Impact of external modulator chirp for 10-Gbit/s transmission in an eight-wavelength eight-node WDM ring network

Abstract

Reconfigurable wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) networks are attractive because they provide cost effective, flexible capacity growth in response to increased demands; increased network survivability against fiber cuts and node failures; and transparency to signal format, bit-rate, and protocol. However, optical signal degradation can occur at each node in a WDM network due to laser frequency misalignment and finite filter passbands. This paper examines the impact of external modulator chirp with frequency misalignment on 10-Gbit/s transmission through cascaded filters in WDM networks. The experimental configuration, which includes a ring of eight prototype wavelength add/drop multiplexers (WADMs) network elements is shown.