QD-MLL-Based Single-Sideband Superchannel Generation Scheme With Kramers–Kronig Direct Detection Receivers

For their capability of electronic dispersion compensation, transmission systems based on direct detection of single-sideband (SSB) signals are attractive candidates as energy-efficient and cost-effective alternative solutions to intradyne digital coherent systems for interdata center and metro applications. The Kramers-Kronig (KK) receiver scheme has been shown to provide superior performance compared to other schemes in signal-to-signal beat interference (SSBI) cancellation in these direct-detection systems. In this paper, we propose a low-complexity and cost-effective scheme of generating an optical superchannel comprising multiple SSB channels, based on a single quantum-dot mode-locked laser source. The proposed system does not require additional photonic or RF components at the transmitter to generate the required SSB signal with a continuous wave (CW) carrier. It also preserves the full digital-to-analog converters' bit resolution for data modulation, in contrast to other methods based on digital generation of the CW component. Simulations of system performance with KK receiver, based on measured laser output field, show that the proposed system can achieve bit-error ratio below the hard-decision forward error correction threshold for 16-QAM Nyquist SSB signals after transmission through three amplified spans of single-mode fiber in a 240-km link. Using 8 KK channels at 23 GBaud each, the proposed scheme will be able to achieve a transmission rate of 736 Gb/s with noncoded spectral efficiency of 2.45 b/s/Hz. The impacts of carrier-to-signal power ratio, per channel launch power into the fiber, and component frequency drifting on transmission system performance are also discussed.