Relative Intensity Noise Suppression of Spectrum-Sliced Channels Using Polarization-Independent Optical Modulators

Abstract

Performances of spectrum-sliced channels are strongly affected by their relative intensity noise (RIN). We use polarization-independent optical modulators (PIOMs) for spectrum-sliced channels to suppress their RIN. The PIOM driven by a high sinusoidal voltage signal evenly redistributes optical frequency components in the spectral domain and reduces the RIN. It can be used at a broadband light source (BLS) output to produce spectrum-sliced channels having lower RIN values. Also, it can be used for each spectrum-sliced channel within each optical network unit (ONU). In our experiment, where 12.5-GHz-spaced spectrum-sliced channels are used in 1-GbE speed, the use of PIOM at the BLS output reduces the bit error rate (BER) of the spectrum-sliced channel by more than an order of magnitude. The use of PIOM within the ONU reduces the BER by approximately 3 orders of magnitude.