Article comprising a dispersion-compensating optical waveguide

Abstract

Disclosed is optical fiber that can advantageously be used to compensate chromatic dispersion in an optical fiber communication system, typically a system that is upgraded from 1.3 .mu.m to 1.55 .mu.m operating wavelength (.lambda..sub.op). The fiber typically has a power law core refractive index profile, a refractive index "trench" surrounding the core, and a refractive index "ridge" surrounding the trench. The refractive index profile of the fiber preferably is designed such that the fiber supports the fundamental mode (LP.sub.01), does not support the LP.sub.11 mode but does support the LP.sub.02 mode, all at .lambda..sub.op. At .lambda..sub.op, LP.sub.01 has dispersion more negative than -150 ps/nm.multidot.km and, in a preferred embodiment, LP.sub.01 also has negative dispersion slope at .lambda..sub.op. In a further embodiment of the invention the refractive index profile is designed such that the cut-off wavelength of the LP.sub.11 mode is less than that of the higher order mode, typically LP.sub.02, and less than .lambda..sub.op, such that the fiber does not support propagation of the LP.sub.11 mode. In some preferred embodiments the fiber is designed to have dispersion more negative than about -90 ps/nm.multidot.km and loss less than about 0.5 dB/km at .lambda..sub.op .about.1.55 .mu.m.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.