Dispersion Penalty Reduction Using an Optical Modulator with Adjustable Chirp

Using a unique Ti:LiNbO sub 3 modulator we experimentally identify the value of the modulation chirp parameter that minimizes the transmission power penalty caused by fiber chromatic dispersion. We report a reduction of the dispersion penalty relative to the result for chirpless modulation for 5 Gb/s transmission at 1.5 microns over 128, 192, and 256 km of conventional fiber by 0.7 dB, 0.5 dB, and 0.3 dB, respectively.