Optimizing the efficiency of Fiber-Optics Technology in Telecommunications systems

Fiber-Optics networks are high capacity networks that meet rapidly growing demand for bandwidth in the emerging Telecommunication industry. However, there are several impairment factors that inhibit the optimal efficiency of Fiber-Optics Technology. This paper investigates the impact of Chromatic Dispersion (CD) on the performance of a standard single mode 10 Gb/s non-return-to-zero (NRZ) Fiber-Optic transmission link. The Nonlinear Schrodinger (NLS) wave equation is used to model pulse propagation in a single mode fiber. The paper focuses on analyzing Chromatic Dispersion induced penalties in the transmission link. It also presents an analysis of Dispersion Compensation Fiber (DCF) Chromatic Dispersion compensation technique in a 10 Gb/s Fiber-Optic transmission link. This is achieved by simulating the effects of Chromatic Dispersion using OptSim virtual instrument (OptSim 5.2). The eye opening/closure, estimated bit error ratio (BER) and the Q-factor were observed from the eye diagrams. The analysis reveals that Chromatic Dispersion degrades overall performance of Fiber-Optics, especially in a long haul transmission link. We therefore suggest that appropriate dispersion compensation technique(s) be considered during Fiber-Optic Telecommunications system design to optimize the efficiency of the technology.