Dispersion compensation for high bit rate fiber-optic communication using a dynamically tunable optical filter

A detailed analysis of dispersion-compensating fiber-optic filter is provided. Design parameters of the filter that could provide dispersion compensation for wide spectral sources are discussed. The dispersion-compensating fiber filter designed here can be dynamically tuned to compensate for the drift in the laser center frequency caused by temperature change and other deteriorations. The filter can be fabricated by exposing the photorefractive fibers to ultraviolet radiation. A design methodology for fabricating the refractive-index variation along the longitudinal direction of the fiber with appropriate chirp and taper coefficients is also given here. Dispersion-compensation capability of the fiber filter is demonstrated by simulating pulse broadening after transmission in a long fiber and the regeneration of the pulse after dispersion compensation.