OFDM versus single carrier towards spectrally efficient 100 Gb/s transmission with direct detection

In this paper, we compare the performance of three different digital-signal-processing-based directly detected 100 Gb/s transmission schemes, namely, optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing, optical single-carrier frequency domain equalization, and optical discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing. The performances of these systems are characterized with different link parameters, including laser linewidth, modulation formats, RF frequency, modulator drive power, and so on. Simulation results suggest that at optimum operating conditions, receivers' sensitivities of these systems may not exhibit any significant difference with respect to each other, confirming their suitability for next-generation 100 Gb/s short-reach optical links.