On the Decision-Feedback Equalizer in Optically Amplified Direct-Detection Systems

This paper investigates the combined feed-forward and decision-feedback equalizer (DFE) in a lightwave system with optical amplifiers and a direct-detection receiver. Based on a nonlinear channel model, the paper provides a modification of the classical minimum mean square error theory of the DFE. Furthermore, an analytical method that is capable of accurate bit error rate (BER) evaluation is used to optimize the DFE for minimum BER. The paper evaluates the DFE performance for both optical ON-OFF keying and duobinary modulation formats in the presence of chromatic dispersion as well as the DFE performance for the mitigation of higher order polarization mode dispersion in first-order compensated systems. The paper shows that the DFE can compensate for the BER degradation due to narrow-band receiver-side optical filtering and can significantly improve the spectral efficiency of dense wavelength-division multiplexed systems.