Distinct dispersion compensation for coherent channels
DC CAFCFirst Claim
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1. An optical assembly comprising:
- an input optical port for receiving a mixed optical signal containing a combination of coherent optical wavelength channels and non-coherent optical wavelength channels;
an optical demultiplexer configured to separate the combination of optical wavelength channels present on the input optical port such that a plurality of coherent optical wavelength channels and no non-coherent optical wavelength channels are provided onto a coherent optical path, and such that a plurality of non-coherent optical wavelength channels and no coherent optical wavelength channels are provided onto a non-coherent optical path;
a dispersive element disposed in one or both of the coherent and non-coherent optical paths and that operates such that a different amount of dispersion is applied to the plurality of non-coherent optical wavelength channels traveling through the non-coherent optical path than the amount of dispersion, if any, that is applied to the coherent optical path; and
an optical multiplexer configured to receive and combine the optical wavelength channels from the coherent and non-coherent optical paths to form a mixed coherent and non-coherent optical output signal on an output of the optical multiplexer.
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Abstract
An optical assembly in an optical link coupling two optical terminals. The optical assembly receives and demultiplexes two groups of optical wavelength channels which are each treated separately as far as dispersion compensation and discrete amplification are concerned. The optical assembly then multiplexes the two groups back into the same fiber for further transmission. For instance, one group of optical wavelength channels may each be coherent channels, and subject to no dispersion in the optical assembly, while the other group may contain non-coherent channels, which are subject to dispersion compensation in the optical assembly.
9 Citations
18 Claims
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1. An optical assembly comprising:
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an input optical port for receiving a mixed optical signal containing a combination of coherent optical wavelength channels and non-coherent optical wavelength channels; an optical demultiplexer configured to separate the combination of optical wavelength channels present on the input optical port such that a plurality of coherent optical wavelength channels and no non-coherent optical wavelength channels are provided onto a coherent optical path, and such that a plurality of non-coherent optical wavelength channels and no coherent optical wavelength channels are provided onto a non-coherent optical path; a dispersive element disposed in one or both of the coherent and non-coherent optical paths and that operates such that a different amount of dispersion is applied to the plurality of non-coherent optical wavelength channels traveling through the non-coherent optical path than the amount of dispersion, if any, that is applied to the coherent optical path; and an optical multiplexer configured to receive and combine the optical wavelength channels from the coherent and non-coherent optical paths to form a mixed coherent and non-coherent optical output signal on an output of the optical multiplexer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An optical system comprising:
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a transmission terminal; a receiver terminal; a plurality of optical repeaters; a plurality of optical assemblies used to separate coherent optical channels from non-coherent optical channels, and apply different dispersion to the non-coherent optical channels as compared to dispersion, if any, that is applied to the coherent optical channels before recombining the coherent and non-coherent optical channels for further transmission towards the receiver terminal. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for applying different dispersion to coherent and non-coherent optical channels, the method comprising:
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an act of receiving a mixed optical signal containing a combination of coherent optical wavelength channels and non-coherent optical wavelength channels; an act of demultiplexing the plurality of coherent optical wavelength channels onto a coherent optical path, and the plurality of non-coherent optical wavelength channels onto a non-coherent optical path; an act of applying dispersion onto one or both of the coherent optical path and the non-coherent optical path such that different dispersion is applied to the plurality of non-coherent optical wavelength channels on the non-coherent optical path as compared to the dispersion, if any, that is applied to the coherent optical path; and an act of multiplexing the plurality of coherent optical wavelength channels and the plurality of non-coherent optical wavelength channels to formulate a mixed coherent and non-coherent optical output signal. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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Specification