Low-Loss and Low-Nonlinearity Pure-Silica-Core Fiber for C- and L-band Broadband Transmission

In order to improve system optical signal-to-noise ratio, low-loss and low-nonlinearity fibers are demanded for ultra-long-haul and high-capacity digital coherent transmission systems, such as transoceanic systems. In order to meet the demand, we have realized a pure-silica-core fiber with ultra-low loss of 0.15 dB/km and large effective area (Aeff) of 130 μm
²
(PSCF-130). Recently, transmission systems utilizing the L-band in addition to the C-band have been actively studied to further expand transmission capacity through a fiber. In such systems, however, one concern is loss increase resulting from macro- and/or micro-bending losses of large Aeff fiber. In this paper, we show experimentally and theoretically that PSCF-130 has sufficiently low macro- and micro-bending losses even in the L-band. PSCF-130 also has high-fiber figure-of-merit because of ultra-low loss and large Aeff in the C- and L-bands. From these results, PSCF-130 is applicable for C- and L-band broadband transmission and will have high transmission performance.