O-band PDFA and tunable filter for transceiver testing

Summary

The O-band transceivers have been extensively used for high-speed Ethernet. The primary reason is that dispersion compensation is much easier in the O-band than in the C-band. These transceivers are produced to meet an industry standard (e.g. IEEE), and some tests require boosting the optical signals. Unlike the C-band, however, fiber amplifiers are not commonly available in the market.

Here we propose one scheme that is useful for transceiver testing, in which PDFA and optical filters are combined.

Eye pattern measurement enhanced by PDFA and wavelength tunable filter

One typical case where PDFA and tunable filter is eye pattern measurement by an oscilloscope. In many cases the output from a transceiver TX is too weak for oscilloscope measurement and optical boosting is required. A PDFA boosts the WDM signal, and one channel is sliced by a tunable filter. The tunable filter possesses a built-in attenuator, and the output power to an oscilloscope is automatically adjusted.

FiberLabs products related to this article

FiberLabs offers the following products related to this article. Please visit these pages if you are interested in this article.

• O-band amplifier (PDFA, bench-top type)
• Tunable optical filter (bench-top type)

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