OKI Develops Polarization-Mode Dispersion Control for 100+ Gbps Optical Networks

OKI Electric Industry, in partnership with Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, has developed a technology to precisely suppress Polarization-Mode Dispersion (PMD), which is the main cause of interference when attempting high-speed optical communication greater than 100Gbps. Using a "PMD Suppressor," OKI and NICT succeeded in an operational test using a 160Gbps optical signal, which is faster and more susceptible to PMD than 100Gbps.


OKI noted that optical networks operating at 40 Gbps and higher become particularly sensitive to PMD effects. In Japan, over 50% of current optical fiber networks (total length of backbone network: approx. three hundred thousand kilometers) are of a type influenced greatly by PMD.


OKI succeeded in developing a PMD suppressor, which is an optical circuit for restoring the distorted received signal wave to its original form. Using this suppressor, OKI succeeded in restoring a wave distorted by PMD to its original form by generating a pseudo PMD in an operational experiment using a 160Gbps signal.



The research was conducted as part of the "Research and Development on λ (Lambda) Utility Technology," under the auspices of NICT, as part of Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (Mick's "Research and Development for Photonic Network Technology."http://www.oki.com