Optimization of DCF Location for WDM Systems using RZ, Chirped RZ and Carrier-Suppressed RZ Modulations

Dispersion-compensating fibers (DCF) location optimization is studied for WDM systems that use return-to-zero (RZ), chirped RZ (CRZ) and carrier-suppressed RZ (CSRZ) modulation schemes. Only uniform DCF spacing is considered. The analysis shows that when partial dispersion compensation is used, as is the case in practice to reduce four-wave mixing effects, the optimization process failed to enhance the performance but when full dispersion compensation is used, the results are improved significantly. However, in the latter case, changing the distribution of the DCF along the link led to a minimal system performance improvement.