Simultaneous multi-impairment monitoring of 640 Gb/s signals using photonic chip based RF spectrum analyzer

Opt Express. 2010 Feb 15;18(4):3938-45. doi: 10.1364/OE.18.003938.

Abstract

We report the first demonstration of simultaneous multi-impairment monitoring at ultrahigh bitrates using a THz bandwidth photonic-chip-based radio-frequency (RF) spectrum analyzer. Our approach employs a 7 cm long, highly nonlinear (gamma approximately 9900 /W/km), dispersion engineered chalcogenide planar waveguide to capture the RF spectrum of an ultrafast 640 Gb/s signal, based on cross-phase modulation, from which we numerically retrieve the autocorrelation waveform. The relationship between the retrieved autocorrelation trace and signal impairments is exploited to simultaneously monitor dispersion, in-band optical signal to noise ratio (OSNR) and timing jitter from a single measurement. This novel approach also offers very high OSNR measurement dynamic range (> 30 dB) and is scalable to terabit data rates.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Equipment Design
  • Equipment Failure Analysis
  • Microwaves
  • Optical Devices*
  • Photometry / instrumentation*
  • Photons
  • Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted / instrumentation*
  • Spectrum Analysis / instrumentation*
  • Telecommunications / instrumentation*