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.