DWDM impairments

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Linear effects

Attenuation loss Dispersion effects

Optical transport networks (OTN) Glossary

Lt
Power

Signal Abbre- Description Abbre- Description Abbre- Description

viation viation viation
AON All optical network IL Insertion loss OTN Optical transport networks
OTN To other APD Avalanche photodiode ITU International Telecommunication Union OXC Optical cross connect
network ASE Amplified spontaneous emission ITU-T ITU Telecommunication Sector PDL Polarization dependent loss
CD Chromatic dispersion LAN Local area network PMD Polarization mode dispersion
Noise OC-n dB Decibel MUX Multiplexer PoS Packet over SONET/SDH
STM-N DCF Dispersion compensating fiber mW Milliwatt RFA Raman fiber amplifier
Distance 43 Gbps DCM Dispersion compensating module nm Nanometer SBS Stimulated Brillouin scattering
Polarization mode dispersion (PMD)
l1 10.7 Gbps DEMUX Demultiplexer NMS Network management system SDH Synchronous digital hierarchy
PMD the effect of the different polarization modes (horizontal and Power conversion
1. Optical

10 Raman
Attenuation in singlemode fibers

TP 2.7 Gbps
window

2. Optical window

To other DFB Distributed feedback NZDSF Non-zero dispersion shifted fiber SMF Single-mode fiber
vertical) of a signal statistically traveling at different velocities due to pump DSF Dispersion shifted fiber OC Optical carrier SOA Semiconductor optical amplifier
10GigE OC-192c network
3. Optical window

fiber imperfections. DWDM Dense wavelength division multiplexing O/E Optical-to-electrical converter SONET Synchronous optical network
OC-n STM-64c
dB/km

E/O Electrical-to-optical converter OADM Optical add/drop multiplexer SPM Self phase modulation
1 Effects: decrease of peak power, Solutions: careful fiber laying STM-N l2 EDFA Erbium-doped fiber amplifier OCC Optical connection controller SRS Stimulated Raman scattering
TP EDFA DCF Optical power conversions
distortion of pulse shape and bit (no stress), use of new fiber with

DWDM DEMUX
ER Extinction ratio OFA Optical fiber amplifier Tbps Terabit per second
l1ln OXC l1ln

DWDM MUX
TDM MUX
errors low PMD values, exact fiber FB Fabry-Perot OFE Optical front-end TDM Time division multiplexing dBm = 10 log10 {P/1mW}
OADM FWHM Full width at half maximum OQM Optical Q-factor meter TIA Telecom Industry Association
geometry NDSF
0.1 GigE l3 l1 FWM Four wave mixing ORL Optical return loss TP Transponder
Power (W) Power (dBm)
850 1310 1550 l/nm ATM TP TP Gbps Gigabit per second OSA Optical spectrum analyzer WAN Wide area network
Attenuation and noise VoIP GigE Gigabit Ethernet OSC Optical supervisory channel WDM Wavelength division multiplexing 31.6 W +40 dBm
Attenuation loss of signal power Noise unwanted power resulting PoS GVD Group velocity dispersion OSNR Optical signal-to-noise ratio XPM Cross phase modulation 3.16 W +35 dBm
IEC International electrotechnical commission OTDR Optical time domain reflectometer
caused by factors such as material from system components or ln ln 1W +30 dBm
absorption and impurities. natural disturbances. TP TP 316 mW +25 dBm
Metro
SONET/SDH 100 mW +20 dBm
Effects: decrease of peak power Solutions: use of shorter spans
32 mW +15 dBm
and bit errors and purer fiber material
X
Optical eye pattern 10 mW +10 dBm
Positive chromatic dispersion
5 mW +7 dBm
Chromatic dispersion (CD) 1 mW 0 dBm
CD the phenomenon of the different wavelengths of an optical pulse
500 mW 3 dBm
traveling at different velocities along a fiber and arriving at different
100 mW 10 dBm

Fiber classification facts

times in the receiver.
Bandwidth conversions 50 mW 13 dBm
Effects: decrease of peak power, Solutions: use of fibers or 10 mW 20 dBm
pulse broadening and bit errors modules with reverse CD values T
5 mW 23 dBm
(DCF/DCM)
1 mW 30 dBm
Bandwidth conversions
Dispersion compensation modules (DCM) du = {c/l2} Dl 100 nW 40 dBm
DCMs remove CD effects accumulated during transmission by using an GHz to nanometers at 1550 10 nW 50 dBm
Non-linear effects 20
element to create reverse behaviour of the velocity per wavelength. nm 1 nW 60 dBm
G652 standard fiber CD can be compensated by using: 2.5 Gbps T = 402 ps 100 GHz & 0.8 nm 100 pW 70 dBm
Fiber Bragg grating 10 Gbps T = 100.5 ps 50 GHz & 0.4 nm

