Performance evaluation of N × 40 Gbps CS-RZ and DCS-RZ modulated signals transmitted over single mode fiber based on non-ideal LiNbO3 Mach-Zehnder modulators

Abstract

We investigate the transmission performance of N × 40 Gbps carrier-suppressed return-to-zero (CS-RZ) and duobinary CS-RZ (DCS-RZ) modulated wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) signals over the standard single-mode fiber (SSMF) based on non-ideal Mach-Zehnder (MZ) modulators through numerical simulations. In addition to that, the impact on receiver margin related to the residual chirp due to an asymmetry ratio of modulators as well as the effect of the applied chirp of modulators has been studied. As the asymmetry ratio of modulators is increased, dispersion penalties are increased asymmetrically at around the zero dispersion wavelength for the CS-RZ format. The DCS-RZ modulation format has a symmetric behavior due to different characteristics of the residual chirp of modulators. The receiver margin for the DCS-RZ modulation format is larger than the CS-RZ modulation format above the asymmetry ratio of 0.82 of modulators (extinction ratio of 20 dB) with the optimal ΔλDCF. By controlling the negative/positive applied chirp of the first/second modulator, dispersion penalties can be reduced for both the CS-RZ and DCS-RZ formats. In the DCS-RZ format compared to the CS-RZ format, the effect of the applied chirp of the first modulator is more dominant than that of the second modulator. The simulation results show that the receiver margin is limited by the asymmetry ratio of modulators as well as a deviated wavelength from the zero dispersion wavelength of dispersion compensating fibers (DCF) in order to be fully post-compensated. Dispersion penalties can be reduced with appropriate chirp parameters of two non-ideal modulators.