noise is connected to a systematic discussion on the attainable repeater spacing of a 280 Mbit/s fiber-optic transmission system operating at 1.55 μm, along with fiber loss versus dispersion tradeoffs. This discussion permits the attainable repeater spacing to be 60-70 km for the combination of a laser diode with 1.5-2.0 nm spectrum broadening and a fiber with the loss of 0.5 dB/km and the dispersion of 4-6 ps/km - nm.