CD coefficient in ps/(nm6km)
10 10 pW 80 dBm
44 Gbps T = 25.5 ps
Parametric effects Scattering effects G655 non zero disp. Dispersion compensating fibers (DCF) DCFs 25 GHz & 0.2 nm 1 pW 90 dBm
shifted fiber DCMs are often integrated into optical fiber amplifiers (OFA) and can
0 sometimes be adjusted to react to temperature dependent changes of the
G653 dispersion CD value.
Cross phase modulations (XPM)
Power

Power

shifted fiber
The effect a signal in one channel has on another signal's phase is called 10
XPM. It is caused by the Kerr effect but arises only from the transmission References Frequencies
of multiple channels on the same fiber.
20
Effects: spectral broadening, Solutions: use of fibers with CD Optical bands
Channels Channels
initial pulse compression (in 0.6 ITU-T http://www.itu.int

100 GHz and above

100 GHz and above

0

40
60

30
65

5
1200 1300 1400 1500 1600

frequencies (THz)

frequencies (THz)

wavelengths (nm)

frequencies (THz)

frequencies (THz)

wavelengths (nm)
positive CD regime), accelerated Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS)

12

13

14
14

15
15

16

16

Nominal central

Nominal central

Nominal central

Nominal central

Nominal central

Nominal central
l/nm G.661 Definitions and test methods for the

for spacings of

for spacings of
pulse broadening (in negative CD This effect transfers power from a signal at a shorter wavelength to one
relevant generic parameters of optical

for spacings

for spacings
regime), channel crosstalk due to at a higher wavelength. Signal light waves interact with optical photons G.652 or standard fibers contain- G.653 dispersion shifted fiber (DSF) 0.5

of 50 GHz

of 50 GHz
ing zero dispersion at 1310 nm were for transmission in the region of amplifier devices and subsystems
walk-off effect and bit errors in the silica fiber and are scattered in all directions.
G.662 Generic characteristics of optical amplifier

Blue-band, C-band, Red-band

the first single-mode fibers to be lowest attenuation with zero CD.

Attenuation (dB/km)

U-band (Ultralong wavelength)

Effects: decrease of peak power Solutions: careful power level used in long-haul communications. Intended initially for standard use 0.4 devices and subsystems

S-band (Short wavelength)

L-band (Long wavelength)

and OSNR, optical crosstalk design They show slightly more attenuation with new installations, multiple G.663 Application related aspects of optical 196.10 196.10 1528.77 194.05 1544.92
especially in bi-directional in the 1310 nm than in 1550 nm channels and high transmission amplifier devices and subsystems
196.05 1529.16 194.00 194.00 1545.32
0.3 (describes nonlinear effects)

E-band (Extended)
DWDM systems, bit errrors window and have the highest CD in rates have led to non-linear effects

O-band (Original)
Blue shift Red shift 196.00 196.00 1529.55 193.95 1545.72
comparison to other fibers. being exhibited in these fibers. G.664 Optical safety procedure and requirements
for optical transport systems 195.95 1529.94 193.90 193.90 1546.12
0.2 195.90 195.90 1530.33 193.85 1546.52
G.655 non-zero dispersion shifted

S+-band
G.692 Optical interfaces for multichannel
fiber (NZDSF) reduces non-linear systems with optical amplifiers 195.85 1530.72 193.80 193.80 1546.92
Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) effects caused by multiple wave- (DWDM systems, channel spacing grids
X 0.1 195.80 195.80 1531.12 193.75 1547.32
This backscattering process causes loss of power. Signal light waves length transmission and high-power and reference test points)
Self phase modulation (SPM) induce periodic changes in the fiber's refractive index at high power. 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 195.75 1531.51 193.70 193.70 1547.72
laser by leaving a small amount of G.709 Interfaces for the optical transport
With high signal intensities, light induces variable local changes in the Wavelength (nm) network (OTN) (2.7 Gbps, 10.7 Gbps, 195.70 195.70 1531.90 193.65 1548.11
Effects: decrease of peak power Solutions: spectral broadening CD in the fiber.
fiber's refractive index known as the Kerr effect that produces a varying 43 Gbps, FEC and digital wrapper) 195.65 1532.29 193.60 193.60 1548.51
phase in the same channel. and OSNR, optical crosstalk of the light source 195.60 195.60 1532.68 193.55 1548.91
G.957 Optical interfaces for equipment and
especially in bi-directional systems relating to the synchronous
Effects: spectral broadening, Solutions: use of fibers with CD 195.55 1533.07 193.50 193.50 1549.32
DWDM systems, bit errors digital hierarchy
initial pulse compression (in 195.50 195.50 1533.47 193.45 1549.72
positive CD regime), accelerated
pulse broadening (in negative CD Optical fiber amplification G.959.1 Optical transport networks with physical
layer interfaces
195.45
195.40

