2016 Progress In Electromagnetic Research Symposium (PIERS), Shanghai, China, 8–11 August

Effectiveness Evaluation of Dispersion Compensation Methods for

Fiber-optical Transmission Systems
Valts Dilendorfs, Sandis Spolitis, and Vjaceslavs Bobrovs
Institute of Telecommunications, Riga Technical University, Riga, Latvia

Abstract— In this paper authors demonstrate different dispersion compensation methods for
single channel and multiple channels WDM fiber-optical transmission systems operating within
C-band frequencies. Dispersion compensation is achieved using two main methods — dispersion
compensating fiber (DCF) and fiber Bragg grating (FBG). In this paper main goal is to achieve the
longest fiber-optical cable line after dispersion compensation using both DCF and FGB methods
at different locations in the fiber-optical line. All the results are obtained at the reference point
when BER < 10−12 . At first, dispersion compensation is done for single channel using both DCF
and FGB dispersion compensation methods. After that experiments are repeated for multiple
channel WDM fiber-optic transmission systems with 100 GHz channel spacing. The result of
this work will show how dispersion affects single and multiple channels using different one band
wavelengths and also what kind of dispersion compensation is best for this experimental fiber-
optical transmission system.

1. INTRODUCTION
Technological development continues to evolve on a daily basis and there is no evidence that growth
rates could decrease. More and more different technologies are linked to the Internet, as a result
amount of data transmitted is increasing every year. The increase of data transmission speed and
implementation of new network technologies has given the opportunity to create new services for
Internet users, like, group video chat possibility, music and entertainment video streaming, faster
and more effective file sharing, cloud computing and many other services. Great transfer speed
and data capacity makes fiber optics suitable transmission environment in telecommunication.
Although in Latvia the majority of Internet users are using DSL, fiber optic network development
is relatively rapid. This is achieved by developing GPON fiber-optic connection which lets Latvian
population to obtain a data transfer rate of up to 400 Mbit/s, while data transfer rate available
for business customers reaches more than 1 Gbit/s limit [1] Increasing the transmission rate in the
optical fiber, the optical signal begins to display a destructive effect, which also will be studied
in this work. This effect is chromatic dispersion. According to the most recent Internet data
transmission rate review carried out by the company “Akamai” [2], Latvian average Internet speed
was estimated as the seventh fastest in world −16.7 Mbit/s. For speed like this there is no need to
think about chromatic dispersion effect, but for fiber optical networks backbone and transmission
speeds greater than 2.5 Gbit/s effect of chromatic dispersion must be taken into consideration [3, 4].
Because dispersion intersymbol interference (ISI), dispersion can completely corrupt transmitted
data and dispersion compensating methods must be used [4].
2. DISPERSION COMPENSATION METHODS
High-capacity WDM long-haul transmission systems with large channel counts and high channel
speeds (> 10 Gbit/s) are being proposed and deployed to meet the increasing demand for band-
width. In such systems, chromatic dispersion is one of the primary limits [5, 6]. There are two
approaches to combating the effects of dispersion. One is to design new fibers with reduced dis-
persion, and the other is to compensate the dispersion with dispersion compensation modules.
Standard SMF with a dispersion of around 17 ps/nm/km at 1550 nm wavelength limits the trans-
mission distance to less than 100 km for a system with 10 Gbit/s bit rate or higher [5–7]. To increase
the transmission distance, NZDSFs (Non-zero dispersion shifted fiber) with reduced dispersion co-
efficient (4 ps/nm/km at 1550 nm) were developed for WDM systems. However, even with NZDSFs,
some dispersion compensation at the terminals is needed for a 10 Gbit/s WDM system with 500 km
distance. For a 10 Gbit/s WDM system with a longer reach or a 40 Gbit/s WDM system, both
dispersion and dispersion slope compensation are required [8]. Different technologies have been
proposed to achieve dispersion and dispersion slope compensation. They can be classified into five
categories:
• Dispersion compensation fibers,

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• Higher order mode dispersion compensation fibers,

