DISPERSION PENALTY FOR 1.3-MU-M LIGHTWAVE SYSTEMS WITH MULTIMODE SEMICONDUCTOR-LASERS

The effect of fiber dispersion on the performance of lightwave systems is analyzed for the case where multimode semiconductor lasers operating near the zero-dispersion wavelength of the single-mode fiber are used as sources. Both the intersymbol interference and the mode-partition noise are considered in the discussion of dispersion-induced power penalties. The theory is in agreement with an experiment in which the bit error rate is measured for lasers at various bit rates. The tolerable limits on the deviation of the laser wavelength from the zero-dispersion wavelength are obtained for a 1. 3- mu m system operating at 1. 7 Gb/s. Monte Carlo simulations are used to predict the effect of mode-partition noise on the performance of such high-speed lightwave communication systems.