195.40
1533.86
1534.25
193.40
193.35
193.40

1550.12
1550.52
regime) and channel crosstalk 195.35 1534.64 193.30 193.30 1550.92
due to walk-off effect
Further limitations IEC http://www.iec.ch
195.30
195.25
195.30

1535.04
1535.43
193.25
193.20

193.20
1551.32
1551.72
Gain profiles 61290 Basic specifications for optical test
195.20 195.20 1535.82 193.15 1552.12
14 methods
Basic configuration of the EDFA 195.15 1536.22 193.10 193.10 1552.52
Original channels Crosstalk 61291-1 Optical fiber amplifiers
f1 f2 f3 EDFA gain 195.10 195.10 1536.61 193.05 1552.93
12
Optical isolator 195.05 1537.00 193.00 193.00 1553.33
l1 Input WDM coupler Output 195.00 195.00 1537.40 192.95 1553.73
10 Telcordia http://www.telcordia.com
TP Raman gain 194.95 1537.79 192.90 192.90 1554.13
Er-doped fiber
GR-1221 Generic reliability assurance requirements
l1ln 8 for passive optical components 194.90 194.90 1538.19 192.85 1554.54
Gain (dB)

Interference products
GR-2854 Generic requirements for optical isolators 194.85 1538.58 192.80 192.80 1554.94
f332

Crosstalk
f112

DWDM DEMUX

l2 6 and circulators 194.80 194.80 1538.98 192.75 1555.34

TP GR-2882 Generic requirements for fiber-optic 194.75 1539.37 192.70 192.80 1555.75
f231
f132
f213

DWDM signal Pump LD

4 dispersion compensators 194.70 194.70 1539.77 192.65 1556.15
GR-2918 DWDM systems with digital tributaries for
f223

f221

f321

f331
f123
f113

f312

194.65 1540.16 192.60 192.60 1556.55

use in metropolitan areas
l3 Erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) 2 194.60 194.60 1540.56 192.55 1556.96
f/GHz
TP 194.55 1540.95 192.50 192.50 1557.36
Four wave mixing (FWM) EDFAs are the most common OFAs used. This piece of optical fiber is doped
0 194.50 194.50 1541.35 192.45 1557.77
This interference phenomenon produces unwanted signals from three with erbium ions (Er3+). Radiation from a pump laser outside the wavelength 1500 1520 1540 1560 1580 1600 1620
Crosstalk TIA http://www.tiaonline.com 194.45 1541.75 192.40 192.40 1558.17
frequencies (fxyz = fx + fy fz) known as ghost channels. As three chan- range is introduced into the fiber resulting in amplification of the data Wavelength (nm)
nels automatically induce a fourth, the term four wave mixing is used. Crosstalk occurs in devices that filter and separate wavelengths. signal. TIA/EIA-526-4A Optical eye pattern measurement 194.40 194.40 1542.14 192.35 1558.58
A proportion of optical power intended for a specific channel is found procedure
FWM is problematic in systems using DSF fibers. Wavelengths traveling Raman amplification 194.35 1542.54 192.30 192.30 1558.98
at the same speed at a constant phase over long time periods increase in an adjacent or different channel. TIA/EIA-526-6 Optical signal-to-noise ratio
This optical amplification process takes place throughout the transmission 194.30 194.30 1542.94 192.25 1559.39
the effect of FWM. measurement procedure for dense
Solutions: use appropriate opti- fibers in optical networks. It is initiated by pump lasers and wavelength wavelength division multiplexed 194.25 1543.33 192.20 192.20 1559.79
Effects: generation of additional
scattering from fiber atoms that alter the wavelength to that of the systems 194.20 194.20 1543.73 192.15 1560.20
Effects: power transfer to new Solutions: use of fiber with CD, noise affecting optical signal to cal channel spacing, for example
optical signal. The optical fiber is commonly pumped backwards with a TIA/EIA-526-12 Q-factor measurement procedure
signal frequencies (harmonics), irregular channel spacing noise ratios (OSNR), leading to 0.4 nm ? 10 Gbps 194.15 1544.13 192.10 192.10 1560.61
600 mW laser which is most efficient with a wavelength difference of for optical transmission systems
channel crosstalk and bit errors bit errors 194.10 194.10 1544.53
100 nm/13.2 THz to the signal.

Note: Specifications, terms and conditions are subject to change without notice. Copyright 2003 Acterna, LLC. All rights reserved. Acterna, The Keepers of Communications, and its logo are trademarks of Acterna, LLC. DWDM/PO/OPT/01-03/AE