15216-DCU-950 Cisco ONS 15216 950 ps/nm Dispersion Compensation Unit

The 15216-DCU-950 is a Cisco ONS 15216 Dispersion Compensator Module for the C-band, built on dispersion compensating fiber at -950 ps/nm. The spare number 15216-DCU-950= belongs to the same module, which compensates the chromatic dispersion that builds up on 10G and 40G links without dropping and regenerating the wavelengths.

The module compensates 950 ps/nm with a maximum insertion loss of 5.5 dB. Polarization mode dispersion is under 1 ps, polarization dependent loss is under 0.1 dB and optical return loss is better than 45 dB. Maximum length is 9.05 km at a reference wavelength of 1545.32 nm, with a relative dispersion slope of 0.0037 per nm, across a 1525 to 1565 nm range.

Dispersion value holds within +/-3 percent over temperature and insertion loss varies by less than 0.6 dB over temperature. The connector is LC-UPC, the module measures 1.62 x 8.20 x 9.78 in. (41 x 208 x 248 mm) and weighs between 4.4 lb (2 kg) and 7.7 lb (3.5 kg).

Modules sit in the ONS 15216 Dispersion Compensator Shelf, a passive 1RU housing for a 19-inch or 23-inch rack with two slots. One slot can serve east-to-west traffic and the other west-to-east, or the two can be cascaded in one direction for more compensation than a single module reaches. A DCU can also sit between a wavelength selective switch and an amplifier.