COL 11(8), 080602(2013) CHINESE OPTICS LETTERS August 10, 2013
Performance comparison of power fading mitigation
techniques in multiband OFDM-UWB signals
transmission along LR-PONs
Tiago M. F. Alves
∗
and Adolfo V. T. Cartaxo
Instituto de Telecomunica¸c˜oes, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering,
Instituto Superior T´ecnico, Technical University of Lisbon, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal
∗
Corresponding author: tiago.alves@lx.it.pt
Received February 15, 2013; accepted April 12, 2013; posted online July 26, 2013
The single sideband (SSB) mod ulation is assessed as a means to mitigate the dispersion-induced power
fading on the distribution of ortogonal frequency div ision multiplexing (OFDM) ultra wideband (UWB)
radio signals along long-reach passive optical networks (LR-PONs). Particularly, two different SSB ar-
chitectures, namely, Sieben’s architecture and four phase modulator (FPM) architecture are optimized to
provide maximum sideband suppression. The minimum optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR ) required to
simultaneously distribute all the 14 OFDM-UWB sub- bands along the LR-PON d istances ranging between
80 and 100 km is also evaluated through numerical simulation. FPM architecture is preferable over Sieben’s
architecture because the latter SSB architecture generates carriers-carriers beat term at the photodetector
output with high power, thereby causing significant degradation in the OFDM-UWB sub-bands with lower
central frequencies. The simultaneous distribution of the 14 SSB OFDM-UWB sub-bands in the LR-PON
using the FPM architecture shows a minimum OSNR penalty of 3 dB compared with the centralized dis-
persion compensation technique.
OCIS codes: 060.0060, 060.2330.
doi: 10.3788/COL201311.080602.
The tra ns mission performance impairments of ultra wide-
band (UWB) radio signals in optical fiber access in-
frastructures is a hot resea rch topic
[1−4]
. Among the
different transmission impa irments, the fiber dispersion-
induced power fading is identified as one of the most
restrictive limitations on the performance of double
sideband (DSB) ortogonal frequency-division multi-
plexing (OFDM) UWB signal transmissio n in intensity
modulation-direct detection systems
[5]
.
Several techniques were proposed to mitigate the disp-
ersion-induced power fading. The most interesting tech-
niques from complexity and performance view-
points are based on single sideband (SSB) modul-
ation
[4]
, chirped electro-optic modulators (EOMs)
[6]
, and
centralized optical dis persion compensation (DC)
[7]
.
The solution based on chirped EOMs showed rea -
sonable tolerance to power fading degradation when
the first three UWB sub-bands were transmitted
simultaneously
[6]
.
When SSB modulation of OFDM-UWB radio signals
is employed, the power fading limitation is avoided be-
cause only a signal sideband is transmitted. The main
disadvantage of SSB modulation is that, if a wavelength
division multiplexing (WDM) technique is used to de-
liver the UWB services to different users with acceptable
bandwidth requirements in both the optical line termi-
nation (OLT) and optical network units (ONUs)
[8]
, one
EOM structure per user is require d and the cost of the
SSB modulation cannot be sha red among all the us e rs
served by the OLT.
If the DC is performed at the OLT or at the remote
node (RN) of the LR-PON, its implementation cost may
be shared by all the users served by the OLT, thus
making it an attractive solution for the network ope ra-
tors. However, the implementation of DC LR-PONs is
also challenging. For instance, giving tha t the dispersion
compensator can fully compensate for the dispersion only
for an ONU located at a given distance fro m the OLT,
other ONUs still suffer from p ower fading degradatio n
induced by the residual dis persion of the network
[7]
.
Despite the different advantages and drawbacks of the
aforementioned SSB modulation and DC techniques, the
comparison o f the transmission performance of multi-
band OFDM-UWB radio signals along LR-PONs em-
ploying these two techniques has yet to be performed.
Hence, in this letter, the transmission of SSB OFDM-
UWB radio signa ls as a solution to overcome the disper-
sion impairment of LR-PONs is assessed by numerical
simulation, while considering the simultaneous transmis-
sion of the 14 UWB sub-bands. Additionally, the per-
formance obtained when SSB OFDM-UWB radio signals
are transmitted is compared with that achieved when
optical DC is employed, fr om which the most promising
solution from the technical viewpoint is identified.
Several EOMs architectures were proposed to gener-
ate SSB signals
[9−11]
. Some of these architectures are
remarka bly complex and expensive and, consequently,
are not the most ideal options for use in access net-
works. Hence, in this letter, only the following (simpler)
SSB architectures are investigated: i) the one proposed
in Ref. [10], which uses one Mach-Zehnder modulator
(MZM) followed by a phase-modulator (PM); ii) the
one proposed in Ref. [11], consisting of a MZM with a
MZM inse rted in each arm. Henceforth, the fo rmer is
designated by Sieb e n’s architecture, while the latter is
designated by four phase modulator (FPM) architecture.
1671-7694/2013/080602(6) 080602-1
c
2013 Chinese Opt ics Letters