• Fiber Bragg grating-based devices,
• Virtual image-phased array (VIPA)-based devices,
• Planar waveguide-based devices [6, 7, 9].
Among the dispersion compensation technologies listed above, dispersion compensation fiber is
currently the best choice because it has good overall performance and has been proven to be a
reliable solution [10]. Although other technologies possess some unique features and potentials,
for example fiber Bragg gratings. If we induce a periodic modulation of refractive index along the
length in the core of the optical fiber, such a device, referred to as an optical fiber grating. Short-
period gratings are also called Bragg gratings (FBGs). Bragg gratings allows specific wavelengths
to propagate in the forward direction in the optical fiber, but also, acting like a mirror, it can reflect
specific wavelengths, reversing reflected wavelengths propagation direction in the fiber. Fiber Bragg
gratings find many applications in telecommunication and sensing, but in this paper author focuses
only about ability to compensate dispersion. In a uniform FBG, the period of the refractive index
modulation is constant along the length of the grating. If the period of the grating varies along its
length than it’s called chirped fiber Bragg grating. When light propagates through such a grating,
different wavelength components present in the incident wave will get reflected at different positions
along the grating. This will lead to different wavelength components having different time delays
to return to the input end. By using an appropriately chirped FBG, one can indeed compensate
for the differential delay of different wavelengths accumulated while propagating through an optical
fiber link [9, 11, 12].
3. EXPERIMENTAL SIMULATION MODEL FOR SINGLE-CHANNEL AND
8-CHANNEL WDM TRANSMISSION SYSTEM WITH DISPERSION COMPENSATION
This paper section shows realization of dispersion compensation for single-channel and 8-channel
WDM transmission systems using RSoft simulation program OptSim TM which is reliable and wide-
ly used for design of high-performance optical communication systems. Both simulation setups
includes continuous wave laser (CW) as light source, for data coding NRZ coder was chosen.
Mach-Zehnder amplitude modulator was used as optical signal modulator. For all simulations
transmission speed was set to 10 Gbit/s. Two main methods was used for dispersion compensation
(DC) — dispersion compensating fiber (DCF) and fiber Bragg grating (FBG) [9, 13, 15]. Single-
channel DC simulations were studied using two frequencies −193.1 THz and 195.9 THz. The aim
of that was to see how dispersion will affect performance of single-channel systems in two differ-
ent C-Band frequencies. For single-channel simulations laser frequency was set to 193.1 THz and
195.9 THz [14, 15].
The very first simulation was carried out with the aim to find out the maximum line length
of both systems for both frequencies. BER threshold for this transmission system is set as BER
< 10−12 , when channel reached this threshold, then that was accepted as maximum transmission
line length. Then simulations were carried out using dispersion compensating elements (DCF and
FBG) whose location in the system was changed with aim of clarifying how the location of dispersion
compensating elements affects DC After DC, another SMF fiber was added to see how much it is
possible to extend the length of the transmission line, depending on the method of dispersion
compensation. This is shown in Fig. 1. This was done first using only DCF and then switching it
with FBG. The same was done for 8-channel transmission system (see Fig. 2). Frequencies, starting
from 1st to 8th channel, were from 193.1 THz till 193.8 THz and from 195.9 THz till 196.6 THz.
After each DCF or FBG element, amplifier was used for compensation of dispersion compensation
elements insertion losses. At the end of the SMF line one more amplifier was used to amplify
signal power to −15.5 dBm level for all simulations, so it would be possible to receive signal above
receivers threshold (−23.92 dBm).
4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The maximum transmission line length, without DC, for single-channel, while BER threshold was
not exceeded (BER < 10−12 ) for 193.1 THz were L = 82.6 km (BER = 8.7·10−13 ), but for 195.9 THz
L = 89.9 km (BER = 4.3 · 10−13 ). Accumulated dispersions amount, which was compensated was
1321.6 ps/nm (at 193.1 THz) and 1312.5 ps/nm (at 195.9 THz). Using both dispersion compensat-
ing elements — DCF and FBG, it was possible to completely compensate dispersion. After the
compensation BER level in all single-channels simulations were BER < 10−40 or lower (see Fig. 3).

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Figure 1: Simulation model of single-channel 10 Gbit/s fiber optical transmission system with DC using DCF
in pre- and post-compensation for SMF span.

Figure 2: Simulation model of 8-channel 10 Gbit/s fiber optical system with DC using DCF in pre- and
post-compensation for SMF span.

(a) (b)
Figure 3: Eye diagrams for single-channel simulation (post-compensation). (a) Using FBG for 1321.6 ps/nm
compensation at 193.1 THz. (b) Using FBG for 1312.5 ps/nm compensation at 195.9 THz (Similar eye
diagrams were obtained in all other simulations).

The maximum line length, without DC, for 8-channel, for 193.1–193.8 THz band were L =
80.0 km (DC value −1280 ps/nm), but for 195.9 THz till 196.6 THz band were L = 89.4 km (DC
value −1428.8 ps/nm).
Six types of dispersion compensating combinations were tested (DC using DCF for pre-, post-,
pre- and post-compensation and that repeated with FBG). In total 24 simulations were conduct-
ed. After that another 24 simulations was carried out to determine maximal optical lines lengths,
which can be achieved after one time dispersion compensation, for all 24 dispersion compensating
combinations. Results are shown in Table 1. From Table 1 it is seen, that results which were
conducted at 193.1 THz (and 193.1–193.8 THz) is not so scattered, like it is seen with frequen-

