First-order PMD compensation using optical FIR filter

Abstract

We present a synthesis algorithm to design an optical finite impulse response (FIR) filter for compensating a first-order polarization mode dispersion (PMD) by minimizing the differential group delay (DGD). The desired frequency response was approximated using two widely used methods in designing digital FIR filters: the Fourier series expansion method and the frequency sampling method. A numerical simulation was performed for an eighth-order filter to demonstrate the difference between the two methods. The simulation results produced a sharper cutoff for the Fourier series expansion and higher stopband attenuation for the frequency sampling method. The Fourier series method produced better results in reducing the DGD.