MIMO DWDM system using uncooled DFB lasers with adaptive laser bias control and postphotodetection crosstalk cancellation

A proof-of-principle demonstration of a multiple input-multiple output (MIMO) dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) system is reported. It uses standard uncooled distributed feedback lasers with intensity modulation-direction detection (IM-DD), in which the temperature of each laser is allowed to drift independently within a 50 °C temperature range. A feedback-based laser bias control algorithm is introduced to guarantee acceptable wavelength spacing and a postphotodetection minimum mean square error decoder is applied to cancel the interchannel crosstalk. The relative sensitivity of the MIMO receiver in both a random laser temperature drift scenario and a worst-case scenario are investigated by simulations in MATLAB. Experimental results for a 40-channel × 12.5 Gb/s DWDM system transmitting over 28 km of single-mode fiber with worst possible wavelength distribution prove the feasibility of the technique.