Optimization of DSF- and SOA-based phase conjugators by incorporating noise-suppressing fiber gratings

We compare the performance of dispersion-shifted-fiber (DSF) and semiconductor-optical-amplifier (SOA) based laser phase conjugators for a 10-Gb/s nonreturn-to-zero system with respect to conversion efficiency, noise figure, and distortion. Fiber gratings are used for signal extraction and amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) suppression, allowing closer wavelength spacing and reducing the conjugation noise figure by up to 12 dB. Despite the higher SOA conversion efficiency, both conjugators give similar noise figures with ASE suppression. However, the DSF-based conjugator has the advantage of distortion tolerance at higher input power.