Analysis of Available Components and Performance Estimation of Optical Multi-Band Systems

Abstract

Optical multi-band (OMB) systems exploit the low-loss spectrum of the single mode fiber (SMF) and are key enablers to increase the transportation capacity and node connectivity of already deployed systems. The realization of OMB systems is mainly based on the technological advances on the component and system level, and for this purpose, a broad gamut of various structural elements, such as transceivers, amplifiers, filters, etc. have been commercialized already or are close to commercialization. This wide range of options, which aid in unlocking the concurrent transmission in all amplification bands, is reviewed here for the first time, whilst their pros and cons as well as their limitations are discussed. Furthermore, the needs for additional components in order to fully exploit the ≈390 nm low-loss wavelength range of SMF, which spans from 1260 to 1650 nm, are highlighted. Finally, based on a physical layer formalism, which incorporates the impact of the most important physical layer constraints for an OMB system, the attainable capacity and transparent reach of each amplification band are quantified.

A Vision of 6th Generation of Fixed Networks (F6G): Challenges and Proposed Directions

“…As the rates per channel can reach up to 800 Gb/s with currently available solutions, the attainable rates in the access part of the network are significantly smaller. For example, the most recent PON standard, which is 50G-EPON [74], can provide access to the network with a downstream rate of 50 Gb/s. In the F6G, there is a strong need to advance to the 100G-PON standard or directly to 200G-PON in order to support the various capacity demanding services, which were presented in Section 2.…”

“…To realize UWB transmission, various types of amplifiers can be employed, such as Doped Fiber Amplifiers (DFAs), Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers (SOAs), and Raman amplifiers. The pros and cons of each method are discussed in [74]. According to our opinion, DFAs are currently the dominant amplification schemes, as they (a) are a well-known technology due to the extensive use of EDFAs in the C-band, (b) allow for modular engineering, introducing amplifiers on an as-needed basis, and (c) provide highly desirable characteristics such as low noise figure, gain flatness, and high output power.…”

“…Figure 22.Gain and noise figure of indicative available doped fiber amplifiers assuming a total input power in each amplifier equal to 0 dBm[74].…”

A Vision of 6th Generation of Fixed Networks (F6G): Challenges and Proposed Directions

“…However, for short-reach communication the use of oDAC approaches, as presented in the previous section, seems an excellent approach to scale the data rates in a low cost and low power consumption way. Table 4: Details of commercially available transceivers for regional and long-haul transmission [71].…”

“…To realize UWB transmission, various types of amplifiers can be employed, such as Doped Fiber Amplifiers (DFAs), Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers (SOAs) and Raman amplifiers. The pros and cons of each method are discussed in [71]. According to our opinion, DFAs are currently the dominant amplification technology, as they (a) are a well-known technology due to the extensive use of EDFAs in the C-band, (b) allow for a modular engineering, introducing amplifiers on an as-needed basis, and (c) provide the desirable characteristics such as low noise figure, gain flatness, and high output power.…”