Evaluation of optical frequency comb-driven 4-Tbps WDM architecture for high-speed optical communication

Abstract An optical frequency comb (OFC) has emerged as a crucial component in modern communication system. This manuscript introduces a method for designing a 4 Tbps data transmission system utilizing an OFC generator as the light source. The proposed OFC generator is realized by cascading a frequency modulator (FM) with a dual-drive Mach–Zehnder modulator (DD-MZM). In order to determine the optimum performance parameters, the newly developed comb performance is evaluated. The OFC generator effectively produces 81 frequency comb lines, spanning around frequency range of 852 GHz with an improved flatness of 1.5 dB. The generated OFC is analysed in terms of the Q-factor and bit error rate at varying frequencies to establish the maximum transmission distance. At a bit rate of 4 Tbps, the system can transmit data up to 100 km under communication standards. The proposed OFC serves as a highly efficient light source for high-capacity data transmission system.