Multifunctional Optical Interface for Fiber-Radio Systems in Heterogeneous Access Networks

In this paper, we investigate through simulation a proposed multi-functional optical interface incorporating an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) that multiplexes multiple wavelength-interleaved dense-wavelength-division-multiplexed (DWDM) optical RF channels while simultaneously reducing intermodulation distortion (IMD) in fiber-radio systems incorporating optical single sideband with carrier (OSSB+C) modulation. The proposed optical interface is also able to simultaneously support multiple baseband transmission in an integrated wireless/wired heterogeneous access environment. We derive an analytical model and present a detailed analysis of the proposed interface to establish the viability of its operation and quantify performance limitations. Our results show that the proposed scheme is not dependent on the inherent characteristics of the optical carrier and a maximum IMD suppression of >9 dB can be achieved. The proposed interface was also investigated via simulation for a larger number of DWDM channels to establish the viability and subsequently quantify the overall performance of a heterogeneous millimeter-wave fiber-radio system with other wired-access infrastructure.