Title :
Chirp-inducing mechanisms in Mach-Zehnder modulators and their effect on 10 Gb/s NRZ transmission studied using tunable-chirp single drive devices
Author :
Bravetti, P. ; Ghislotti, G. ; Balsamo, S.
Author_Institution :
Avanex Corp., Milan, Italy
Abstract :
We study the effects of different mechanisms inducing chirp in single-drive Mach-Zehnder modulators (MZM). In particular, we compare the effect of optical power splitting ratio unbalance with radio frequency modulation unbalance on the two interferometer arms. The better transmission performances of optically unbalanced modulators are ascribed to the different shape of time resolved chirp factor. Finally, we demonstrate error-free uncompensated transmission over 130-km fiber span.
Keywords :
Mach-Zehnder interferometers; chirp modulation; optical fibre communication; optical fibre dispersion; optical modulation; optical transmitters; optical tuning; 10 Gbit/s; 130 km; Mach-Zehnder modulators; RZ transmission; chirp-inducing mechanism; optical power splitting ratio unbalance; radio frequency modulation unbalance; time resolved chirp factor; tunable-chirp single-drive devices; Arm; Chirp modulation; Optical fiber communication; Optical fiber dispersion; Optical interferometry; Optical modulation; Optical signal processing; Optical transmitters; Phase modulation; Radio frequency;
Journal_Title :
Lightwave Technology, Journal of
DOI :
10.1109/JLT.2003.822676