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cies 195.9 THz (and 195.9–196.8 THz). The longest optical line for single-channel was achieved at
193.1 THz L = 156.3 km (when pre-DC was done) and at 195.9 THz L = 162.9 km (when pre- and
post-DC was done).
For 8-channel WDM system results are a bit different. At frequencies band 193.1–193.8 THz the
longest optical line was achieved L = 150.5 km but at 195.9–196.6 THz band the transmission dis-
tance was 168.3 km. Both results were achieved using FBG as DC solution. The L = 150.5 km was
achieved by using pre-DC for SMF, but the L = 168.3 km was achieved by using pre- and post-DC
for SMF. From Table 1 is also possible to see by how much it was possible to extend the optical line,
after performing DC for the SMF. Looking only at the average percentages at single-channel and
8-channels systems for both frequency ranges it was possible to tell which frequencies are affected
more by dispersion. For single-channel systems using 193.1 THz central frequency it was possible
to extended optical lines transmission length by average 45.7%, but using 195.9 THz the average
value was 43.4%. From this was concluded that using 193.1 THz optical fiber lines extension was
2.3% longer (about 3.50 km) compared to systems when 195.9 THz central transmission frequency
was used. For 8-channel systems similar results was obtained. In case of 8-channel WDM transmis-
sion system, the maximum achievable transmission length was extended by average 46.4%, when
channels central frequencies was from 193.1 to 193.8 THz, but using channels central frequencies
from 195.9 to 196.6 THz the value was 45.1%. Also for 8-channel systems lower frequencies gave
ability to extend the optical line by 1.3% longer (about 1.94 km) then using higher frequencies in
C-band.

Table 1: Maximal optical lines lengths for single-channel and 8-channel systems at 6 different DC combina-
tions.

3. Pre- 6. Pre-
4. Pre- 5. Post-
Without 1. Pre- 2. Post- and and
Frequencies DCmethods DC DC
DC DC(DCF) DC(DCF) Post- DC Post- DC
(FBG) (FBG)
(DCF) (FBG)

Max. line length, km 82.6 156.3 150.1 151.8 151.2 152.1 151.6
Single-
193.1 THz Extension length, km - 73.7 67.5 69v2 68.6 69.5 69
channel
Extension length, % - 47.2 45.0 45.6 45.4 45.7 45.5

Max. line length, km 89.9 159.8 156 162.9 157.3 158.6 159.0
Single-
195.9 THz Extension length, km - 69.9 66.1 73 67.4 68.7 69.1
channel
Extension length, % - 43.7 42.4 44.8 42.8 43.3 43.5

Max. line length, km 80 146.2 149.6 148.4 149.8 150.3 150.5

8- 193.1-193.8
Extension length, km - 66.2 69.6 68.4 69.8 70.3 70.5
channel THz
Extension length, % - 45.3 46.5 46.1 46.6 46.8 46.8

Max. line length, km 89.4 160.3 157.6 164.6 168.3 162.5 163.4
8- 195.9-196.6
Extension length, km - 70.9 68.2 75.2 78.9 73.1 74
channel THz
Extension length, % - 44.2 43.3 45.7 46.9 45.0 45.3

5. CONCLUSIONS
Both of tested dispersion compensation methods showed good performance for what the methods
were created. Both DC methods can completely compensate dispersion of long reach optical fiber
lines. The main differences between both methods are the difference in insertion losses DCF fiber
has relatively large insertion loss of about 0.5 dB/km which depends on the fiber length, but F-
BG insertion loss is fixed to 3–3.5 dB per device. From results were found, that optical fiber line
length will be shorter if dispersion compensating fiber (DCF) is used for post compensation for

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single-channel systems regardless of the central frequencies used for transmission. Second short-
est optical lines, for both central frequencies used for transmission, were obtained by using FBG
for pre- dispersion compensation. For single-channel systems DCF gave the longest optical fiber
transmission lines (156.3 km using 193.1 THz and 162.9 km using 195.9 THz) so it was concluded
that for the single-channels systems pre- or pre- and post-dispersions compensation are advisable
for DCF. However implementation of FBG provides stable results regardless of the location in the
fiber optical line. For 8-channel system using FBG gave the possibility to achieve the longest fiber
optical transmission lines for both frequencies rages that were used. The best results were achieved
using FBG for pre- or pre- and post-compensation for SMF. From that was concluded that it is
advisable to use FBG for dispersion compensation in WDM systems. Results from 8-channel sys-
tem are more scattered using DCF. All transmission scenarios except one, when DCF was used,
gave the shortest optical lines lengths so it is possible to say that DCF is not the best solution
for dispersion compensation in WDM systems. One more thing can be concluded that using lower
frequencies give the possibility to extend the optical lines length more than using higher frequencies
from C-bands frequencies range.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This work is supported by the Latvian National research program SOPHIS under grant agreement
Nr. 10-4/VPP-4/11.
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