Dispersion compensating fibers and systems

摘要

Disclosed is a family of dispersion compensating optical fibers that are adapted for use with conventional single-mode transmission fibers that are optimized for zero dispersion operation at a wavelength in the range from 1290 nm to 1330 nm to form a transmission link suitable for low dispersion operation in the 1520-1565 nm wavelength window. The dispersion compensating fibers are capable of providing a dispersion more negative than -20 ps/nm-km and attenuation less than 1 dB/km at wavelengths in the 1520-1565 nm region. Certain of the dispersion compensating fibers also exhibit a dispersion versus wavelength relationship having a negative slope in the 1520-1565 nm region, to compensate for the dispersion versus wavelength slope of the trandsmission fiber. The dispersion compensating fiber can be advantageously combined with a fiber amplifier to form a compensator that is adapted to overcome attenuation introduced into the system by the dispersion compensating fiber. In one embodiment, the dispersion compensating fiber is also a distributed fiber amplifier.