Design of AWG Devices for All-Optical Time-Frequency Packing

We present the design guidelines for novel passive arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) devices to all-optically implement time-frequency packing techniques in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. The proposed approach can increase the spectral efficiency in long-haul fiber links. We analyze the system performances, evaluating the maximum achievable information rate and spectral efficiency, and we found the optimal AWG layout to maximize the overall system capacity. We demonstrate, through simulations, that an overall 1.4 Tb/s transmission over 200 GHz bandwidth can be reached, using two polarizations, quadrature phase shift keying modulation, and digital feedback equalization.