Phase-tunable low-loss, S-, C-, and L-band DPSK and DQPSK demodulator

Differential phase-shift keying (DPSK) and differential quadrature phase-shift keying (DQPSK) are touted as performers and reliable advanced modulation formats for next-generation optical transmission systems. One key device enabling such systems is the delay interferometer, converting the signal phase information into intensity modulation to be detected by the photodiodes. We developed an all-fiber delay-line interferometer for DPSK and DQPSK demodulation in the S-, C-, and L-band with low insertion loss, low-birefringence, and greater than 30 dB of extinction ratio over 100 run and 20 dB from 1460 to 1640 nm in a single device. The device also features insensitivity to mechanical vibration, very low port imbalance (0.1 dB), and very low time delay between all outputs (0.1 ps). The device is highly reliable with a demonstrated failure-in-time rate of less than 100.